In-Depth Review of The E.N.D.

Written by LeoBrZ81 on June 12, 2009

In the aptly titled "The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)", the Black Eyed Peas aim to get you pumped, to make your night out more fun, and to lend you a soundtrack to the "good life". This is what the majority of today's music-lovers want, this is what the group does extremely well, and this is why The E.N.D. is set to be the "It" album of '09. From beginning to end, your senses will be bombarded with sharpened words, delightful sounds, exceptional production, and explosive energy, all fueled by some of the catchiest (and most fun-filled) bridges, hooks, choruses, and rhymes you've ever heard!

1. BOOM BOOM POW(10/10) has already branded the media and the charts with its ability to sum up the core feel of the album in one super-catchy, forceful track. The Peas tag-team the electrifyingly inconsistent flow of the song with rap verses that will easily get stuck in your head and become social one-liners (I’m so 3008, you’re so 2000-and-late), and you may often find yourself putting this jam on a loop, if anything, for the pumped-up change-of-beat that takes place halfway into the song.

2. ROCK THAT BODY(9/10) boasts an old-school charm reminiscent of early hip-hop, and this, coupled with will.i.am’s infectious rhymes and Fergie’s infectious hook (on helium) makes this track an upbeat, uplifting tune that manages to pump you up with a laid-back style.

3. MEET ME HALFWAY(9/10) is driven by Fergie’s mellow voice chirping an extremely catchy hook amplified by vocal highs, lows, and melodious “whoas”. Mix this with some on-point rhymes from the guys, and you’ve got yourself another gold doubloon from the heaping goldmine that is The E.N.D.

4. IMMA BE(10/10) manages to be many things at once. It hits you hard with its raw hip-hop style and thumping bass, but it is also oddly inspirational. It is aggressive and oh-so-cool (Imma be chillin’ with my mother****ing crew/ Loan out a million and get back a trillion), and it manages to make you feel the same way. If only you could squeeze your own “Imma Be” rap verse in between Fergie’s and Will’s… :(

5. I GOTTA FEELING(9/10) deviates from the rapping and the pounding beats in order to pump you up in a different way. First, it will ease you into it with an oddly captivating series of sounds and hums. Just then, will.i.am will let you know something more is coming your way with a warning that you are going to love (I gotta feeling/ that tonight’s gonna be a good night). Finally, the Peas dare you to not want to stand up and jump around like an insane asylum escapee by shouting about just how much fun they’re having, and how much fun they want YOU to have.

6. ALIVE(8.5/10) is one of the softer songs in the album. Will.i.am brands the song with a very smooth and catchy hook, while Fergie, apl, and Taboo take turns aptly throwing their love-struck lines into the mix for good measure.

7. MISSING YOU(9/10) beautifully blends a love song with the electronic feel of the album. Fergie drives the song with some very strong vocals, all while artfully interrupting the guys’ verses with beautifully placed calls of “I’m missing you!” and “Don’t go away!”. As a side dish, we get to enjoy another example of will.i.am’s masterful audio manipulation in the form of a buoyant electro-beat that switches gears at perfect times.

8. RING-A-LING(10/10) is one of the shiniest gems of The E.N.D. (despite there being many), mostly thanks to a very creative beat that you won’t get enough of! Over this contagious beat, will.i.am pumps you up even more with some exceptionally fun wordplay about late-night booty calls, while apl.de.ap throws in his share of phone-related sexual misunderstandings, and Fergie assaults us with an occasional note of seduction that is so suggestive and sexy it just might give a few listeners the heebie-jeebies (in a good way).

9. PARTY ALL THE TIME(10/10) allows you to fantasize, along with the Peas, about how beautiful life would be (If we could party all night/ and sleep all the day/ and throw all [our] problems away). The song will leave the Peas’ pronunciation of the word “easy” (and Fergie’s repetition of the title) playing over and over again in your head, and as most of us know, this is the trait of a good song. The guys all deliver some excellent verses in this song, leaving Fergie to skillfully tackle the role of soft-voiced party girl prone to the occasional sexy emphasis of the word “party” (it just got hot in here!).

10. OUT OF MY HEAD(9/10) is a hell of a lot of fun, and Fergie slurs a warning of what’s coming before the track even begins (I’m so TIPsy/ Yeah, I said it!), complete with the bubbly giggle girls tend to get after downing a few. Throughout this in-your-face track, she shows us that the song is all about letting loose and doing whatever it is you want, with the excuse that you’re “so TIPsy!”. And let loose she does, as she bellows some fun-filled one-liners that are, other than alcohol-driven, absolutely entertaining and hilarious (even causing will.i.am to crack up mid-song; get back to producing the track, Will! lol) “Out Of My Head” will make all want to party with Fergie-Ferg.

