Following a little while in the wilderness, I can finally declare my faith in Pharrell has been restored. The 1st N*E*R*D album, "...in search of" was so significant to me it's untrue...I have the original limited edition version made with crunchy drum machines & synths which got re-recorded with a live band for it's full release.
It was such a blast of fresh air...so musical & so different to anything on the soundscape at that time that it sounded like it dropped off another planet altogether. I remember reading about it in Jockey Slut magazine (remember that one!) and thinking "YES! that sounds like it's for me!" and indeed it was.
So much so I got Pharrell / Neptune obsessed for a good while, buying anything that they were associated with...some great (kelis) & some not so great (Clipse). But hey, that's the way it goes sometimes.
Unfortunately, their second album, "Fly or Die" didn't do much for me & I lost faith completely with the Pharrell Solo album...what was that about?
But on a recent trip to New York I popped into Billionnaire Boys Club in Soho, a truly inspiring place, filled with Pharrell's clothing lines (BBC & Ice Cream) but also selling the new N*E*R*D album for a bargain $9.99 (Yes, that's £5 to us Brits). So I picked it up & frankly, I'm blown away...I'll post a full review soon, but for now I'll just say that my faith is fully restored.
He is back in my list of Heroes once more!
