The Bottom Line
Built on a big orchestral sample from ELO's classic "Evil Woman," the Pussycat Dolls latest, a collaboration with Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, is another slice of danceable good fun. Poking fun at radio censors and human nature at the same time could come off heavy-handed, but here it works very well.
Pros
- That big ELO sample
- Fun and good humor
Cons
- It's little more than fluff musically
Description
- Catchy, friendly hip hop pop
- Instrumental string hook courtesy ELO
- Censored words give the song its title
Guide Review - Pussycat Dolls featuring will.i.am - Beep (A&M)
The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am is one of the hottest pop music producers of the moment, and "Beep" shows why. In this third single from the Pussycat Dolls' PCD album, he deftly combines danceable hip hop pop with a light, clever sense of humor. There are times when his humor can strike a sour note such as on the Black Eyed Peas' own "My Humps," but here it all works.
The choice of a sample from ELO's "Evil Woman" to drive the record is an inspired one. The constant poking fun at radio censors with head Pussycat Doll Nicole Kea singing about "looking at my (beep!)" is cute and funny. It is likely that this song without the eliminated words would still be a gentle, tame entity. It would also likely be forgettable which is exactly one of the points of having censored words...it can make a forgettable song memorable.
Since their smash hit first single "Don't Cha" last summer, the Pussycat Dolls have injected a much needed wholesome, fun sexuality into the pop music mainstream. Kea and company provide a welcome relief from both overheated explicit rap records and sanitized, pre-pubescent teen friendly pop. There is more here than what is apparent on the surface.
