Album review: N.E.R.D's new album 'Nothing' is something special

Album Review: N.E.R.D’s fourth album “Nothing” finds the eccentric trio of Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, and Shae Haley (aka the production group The Neptunes) having come full circle, battle tested from their 10-year journey as a band. “Nothing” is a return to the classic N.E.R.D sound from “In Search Of,” combined with the live rock feel of “Fly or Die,” and highlighted by the electronica of “Seeing Sounds.”

The 10-track, 36 minute LP (the deluxe edition includes four additional tracks) is N.E.R.D’s most complete album to date. Its cohesiveness, along with its more mature, calmer tone imbues the album with a simple yet rich quality. The two songs that bookend the album shine as the obvious singles, but the remaining eight tracks confidently chain these bookends together, expressing one comprehensive thought.

The funky, house inspired “Hot and Fun,” featuring Nelly Furtado, is one of two radio-friendly songs and is in fact the lead single. The second single finds southern rapper TI reuniting with The Neptunes (check for TI’s first album “I’m Serious”) on the upbeat club anthem “Party People.”

The rest of the album seamlessly varies in tempo and tone from track to track. While many of the tracks employ a more serious, classic style, the music never comes off pretentious or self-conscious. Williams croons about his love for the opposite sex like only he can, but he also sings a motivational anthem for Chris Brown on the charismatic “God Bless Us All.” Other stand outs include the insatiable anthem “Victory” and the environmentally conscious, yet entertaining “Life as a Fish.”

Every track is produced by The Neptunes, with the exception of “Hypnotize U,” which features a mid-tempo, spacey contribution from the French duo Daft Punk. With Williams’ Prince-like vocals, the song fits superbly into the album. Throughout the album, there is also a strong presence of brass provided by trumpeter Jason Carder, and the saxophone, is played by none other than Hugo himself.

All but two of the tracks are co-written by Williams and Hugo. N.E.R.D’s label head, Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine, even lends his penmanship to the jazz influenced “Help Me,” where Williams sings, “See those war machines out there? A pact with your karma, do you care?”

For fans of N.E.R.D’s first three albums, this record is the next, natural progression. Admirers of the first album who aren’t keen on their following two releases, however, will still discover that “Nothing” provides a great reason to return to the band. “Nothing” was released November 2nd and can be purchased through most major online retailers and CD retailers. For samples and more information, visit http://www.n-e-r-d.com