A Fresh Look at Pharrell's G I R L
Today, we revisit Pharrell’s ‘G I R L,' which still lacked a flawless pop album but had impeccable production.
Pharrell Williams has been part of the Beletage of music producers for years. After calmer phases, the N.E.R.D is again riding hits in one piece in the recent past. But although he celebrates great success as a songwriter and guest singer, there is still a big hole in his vita today: Pharrell has not yet released an impressive solo album, In My Mind, which turned out to be a disappointment for some fans in 2006. G I R L is supposed to make everything better now.
And even before the plate was even on the shelves, it unintentionally caused a stir. Some US commentators wanted to have recognized a racially motivated selection in the choice of the three women on the cover. This stiggered a discussion about the representation of Black women in the media, especially in social networks. Also, the record itself offers little on which the spirits could separate. You can’t expect anything really surprising, which by no means has to be taken negatively.
Admittedly, his chartbreakers “Get Lucky” with Daft Punk and “Blurred Lines,” which he produced for Robin Thicke, increasingly strained the nerves in their omnipresentity. Similar threats threaten the current hit “Happy,” which can be heard on G I R L and the soundtrack of Despicable Me 2 and everywhere else. However, it is hard to deny that The Good Mood Number is an excellent, almost frighteningly perfectly produced pop song.
Whether Hans Zimmer’s strings in “Marilyn Monroe,” simple clapping, or minimalist keys, Pharrell makes a tailor-made suit from different, quite common elements in the form of cheerful disco-pop and funk numbers.
No, this is not bulky art; it doesn’t want to be at all. Instead, there is gentle kitsch in the lyrics and finely polished, high-gloss polished beats. Simple: predestined not only to provide a good mood but also plenty of airplay. So it can only be a matter of time until songs like “Come Get It Bae” and “Brand New” run on heavy rotation.
This is not least due to the appropriately selected features. While Pharrell and Justin Timberlake push each other to the next higher pitch in the former, Miley Cyrus performs short parts and even shorter “heys” in “Come Get It Bae.” It is a discreet and harmonious performance that does not provide any ammunition for the cannons of its many opponents. Fortunately, Alicia Keys is less reserved and breathes the soul into the somewhat bland “Know Who You Are” with the usual high voice quality.
And what has already worked with Daft Punk is always worth another try, as “Gust of Wind” shows. But this is exactly where there is also a weakness of G I R L: The feeling of having already heard all this could still be explained by an artist with extensive solo discography. Pharrell, however, was mainly responsible for the hits of other artists apart from the Neptunes and N.E.R.D or at least worked on it.
So the record gives the impression that he now wants to combine all his successful productions and features on his work: a tribute to himself. With an extremely productive songwriter like Pharrell, this phenomenon may be inevitable. The question of whether the 40-year-old really needed a complete album must still be allowed.
Just like the attempt to answer: G I R L is a flawlessly produced pop album packed with potential perennial favorites. All from Pharrell’s pen, all provided with his vocals. Yes, he apparently needed that because it was still missing in his CV.