Album Review: will.i.am - #willpower ✭✭✭
will.i.am
#willpower
Released: April 22nd 2013
Review by Christina Benneworth
Multi-platinum producer and songwriter will.i.am has released his new solo album #willpower, the new album includes tracks with Britney Spears, Hit-Boy, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Wayne, Diddy, Chris Brown, Miley Cyrus, Sylar Grey, Juicy J, Nicole Scherzinger, Eva Simons, apl.de.ap, Baby Kaely and 2NE1. #willpower also includes the multi-platinum selling single “Scream & Shout” featuring Britney Spears. Produced by Lazy Jay, “Scream and Shout” has sold over 2.5 million singles worldwide – the track is platinum in the UK selling 700K copies and the video has racked up over 164 million views on VEVO. The album also features the “Scream & Shout (Hit-Boy Remix)” featuring Britney Spears, Hit-Boy, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Wayne and Diddy.
#willpower with 17 songs there is a lot to listen to; will.i.am certainly hasn’t held back with this album, packing it with overwhelming beats and a load of big-name stars, you definitely can give the guy props for trying. For me the album isn’t consistent all the way through, it is one of those albums where the ‘best’ songs are the singles.
The next single to be lifted from #willpower will be “#thatPOWER” feat. Justin Bieber. The song screams it is going to be a number one hit, and possibly it might just be because it features Justin Bieber and it is a generic dance track.
Nothing truly stands out on this album; even after you have listened to it a few times. One of the songs I did particularly like was “Ghetto Ghetto” feat. Baby Kaely; who is a child raping the chorus for this song, it took me back to the days of the Black Eyed Peas, with “Where Is The Love?”
From will.i.am’s 2007 album, “Songs About Girls,” which was musically great, with the connection of different genres, smoothly weaving pop anthems and hip-hop jams, this new album seems somewhat forced, an album just to create hits, with the help of some famous friends. I do believe that when will.i.am is working alone, or with artists that have created their own sort of flavour it sounds a lot better. For instance the songs “Love Bullets” with Skylar Grey and “Far Away From Home” featuring Nicole Scherzinger are a lot better than the songs featuring the bigger named artists.
#willpower is following the recent dance trend that will.i.am is currently on; this particular sound is what made him and The Black Eyed Peas famous in the first place. However, some of these tracks seem rather repetitive and the same old stuff. Let’s hear something new, it’s about time.
3 stars ✭✭✭
