#willpower

Will.i.am is best known for being a part of the popular Hip Hop/Pop group known as The Black Eyed Peas. With the group, he is a co-founding member and has released 6 studio albums that have received lots of praise, numerous awards, and countless #1 or top ten singles. He is also a well-known producer that has worked with the likes of Usher, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Britney Spears as well as a bunch of other well-known artists. On his own, he has already released 3 solo albums and is set to release his latest album, “#willpower,” on April 23, 2013. Shakefire had the chance to preview and review the album before its worldwide release.

Will.i.am is known as being a great beat maker and he perfectly showcases that talent on a majority of the songs on this album. He steers away from the usual Hip Hop or Pop sound you hear on most of the Black Eyed Peas songs in favor of a more Euro-dance feel on “#willpower.” This is a breath of fresh air because I would not have been pleased to hear a solo album that sounded like his group’s other albums without the rest of the group. The beats on this album are pleasantly varied, catchy, and pulsating enough to make any person move to the music. My favorite beats were on “Scream &Shout,” “This is Love,” “Let’s Go,” and “Getting Dumb.” His one try at reverting back to his rap roots, on the song “Freshy,” is an epic fail, does not fit with the rest of the album, and should have been left off the track list. The beats are what make this album and they are the major strong point of “#willpower.”

The major issues I had with “#willpower” are the numerous guest collaborations and Will.i.am’s lyrics. Compared to his previous solo efforts, Will.i.am has everyone on this album from Britney Spears to Justin Beiber to Skylar Grey to even Chris Brown. I usually don’t mind having too many guests on an album, but it was overkill on #willpower. The guests always outshined Will.i.am in every way possible on his own songs and should have been titled “Will.i.am and Friends” instead. On the other hand, this was not fully a bad thing because Will.i.am’s lyrics were either extremely redundant or just plain bad. I guess you can say having that many guests on the album was not that much of a curse if you didn’t have to hear Will.i.am’s cheesy raps or mediocre lyrics as much.

I am a fan of The Black Eyed Peas, but was not really impressed with Will.i.am’s previous solo albums. “#willpower” was a step up from his previous solo efforts, but not by much. The beats and the guest collaborators were the focal points of this album, but not enough to fully save “#willpower.” I recommend checking out some of the songs, but not buying the whole album. For those reasons, I am giving “#will power” a “C-.”