What the distorted guitar is to rock, the distorted bass drum is to hip hop; it makes a track instantly recognizable. Nobody understands this better than Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, aka The Neptunes. They created a thumping, aggressive funk sound that has dominated the charts for years now. Stars are lining up to work with the pair. The first CD to be released under the name Neptunes (not
… counting the hobby project NERD) can be read by many famous guests as a 'who's who' of the American music scene. Stylistically, the record flies in all directions (from hardcore hip-hop via dancehall to nu-metal) but they only really make an impression when they move on the intersection of pop, soul and hip-hop, as in Pharrell's first solo single Frontin '. Producing strong singles turns out to be a completely different discipline than making a coherent album and Clones suffers from a great lack of direction. Nevertheless, it is a tasty mixed bag. (MS)more
