Indeed, indefatigable Auto-Tune anthems like The E.N.D.‘s propulsive lead single, ”Boom Boom Pow” (already the band’s most successful to date), seem fueled by some mysterious slurry of dance-floor plutonium and diet Red Bull.
Granted, there's nothing here as embarrassing as "My Humps," and the production is a shade better than previous material from the group or Fergie solo, but The E.N.D. is a mess of pop/dance/rap crossover.
It’s an old artist trick to win their fan base with super pop only to make room for their “serious” albums. The E.N.D. may be that starting off point, or it may just be the Peas‘ experimental album. Regardless of what’s next, the now is decent enough.
Alas, 16 tracks is a fistful too many and with the exception of the Where is the Love? re-write, One Tribe, the second half dips into mind-numbing dross.
Collectively, as an album that is, The E.N.D. is overlong, overhyped and certainly going to outlive its welcome. Then again, it’s very likely the whole mess will eat up the charts with fans hailing it a masterpiece. C’est la vie.
There is only so much he can do to buoy a group that, lyrically, does an end-zone dance for successfully counting back from 10 and operates musically on an even playing field with this guy.
The novelty of this project has aged decently well since its release almost 13 years ago
The beats suck, the lyrics suck, and the vocals suck... but also it is extremely fun to listen to, with the exception of the final leg of this project.
It feels like a poor mans Daft Punk at many times.
This album is at its worst when it is taking itself seriously, and at its best when it is accepting the cheese
Best Songs: Boom Boom Pow; Meet Me Half Way; Imma Be; I Gotta Feeling; The awfulness of ... read more
Weirdly cinematic, super nostalgic, and confusingly fun, The Black Eyed Peas’ transition to an even more pop-oriented sound on “The E.N.D.” makes me rethink my past thoughts of Fergie ruining the group. Sure, her introduction cascaded their sounds into a cringe-worthy, brainless mish-mash, but with these electropop elements mixed in, the ‘party’ tone really takes off. This album is just so much fun, I guiltily admit it. At times, it’s even more phunky than ... read more
Somewhat fun and definitely nostalgic, but it aged as horribly as laugh tracks in comedies.
( ★ ★ ½ )
favorite tracks:
» 02. rock that body
» 03. meet me halfway
» 05. i gotta feeling
» 06. alive
» 07. missing you
» 09. party all the time
» 14. one tribe
» 15. rockin' to the beat
1 | Boom Boom Pow 5:08 | 69 |
2 | Rock That Body 4:28 | 70 |
3 | Meet Me Halfway 4:44 | 86 |
4 | Imma Be 4:17 | 68 |
5 | I Gotta Feeling 4:49 | 82 |
6 | Alive 5:03 | 61 |
7 | Missing You 4:34 | 57 |
8 | Ring-A-Ling 4:32 | 33 |
9 | Party All the Time 4:43 | 45 |
10 | Out of My Head 3:51 | 46 |
11 | Electric City 4:08 | 50 |
12 | Showdown 4:27 | 42 |
13 | Now Generation 4:05 | 31 |
14 | One Tribe 4:40 | 40 |
15 | Rockin' to the Beat 3:45 | 44 |