Black Eyed Peas went from hip-hop underground legends to mainstream superstars on the back of the addition to their line-up of Fergie, and last album Elephunk. They amended their sound remarkably – all of a sudden they weren’t so much a hip-hop act as they were a pop one.

Monkey Business opener “Pump It” doesn’t so much as base itself around a sample of Dick Dale’s “Miserlou” (as made famous all over again by its use in Pulp Fiction) as it does use it completely as the backing tune. It’s not a sample; it’s a steal. Long gone are the socially conscious raps of Will I. Am – instead, it’s all about gettin’ loud, gettin’ happy, and gettin’ platinum record sales and Grammy awards.

There’s nothing remotely cutting edge about Monkey Business. It’s purely aimed at the fans that adored Elephunk, from the Fergie focussed first single “Don’t Phunk With My Heart” to the Justin Timberlake guest spot on “My Style”, produced not by Will I. Am but by Missy Elliott collaborator Timbaland. Fergie’s “My Humps” – an ode to her breasts and booty – is absolutely embarrassing.

It takes until the closing “Union” for the band to remember that, hey, they used to actually try and make a difference. Featuring Sting and Branford Marsalis, it’s nevertheless a blip on a purely pop release. Will Monkey Business sell as many records as Elephunk? Probably. But where Elephunk was a pretty average pop record, Monkey Business is less than that.