Wise not to declare herself The Princess... (The Dutchess - Fergie)

Member Name: Jark

Product:	The Dutchess - Fergie
Date:	15/04/09 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some brilliant songs and production

Disadvantages: Some terrible songs and production

Stacy Ann Ferguson, better known by her stage name of Fergie, is a woman with an interesting history. During the 1990s she was a member of the reasonably clean girl group Wild Orchid; in 2003 she joined the Black Eyed Peas, a previously underground hip-hop outfit who were about to break out into the mainstream. As the Peas' sole female member she took a leaf from the book of Madonna and re-invented herself, stripping away the niceties - and the clothes - in favour of something more overtly sexual. With fifteen years experience of the music industry behind her, as well as a battle with substance abuse, you might think Fergie would have more to sing about, more to touch upon, than the average popstar. Perhaps she does, but you wouldn't know it listening to her debut solo record The Dutchess.

'Fergalicious' starts the party, but you'd be wise to skip it. A tired, uninspired hip-hop joint with obvious similarites to Gwen Stefani's much-superior smash 'Hollaback Girl', the song and its cringeworthy lyrics do little to make the best use of Fergie's strong if unique vocal chords, just one of many areas in which she's easily-compared with the No Doubt frontwoman. Neither reaches their full potential vocally for much of the time, instead opting for the stuttery, faux-street rap-like delivery on display here. 'Fergalicious' also parallels Gwen's 'Wind It Up', a mis-step of similar proportions. Thankfully Fergie is capable of better, and she delivers on 'Clumsy'. Produced by BEP bandmate Will.I.Am (as are some seven of the other songs here) the track is a summery pop affair which makes a clever sample of Little Richard's 'The Girl Can't Help It'. More impressive still is 'All That I Got' which, despite a fairly deletable rap from Will, feels genuine and sweet thanks to atmospheric strings and a softer, properly-sung vocal from the Ferg.

We've not escaped the territory of the shocking yet though; 'London Bridge' is a nasty, tinny hip-hop-lite four minutes of ear rape which deserved never to be heard and yet, somehow, was treated to a release as the record's lead single. Needless to say it got The Dutchess off to a hurrendously poor start in terms of sales on both sides of the Atlantic. 'Pedestal' is a drawling number which doesn't appear to know which genre to slide into; nothing here is of any interest, be it the trite lyrics or the dated beat. Now, though, we've moved past the songs which belong on the cutting room floor and into quality hip-pop. Will.I.Am's 'Voodoo Doll' begins with a taunting whisper of "I don't have any human qualities" before launching into a soirée of brass and drums, but if that sounds frothy it's got nothing on 'Glamorous', the album's third (and first good) single. The song treads similar ground to that of JLo's 'Jenny From The Block' in that it's a tale of staying grounded despite global fame, but unlike that song, it's endearing, not condescending. The ever-reliable Polow Da Don ('Pedestal' excepted) provides crispy-fresh production and the song, besides being one of the two instant classics on the album, goes down as one of this decade's pop highlights.

'Here I Come' continues the relentless sunshine, sampling The Temptations' 'Get Ready' for its considerable hook. Her fellow Pea falls down again on 'Velvet', a stunningly dull midtempo which never truly leaves the station. Songwriting supremo and current American Idol judge Karo DioGuardi rarely fails, though, and on 'Big Girls Don't Cry' she and Toby Gad give Fergie a luscious, guitar-driven midtempo on which she ponders how to draw the line over a relationship which was once so dreamy. The song has got that crossover appeal which is so rare, explaining how, even as the album's fourth single, it achieved the #2 spot in the UK. 'Mary Jane Shoes' is a riot, featuring a happy, bouncing verse and chorus followed by a frantic and utterly ridiculous middle 8 on which Fergie has to scream to keep up. It's wonderful fun! Yet again though, as if to balance out the high points, we're forced to sit through a severe dull-fest in the form of 'Losing My Ground'. It's pretty likely that even producer Ron Fair wouldn't be able to remember how that one goes, but he does redeem himself with 'Finally', the album's appropriately-titled closer which is also a sharp departure from everything that's come before, Fergie's voice being allowed to shine over a light, tinkling piano beat.

The Dutchess was re-issued in 2008, some eighteen months after initial release, but only in the US/Australia, and it's not worth hunting out. Of the three new songs, there's a predictable take on Heart's classic 'Barracuda' and a collaberation with past-it rapper Nelly on 'Party People'; never was a song so noisy and lacking in melody. Only 'Labels or Love' is any good, a deliciously material accompanyment to the Sex & The City movie which sees Fergie pose the question "Love's like a runway but which one do I love more? / No emotional baggage, just big bags filled with Dior".

If there's one thing dragging The Dutchess down, it's that Fergie doesn't seem to know her own strengths and weaknesses. When rapping, or speak-singing, she often comes off sounding vulgar and lacks authenticity. It's meant to be fun, yes, but it sounds desperate. When she's singing, on the other hand, her voice retains its unique quality whilst being more than just listenable. She also needs to choose her collaberators more wisely; Will.I.Am's R&B-inspired beats may work for the Black Eyed Peas, who boast three capable rappers, but Fergie's singing voice is best supplimented by upbeat tunes with actual melodies.

Regardless of the five fillers on the record, though, Fergie is a hugely interesting popstar and some of the songs - most notably 'Big Girls Don't Cry' and 'Glamorous' - fulfill her great potential. If she can learn to draw just a little on her real-life experiences, her next solo record (not due any time soon) could be a classic in the vain of Gwen's debut L.A.M.B, but like Stefani's follow-up The Sweet Escape, The Dutchess is a mixed-bag. Get it if light, meaningless but fun pop is your thing.

Summary: Flawed fun; very much a debut album.