Black Eyed Peas
Monkey Business (A&M Records)
BEP's commercial breakthrough, 2003's Elephunk, may have been a sellout, but the relentless catchiness and gleeful stoopidity of its hip-pop moves generated guilty pleasure. This time around, however, the guilt's often by association, and the pleasure's in shorter supply.
Several of the cameo-laden tunes here are moderately effective, including "Like That," with Q-Tip and John Legend; "They Don't Want Music," co-starring an unexpectedly lively James Brown; and even "My Style," the obligatory Justin Timberlake/Timbaland team-up. Yet "Gone Going," featuring Jack "Mind if I Take a Nap?" Johnson, is boring on a cosmic level, and the putrid, lachrymose "Union" is dominated by (eee-gawd!) Sting. Nearly as grisly are "Pump It," which transforms Dick Dale's "Miserlou" into the lamest kind of karaoke soundtrack, and "My Humps," a cut that would have to improve measurably to qualify as self-parody.
On Business, Black Eyed Peas order from a menu a lot like the one at the similarly named chain restaurant. Even the best items are pretty damn bland.
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