Nothing

At this point it seems fair to say N*E*R*D may never deliver on their once-extraordinary potential, but if they can keep churning out statements as distinct as Nothing, both the band and their listeners should be more than satisfied.

If you’re not looking for an album that will change the world, but simply change your mood for an hour or two, there’s definitely something to be said for “Nothing.”

A level of self-awareness and concern for the world outside themselves hasn’t always been N.E.R.D.’s thing. This album does its best to give certain fans exactly what they want in sexually-driven club grinders while offering up real, honest-to-goodness substance.

Nothing takes on more of a Rap Psychadelic approach, a combination of Woodstock and Hoodshock.

At 36 minutes, the set is quick, generally uptempo and full of the Neptunes' mixtape-ready bangers, yet Williams finds his groove during moments that won't rattle any trunks.

Not a bad effort, but we've come to expect more.

It still has its winning moments.

If ever you needed a lesson about the fickle — and cyclical — nature of contemporary pop music, you need look no further than one Pharrell Williams and his production group the Neptunes.

The album is overly long, but there’s a straightforwardness to the live-and-loose party vibe that’s hard to resist.

In the end, it may not be all that risky or groundbreaking, but it is something, if not a new direction for N.E.R.D and one, ultimately, worth listening to.

Like N*E*R*D’s three previous albums, Nothing collects all the zany ideas that Williams and his Neptunes partner, Chad Hugo, couldn’t convince their production clients to try.

Pharrell - hateful but, fortunately, pretty talented.

Once again, N.E.R.D. are at their best when they abandon all regard for the Hot 100.