Black Eyed Peas

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.

Related Content

• Super Bowl commercials: Elton John, Flava Flav, Echo and the Bunnymen and more
  February 5, 2012
• What was Justin Timberlake thinking with MySpace TV?
  January 19, 2012
• Naeem Juwan of Spank Rock on "#1 Hit," Bowie, Prince, James Brown, and the perils of nostalgia
  October 25, 2011
• The Fray films video for "Heartbeat," the first single from its new album, Scars and Stories
  November 22, 2011
• Review: Sade and John Legend at the Pepsi Center, 8/11/11
  August 15, 2011

More About

• The Black Eyed Peas
• Timbaland
• Justin Timberlake
• John Legend
• Celebrity News

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.