Will.I.Am: Willpower

In his day-job as producer and songwriter with the Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am has had the dubious distinction of popularising a distinctive brand of gaudy, Auto-Tuned pop, with LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy somewhat crudely opining on Twitter that one of the group’s songs was “worse than raping a cat”. There is certainly no reinventing of the wheel on the singer’s fourth solo album (and first since 07’s Songs About Girls), which follows the BEP template of blaring party tunes.

There are few surprises on willpower. Once again, blaring party tunes – with the obligatory Auto-Tuned vocals – are the order of the day. will.i.am has a fatal weakness for clichéd dance rhythms and even when he does a strike on a good groove – such as the twisty dubstep of ‘Scream & Shout’ (featuring Britney Spears) – he eventually gives in to his fondness for mindless electro grooves. Listeners may be tempted to take the advice in the title of the track ‘Let’s Go’, given that it features the dubious Chris Brown, whilst ‘Gettin’ Dumb’ is all-too-appropriately named, and will stretches patience to breaking point by including pop moppet and Anne Frank authority Justin Bieber on ‘#thatPOWER’.
Inessential.

Key Track: ‘Scream & Shout’