The Undercover Review

After a brief intro, the masters of pop and hip hop production The Neptunes have released a collection of tunes that they have produced and two that they haven't… coincidentally it's the same two that makes you wonder why they were included.

After the brief success of original tracks released under the name N.E.R.D. a couple of years back attention was drawn to each track they produced, quickly shooting them to superstardom with your average teenager knowing who they were, but not what they do. Well they are the team behind Britney Spears' 'I'm A Slave 4 U', Snoop Dogg's 'Beautiful' and tracks by P. Diddy, Justin Timberlake, N`Sync and more. While many people don't see the similarities lying behind their remix of Limp Bizkit's 'Nookie' and 'I'm A Slave 4 U' - despite the fact that if they were both instrumentals they would be near identical - this collection should help clear things up and The Neptunes throw their punchy drum loops to a variety of artists in one go.

First up is Busta Rhymes with 'Light Your Ass On Fire' which contains a sample of Kraftwerk's 'Trans Europe Express' and introduces the album with a backing track that must've found its way through an intricate maze of effects units but by the time Ludacris takes centre stage with 'It Wasn't Us' The Neptunes as we know it are back, tightly sampled and sequenced the way you're used to. Pharrell (yes half of the Neptunes) takes lead vocals for 'Frontin' with the help of Jay Z in a tune that paired with Vanessa Marquez's 'Good Girl' is more R'n'B based.

Nobody in the hip hop/rhythm and blues community has a more distinctive voice than Nelly and the track 'If' while admittedly isn't his best is still touched with his rolling sound. Distinct rappers group together as Snoop Dogg performs 'It Blows Your Mind' in that unmistakable technique that blends words together as though it was written by god himself.

Now this is where it takes a turn for the weird. Spymob's 'Half Steering' appears to have no association with The Neptunes. In fact; it's a rock song amidst a bunch of hip hop numbers. The High Speed Scene's 'Fuck n' Spend', although the latter is littered with humour, where is the relevance? Then again, anyone who sticks a middle finger up to the norm is okay with me.

There is a link from rock to hip hop as N.E.R.D. performs 'Loser' (Produced by The Neptunes, even though N.E.R.D. are The Neptunes). Hip hop's triumphant return is in Fam-lay's confusingly titled 'Rock 'n' Roll'.

The album closes with one of the more aggressive female talents of the hip hop fraternity, Kelis. Her track featuring Nas 'Popular Thug' closes the album with one of the best tracks the Neptunes have to show off.

This album should educate the masses as to what a producer in pop or hip hop music actually does and as you listen to each of these notice the similarities and influences between tracks, regardless of who's voice is over the top. This could just as easily be compiled with their Britney or N`Sync tracks and their Limp Bizkit remixes, so if you're a fan of the Neptunes, how could you go wrong with this baby?

By Tim Cashmere

Track Listing
Busta Rhymes - Light Your Ass On Fire (Featuring Pharrell)
Clipse - Blaze of Glory (Featuring Pharrell & Ab-Liva)
Ludacris - It Wasn't Us (Featuring I-20)
Pharrell - Frontin' (Featuring Jay-Z)
Vanessa Marquez - Good Girl
Nelly - If
Rosco P. Coldchain - Hot (Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic)
Snoop Dogg - It Blows My Mind
Spymob - Half-Steering…
The High Speed Scene - Fuck n' Spend
N.E.R.D. - Loser (Featuring Clipse)
Fam-Lay - Rock 'n' Roll
Super Cat - The Don of Dons (Put De Ting Pon Dem) (Featuring Jadakiss)
Clipse - Hot Damn (Featuring Ab-Live, Pharrell & Rosco P. Coldchain)
N.O.R.E. - Put 'Em Up (Featuring Pharrell)
Dirt McGirt - Pop Shit (Featuring Pharrell)
Kelis - Popular Thug (Featuring Nas)

Label

BMG

Buy The Neptunes 'Clones' now from HMV.com.au