Posted March 24, 2014

By VALERIE LOPEZ

The pop music industry is saturated with female artists, twerking and dirty sexual connotations. It gets exhausting to listen to lyrics that only say, “shake that ass baby,” repeatedly or ‘’or give it to me mama.’’ And, even though it’s insulting, we still jam to their beat and play their songs over and over again.

To our benefit, Pharrell Williams, the 40-year-old American songwriter / producer came along and revolutionized pop culture with his happy beats, “uplifting” lyrics and sexy rhythms.

The 10 tracks on his new album, G I R L, released March 3, is the artist’s first solo since his “In My Mind” album in 2006.

Pharrell has been in the music scene for the past two decades and, although he is not known as a solo artist, all of his collaborations have been a hit. I mean who can forget “Get Lucky” with Daft Punk or last year’s “Blurred Lines”? Every time he is part of a song it becomes an anthem no one can resist to.

So when G I R L was announced last month, I think more than a few had already preordered it on iTunes or was listening to it for free on Spotify preview.

The artist stated that G I R L is an ode to women in a society with a gender imbalance where he wants to share the love for them instead of downsizing women as a sexual object. In a way it is contradicting his summer hit next to Robin Thicke in “Blurred Lines,” but at least he is trying and we have to give it to him.

G I R L is a mix of rhythms. He takes us for a ride into funk, futuristic sounds to lush, groove with a touch of hip-hop background. He also features artists like Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Daft Punk and even Miley Cyrus, big downside but sells because pop culture is about making stupid people famous, so why not right?

The lyrics intend to be uplifting and there is a charm to them. I mean Pharrell itself is charming but what meaning can there be in lyrics like in his song “Happy” (“Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof / Because I’m happy / Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth / Because I’m happy”) I can’t find much but Pharrell’s music ability relies on the beat and his lyrics have never been his strongest side.

So the only thing that rests is to sit back, enjoy and feel the rhythms he is delighting us with. At the end of the day, we are going to be listening to his songs on the radio over and over again.

• Album title: G I R L
• Name of artist: Pharrell Williams
• Label: Sony
• Release date: March 3, 2014
• Special features: Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Daft Punk and Miley Cyrus.
• Price for CD: $10.99 on ITunes, or listen to it free on Spotify
• Rating: ****