A little less fly than before

N.E.R.D's sophomore album "Fly or Die," takes an obliterating blast-off from their hip hop diesel-fueled sound. After penning untouchable songs such as "Lap Dance," "Bobby James," and "Run to the Sun," in addition to creating stellar hits for Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes, the production team is in search of a new sound-universe to conquer.

However, the "Fly or Die" album orbits around a funky psychedelic fusion of 70s rock and neo-soul with cotton candy pop harmonies. Unfortunately, the Star Trak team has turned their sound into an alien experiment gone painfully wrong.

The explosions of clamoring new wave sounds, Pharrell's rebellious falsetto voice, and uneven track arrangement will only really hold some twelve year old girl's attention. In fact, the lyrics are just as dim, juvenile and apt to appeal to this same audience. There's cheesy elementary school lines such as "look at the birds, the sky the bees, the sky... my souls in my smile, don't frown... just get up, get up," ("Wonderful Place") that leave an awful children's Dimetapp grape flavor in my mouth.

Other lyrics meant to be humorous could only seem funny to a juvenile, as only a pre-teen would laughs at lines such as, "f*ck him up," (on the Thrasher-style song) or "her ass is a spaceship I would want to ride," (on the Breakout-style song). The second track which is "only for the kids," and has a soft-pop No Doubt "Ex-Girlfriend"-type melody, per the upbeat tempo. Pharrell struggles to hit Gwen Stefani keys here in a forced punk rocker tone, but it's his collaboration with members of Good Charlotte on their repetitively mind numbing "Jump" that really showcases the band's willingness to sell-out to "Middle America teenagers."

Pharrell attempts to deal with real personal issues such as parental relationships, fame, and anti-war sentiments in the track "Drill Sergeant" (surprisingly referencing Orwell's "1984"). Despite the lyrical pitfalls, the roaring beats in "The Way She Dances" shake and bake the musical charts and dance floor. One of the best songs on the CD, besides the catchy "She Wants to Move", is "Don't Worry About It," with its Lenny Kravitz meets Al Green serendipitous interplay.

N.E.R.D.'s goal on "Fly or Die" seems to be to rebelliously break out of their commercial hip-hop box. Personally, I can't believe that N.E.R.D has gone to the green multimillion candy apple teenage audience by riding the current wave of funky rock throwbacks (using the rock inspiration of Jimmy Hendrix, The Doors, and the Beatles). The erratic 60's rock, soul, and R&B melodies combined with the fickle lyrics have transformed N.E.R.D to B.A.D.D.

After the release of "Fly or Die," Pharrell playfully announced "we are considering changing our name to something like... the exploration of sound." The name change would be appropriate to identify the group's aural transformation, however N.E.R.D appears to be lost in an exploration of pop's black holes.

To anyone who wants an even blending of beats, easy listening, or message hip hop: avoid "Fly or Die."