About a G I R L

There is almost no logical explanation for enjoying this album. The beats are repetitive, the hooks pummel one to death, and the overarching themes of love and sexuality have been treated in far better detail by countless other artists. The essential saving grace of the vast majority of Pharrell’s recent work, this album and other collaborations included, is its incredible catchiness.

The relatively narrow focus of each song in production and lyricism is more than sufficient given how well these earworms are pulled off; some of these songs represent the epitome of pop music.

The only real question to determine your enjoyment of this album is whether you can tolerate excellent segments being expanded and repeated over the course of an entire song. Not enjoying one section of a song can also completely ruin the rest of the song, which represents an all-in strategy by Pharrell. Listeners will absolutely love or absolutely hate parts of the album.

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“Marilyn Monroe” starts off the album with a love letter to a beautiful girl. Pharrell proclaims his willingness to abandon conventional symbols of powerful, sexy women throughout history for his subject.

On this note, another saving grace that drives the entire album from potentially mediocre to greatness is Pharrell’s confidence. This shines through when he elevates himself to the level he described the girl at, stating, “We’re so hard, I was so hard that they can’t chew,” which is a play on the phrase, “don’t bite off more than you can chew.”

Despite praising this girl so heavily throughout the song, he considers her capable of handling his desires and vice-versa. This line is incredibly important, as it best represents the rest of the album. Pharrell fully believes himself and the target of each song to be engaging in the greatest love and lust the world has ever known.

This is the catchy, confident, must-listen pop album of the year in certain sections. Buying into Pharrell’s ambitions and intentions is absolutely essential, and often easy as a result of Pharrell’s ability to clearly convey his aims. The only potential issue is the collapse of the whole experience due to excessive repetition.

G I R L fully represents Pharrell’s abilities, and shows he is poised for a potential stranglehold over the pop scene of 2014.

4/5