The Dutchess Review

Fergie's 'The Dutchess' is an album with quite a lot of high expectations. Coming from world beating hip-pop band, Black Eyed Peas who've dominated American music this past year (is there an album Wil.I.Am hasn't featured on this year?) Fergie has a lot to live up to, facing a whole album all on her own.

'Fergalicious' opens the album and is shouted as Fergie's agenda, laying out her plans and telling us what to expect from the rest of the album. The only problem with this song is Wil.I.Am's interference and inability to spell as he shouts, "T to the A to the S-T-E-Y, TASTY".
'The Dutchess' is a very good album and it actually outclasses uber-slick 'B'Day' and 'FutureSex/LoveSounds'. 'Clumsy' is playful and carefree. Rather than letting the pressure drive her psycho as Beyonce did, Fergie appears to have just had a bit of fun. The whole album appears to have a relaxed, gentle feel to it and one imagines throughout that Fergie has her tongue firmly in cheek. With a wink and a smile.
'All That I Got' shows that Fergie does have an actually rather impressive voice, as she slows down and glides like silk through smooth romantic lyrics of sacrifice that somehow avoid being sickly sweet, as they could very easily be.
Beneath the insulting inaccuracies launch single 'London Bridge' is not a bad record in context (that being that it's a hip-hop song and there is a remix of the song that exists featuring King of Shite, 50 Cent) and I'm sure a song with that much innuendo some fans who want a taste salivating.
'Pedestal' carries on nicely 'London Bridge' with the actual traditional nursery rhyme sample: "your pedestal is falling down...". Here Fergie has a lot of attitude and doesn't show much sing as spit the vocal.

Juggling styles with a tremendous amount of ease, Fergie's turns her hand to jazz with the rousing 'Voodoo Doll' which once again, shows a combination of laidback ease and determination ot impress. In 'Mary Jane Shoes', Fergie treads on thin ice, she goes reggae. Going reggae should never be attempted by anyone. Ever. Fergie fairs well though due to some involvement from Rita Marley (though what that involvement is I have no clue). I think this is about drugs, hence the misspelling of Dutchess. It has a brilliant bit at the end of 'Mary Jane Shoes' that is just, wow! 'The Dutchess' is an impressive record that doesn't intimidate (B'Day), alienate (FutureSex/LoveSounds) or disappoint (Back To Basics) its listeners.

'Glamourous' features Ludacris and Fergie goes back to her familiar setting, singing duet with a rapper. But 'Glamourous' could not sound less like a BEP song. Neither could 'Here I Come' which features Wil.I.Am (the Kanal to Fergie's Stefani for sure?). Rather than being immediate songs for the dancefloor like the BEP and Wil.I.Am stuff, Fergie's songs seem more suitable for the after-show.
'Velvet', as the title would suggest, is the sex. Fergie's vocals again take on another level, going from screechy and loud to soft and gentle, gliding and dancing in the ears.

The tradition for all albums is to fill the end of the album with ballads. This applies to 'The Dutchess', though the ballads are anything but filler. 'Velvet' is followed by my favourite on the album, 'Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal)'. 'Big Girls' deals with growing up and is clearly aimed at Fergie's teenage audience, though rather sweetly there's a kind of innocence and reluctance to grow up that's a little bit lost on my generation I feel. 'Big Girls Don't Cry' sympathesises and understands that sometimes it's OK to cry, and says that there's nothing wrong with that.
If 'Big Girls' was the anthem to inspire, 'Losing My Ground' is the anthem to depress. Here it finds a grown-up Fergie of 'Big Girls' and finds herself lost and alone. Then it becomes clear that Big Girls Don't Cry, or more can't. This is song to give up to. 'Finally' sees Fergie transformed back to a six year old dreaming of a Cinderella fairytale, once again giving inspiration back to the deflated Fergie of 'Losing My Ground'.

The past few tracks have been quiet and low-key so Fergie needs to end in true Peas style with a lively one, don't you reckon? Well, that's just happens with 'Get Your Hands Up'. Wil.I.Am and Apl D of the Black Eyed Peas feature in it more than Fergie, and it's slightly contrived and neanderthal, but it's a hell of a lot of fun.

I have to say, I wasn't expecting a great deal from this album but it has fought it's way to the top of the pile as one of 2006's stronger albums, without doubt. Fifteen tracks long, not a single duffer, not a second too long, and still slots some nice bonus tracks on the end too. Buy it. Download it. Just make sure you hear it.

Best songs: 'Clumsy', 'Voodoo Doll', 'Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal)', 'Mary Jane Shoes'