REVIEW -- THE BLACK EYED PEAS: THE E.N.D.

The Black Eyed Peas

The E.N.D.

(Interscope)

For a group that split into solo careers both spectacular (Fergie) and not-so-spectacular (will.i.am) since their last album, the Black Eyed Peas sound remarkably unified on The E.N.D. Loaded with state-of-the-arts beats, technology, and rhymes, the 15 tracks take everything hip-pop stands for in 2009, super-sizes it, and blasts it off in some cosmos-bound time capsule. As Fergie says on opener “Boom Boom Pow,” “I’m so 3008/You’re so 2000 and late.” That cut alone packs extra-low bass, robotic handclaps, Auto-Tuned verses, and a mid-song breakdown that doubles up on the beat. Elsewhere, all four Peas take turns at the mic – Fergie does her pop thing, apl.de.ap does whatever it is he does. But they’re at their best when they stick together: “Rock That Body” rides a glorious hook swiped from Rob Base’s “It Takes Two,” and “Imma Be” tries on about a half-dozen styles before time runs out without it settling on one. Things don’t get much deeper than “Let me see your body rock/Shakin’ it from bottom to top,” but that’s kinda the point. The E.N.D. is the sound of the Black Eyed Peas jumping from one place to another, holding hands as they leap into the future with their eyes and minds wide open. --Michael Gallucci