Pharrell
G I R L
4/5

He’s dominated the charts, filthy rich, as popular as ever and yet Pharrell is still motivated enough to release his first solo album since 2006. It says a lot about a man who’s re-emergence has been spectacular and it says even more when he still comes up with one of the records of the year. Nearly all eleven tracks of G I R L could be touted as potential singles and that tells you as much about the space Pharrell now occupies as the quality of his tracks. Mixing 70s funk and disco on the brilliant Daft Punk featuring ‘Gust of Wind’ with the futuristic R&B sounding ‘Come Get It Bae’ with a well-behaved Miley Cyrus, Pharrell seamlessly combines sounds of new and old in what can only be described as an uplifting, vibrant carnival that will appeal to the many fans new to his work. He experiments at points but is always purposeful, mixing the sounds of chilled R&B on ‘Lost Queen’ with the ska-infused ‘Know Who You Are’ and the always impeccable Alicia Keys. He seems determined, on the back of ‘Blurred Lines’, to celebrate women and although there are some sketchy moments and not to mention dodgy metaphors, Pharrell really delivers. It’s impossible for your mood not to improve once pressing play on the record and that’s only a good thing.

https://soundcloud.com/ema01eem/guest-of-wind

Jamie Taylor