11. ELECTRIC CITY(10/10) is fueled by what could possibly be the most stimulating beat of the album, but this by no means takes away from the true selling point of the track, which happens to be an insanely catchy rap verse by Fergie, complete with some remarkable one-liners and faultless flow. In second place comes the track’s addictive bridge and hook (also expertly delivered by on-a-roll Fergie), and finally, we have will.i.am and apl.de.ap coming in respectively with some strong verses of their own. Another stand-out song.

12. SHOWDOWN(10/10) follows as an outstandingly upbeat party joint. The bridge (a super-catchy countdown) and the hook are what shine throughout the song, although they do have a tough time shining when the Peas are all delivering some of the strongest verses of the album. All this happens over an energetic beat worthy of the song’s title.

13. NOW GENERATION(8.5/10) pretty much nails the average youth’s way of life with sharp lyrics pinpointing our impatience with the technology available to us today. Will.i.am comes with some fast word-slinging and some funny outbursts (You make me wait and Imma whoop yo a**). Fergie does her thing by singing the energized hook like only she can, while also rivaling Will’s comedy (Take your credit and stick it up your a** and do it NOW!) Not as strong of a party song like the others of the bunch, but memorable and certainly unique.

14. ONE TRIBE(9/10) slows things down for a bit for the sake of delivering a powerful message in the contagious style that BEP is known for. Will.i.am takes the driver’s seat in this track, dexterously rapping about universal peace as a result of collective amnesia, where we all forget the evil that has been fed to us over time. Take some time to inspect the lyrics, and you will find a truly touching subject being discussed over a very tranquil, nature-y beat, as well as Fergie’s soulful background vocals.

15. ROCKIN’ TO THE BEAT(7.5/10) is the closer to the album. It goes for an 80’s club type of feel, boasting a very funky atmosphere and relying more on sounds than vocals. As the name implies, it was made for you to simply “rock to the beat”. It is a nice “end” to The E.N.D., even if a little uneventful when compared to the other tracks.

DISC 2:
1. WHERE YA WANNA GO(8.5/10) is another masterful blend of love song and an upbeat jam, also fueled by Fergie’s beautiful and catchy vocals, a very warm and skillful intro verse by will.i.am, and the welcomed inclusion of apl and Taboo.

2. A SIMPLE LITTLE MELODY (9/10) has Fergie’s intro and end verse as its most memorable parts (it’s quite captivating to have a robotic Fergie perform continuous calculations only to conclude that 4 = B! E! P! B***!) Rivaling this is will.i.am’s unbelievably danceable verse two minutes into the song; it is something to rewind and listen to over and over again, thanks to Will’s hypnotic wordplay about love comparisons as it is aided by “technological” sounds and effects. It all comes together to form what is possibly the best track of Disc 2.

3. MARE(9/10) sheds a spotlight on Mr. apl.de.ap as he takes over the song and imbues it with a very Latin-influenced beat and vocals. He delivers some very strong verses along with will.i.am, making this a track worthy of repetition. It’ll be a while before figuring out exactly what is being said on some of the parts, but that doesn’t stop it from being an absolutely excellent inclusion.

4. DON’T BRING ME DOWN(7.5/10) aims to and succeeds in being another one of The E.N.D.’s uplifting jams meant to build you up and essentially get you in a good mood, ready to party. Fergie’s “whoas” mark the song throughout, as does an exceptionally well-delivered verse by will.i.am, and a well-sung hook led by Taboo and aided by the rest of the guys.

-- The REMIXES will offer you an energized revision of some of the Peas’ most successful hits of the past. It feels great to hear them pay tribute to these amazing hits, and they make for a great closer to the E.N.D. experience by combining the ”now” and the “then”. They will leave you feeling nostalgic, satisfied, and as if you’ve just touched the ground after taking a crazy flight through the universe of the Black Eyed Peas.

The Black Eyed Peas have succeeded in encompassing this new style while still maintaining the uniqueness that has made them household names. They are still the same group that has been making us shake our “humps” for years and years, but they are coming to us with fresh material, catching us by surprise with their new venture, making us love every minute of it, and leaving us yearning for more! We hope the Energy really will Never Die!