Black Eyed Peas - “ELEVATION” Album Review
The Black Eyed Peas will forever be iconic for its many albums released in the early part of the twenty-first century.
The pop music group, which has EDM, hip hop and techno vibes incorporated, has more than 37-million monthly listeners on Spotify.
The Black Eyed Peas released a single from their newest album, “ELEVATION,” in June 2022, “DON’T YOU WORRY,” which is already listed as the most popular song currently with more than 114 million listens.
The music group’s album, Black Eyed Peas, released on November 11, 2022, shares innovation the group has been working on mirroring their famous Black Eyed Peas-vibe.
“ELEVATION,” although exciting and inventive, has some songs that have too much going on. The avant-garde-ness of some of the songs like “SIMPLY THE BEST,” “DOUBLE D’Z,” and “FILIPINA QUEEN.”
The album had a lot of Latin influence and included Latin artists like Sharika, Anitta, Daddy Yankee and Anuel AA. A theme throughout the whole album is the intense beats and layers of vocals.
The ad-libs, techno beats, auto-tune and, in some songs, the monotone voice-spoken lyrics, have added different dynamics and made each song more interesting. The anomaly song, “DOUBLE D’Z,” shows a more hip-hop and rap aesthetic from the Black Eyed Peas.
It also highlights a more vulgar side of the group. Die-hard Black Eyed Peas fans will love most of the album’s songs, as a lot stay true to the early 2000s vibes, especially “DANCE 4 U” and “JUMP,” but still include songs that show their versatility and talent.
“DANCE 4 U” and “JUMP” are classic-sounding Black Eyed Peas songs and are great new songs that sound old. The group even covered Stevie Wonder’s iconic song, “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing,” called “DON’T YOU WORRY,” which is a great cover that brings nostalgia but a nice twist with a fun and upbeat rhythm.
This album accents Latin music heavily. Throughout the whole album, there are a lot of Spanish verses sung by the artists the Black Eyed Peas collaborated with. One of the songs is named in Spanish, “MUEVELO.” which means “move it.”
The songs work together mostly, besides a song in the middle, “DOUBLE D’Z.” Otherwise, the focus is on making music for a party, rave, or something to listen to when someone needs energy and an upbeat vibe.
Their vision was said perfectly in “JUMP”: “The B-E-Peas we keep you rocking on the dance. You know my music make ‘em jump and prance”. It’s all about fun dancing music for the Black Eyed Peas.
Also, to flaunt their hip hop talents, in “AUDIOS,” will.i.am raps, “We wildin’, please no photo. I bought my cheese, no nacho”.
The Black Eyed Peas in this album sing and rap about light-hearted topics all about having fun and feeling the beat.
“ELEVATION” holds songs that would not surprisingly become very popular. Whether it is on streaming services, radio, or Tik Tok, this album should be soon all-the-rave. If ever at a party and considering what songs to play to get people to dance, playing this album will allow people to have a great time.
The Black Eyed Peas’ old albums like “The Beginning” or “The E.N.D.” will forever be classics and incomparable, but this new album shows a different side of the band and has some B.E.P. gems.
Rating: 9/10
Reviewer’s Favorite Songs: “JUMP”, “GUARANTEE,” “IN THE AIR”
Reviewer’s Least Favorite Songs: “MUEVELO,” “L.O.V.E.”
Natalie Simone is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email nvs5790@psu.edu.
