Illustration by Anya Chtryowski
I’ve always been a big fan of the Ferg. Her hits like “Glamorous,” “London Bridge,” and “Fergalicious” were the soundtrack to my tween years, as they were for many others. So, of course, I was thrilled when it was announced that her sophomore album, Double Dutchess, would drop on Friday, September 22.
It’s hard to believe that, after all of the stardom and the large reputation Fergie has created for herself, this album is only her second, although of course her time as the female vocalist for the wildly successful Black Eyed Peas cannot be overlooked. It has been eleven years since her debut solo album, The Dutchess, was released, so of course expectations for this new album were especially high. Fergie failed to deliver. This album had it’s moments, but was mediocre at best.
Similar to Fergie’s first album, Double Dutchess features a variety of genres, from upbeat hip hop to dramatic ballads, and it was clear that some of these styles worked more in Fergie’s favor than others. Throughout the album, you can hear the influence of today’s popular music which is often judged by its commercial success and not its artistic success. While change is to be expected after eleven years, Double Dutchess is definitely not the classic Fergie we all love. The album opener, “Hungry,” which features Rick Ross, begins with interesting hymn-like singing that remains the backup vocals throughout the song. It’s an exciting, dramatic way to start off the album, but the rest of the song fails to follow through. While the lyrics speak of her ambition and “hunger” for success, a theme that comes up multiple times throughout the album, the rhythm and song itself are very predictable and pretty generic. It’s the typical pop-rap we have all grown accustomed to in this era of music.
Fergie describes this album as a journal, a place for her to pour out all her emotions, and she definitely puts a lot of passion into the slower, more heartfelt songs like “Save it ‘Til Morning” and “Life Goes on.” While Fergie is able to showcase her vocal talent and add a little more emotional depth to the album, the lyrics and song arrangements are again predictable and nothing unique.
One song that stood out to me positively was “Just Like You,” which was collectively about the various relationships Fergie has had. The background arrangement was interesting and blended nicely with the vocals, which were clearly autotuned but not in an overpowering way. Lyrics such as, “I’m crazy just like you,” from the song, “Just Like You,” were interesting and delved deeper than in most of the other songs.
Another plus about Double Duchess was the visual album that accompanied it. It was very abstract and creative and brought a lot more to the otherwise unremarkable album.
What it comes down to is Fergie’s change of style. Many would argue that it’s important for an artist to evolve with the public’s changing interests, and to some extent that’s true, but personally, I miss the classic fun pop of the early 2000s, and that was what I was hoping for from Fergie, who, to me, has perfected that style, and perfectly encompasses the music of that time.