| N.E.R.D In Search of ... VIRGIN (March 6, 2002) Prince used to kick it like this. So did P-Funk. Virginia trio N.E.R.D (No One Ever Really Dies) plays guitar and groove-based soul music with live instruments that says silly things, sexy things and meaningful things. As production duo the Neptunes, N.E.R.D principals Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo have manned the boards and phattened beats for Jay-Z, Sade, Noreaga, Perry Farrell and Britney Spears. Given their own platform, there's no thuggin', no buffoonish blingin' and no candy-coated fluff. They see things with a slightly rose-tinted worldview, and play in a wide-open manner that suggests excellent taste. They spin boot knockin' tales from several different angles, all good. In the robo-funk of "Brain," it's a question of mind over booty. The hit-single-in-waiting "Tape You" (boasting a vintage synth hook to die for) brings a camcorder into the mix. "Provider," with its acoustic-driven grit and bossa nova implications that slip in from nowhere, puts a young man in the cocaine trade to support his family. It doesn't glorify one side or denigrate the other, it just tells the story from the soul in a sweet, sweet voice that needs to be heard. Soul power, for sure. A http://www.brainsoap.com/article.asp?ArtID=1802 |