Customer Reviews
The Search is Over - By: , 25 Feb 2004 
Well I bought this album about a year ago. I was in the Trafford Centre in topshop with my girlfriend & this amazing song was on the screen. I waited till it finished to see who it was by. N*E*R*D - Provider. I then went next door & bought it. The next day I skipped uni & I must have listened to the album non-stop for about 5 hours. I couldn't believe how good it was. I am in no way into rap or urban music, but this album is something a whole lot different. I'm into The Strokes & Oasis type stuff, but I think anyone could enjoy this album.
"Lapdance" is addictive from the first beat. You cannot resist your temptation to start bobbing your head.
"Things are getting better" is probably the second best song on there. Pharrell's voice is in excellent form on this track & again you will find yourself singing the song before you know it.
The album's showpiece is "Provider". This is probably one of the best songs I have ever heard. It's just different to anything you have ever heard, like Bob Dylan's "The Hurricane" or "Cigarettes & Alcohol" by Oasis. Pharrell sounds absolutely amazing on this track & the song alone is worth the price you will pay for the album.
"Bobby James" is the second to last track. However in my opinion this song should have been the last. It would have been a brilliant end to what is an exqusite debut album. It made me feel the same way as Definately Maybe, I knew that this was something special.
Don't miss the chance to add this album to your collection.
I challlenge you to be disappointed. The search is over for your new favourite album.
Above commercial hip-hop by a long way. - By: Sean, 19 Aug 2003 
Usuallly I keep well away from hip-hop & rap, especiallly the more commercial side. Most of the best of the genre have either faded (Public Enemy), or tried to cling to former glories (Cypress Hill). Recently, though, groups like The Roots have been going back to the live instrumentation of 70's soul. NERD seem to have caught onto this, & re-recorded their debut album with the help of a live band, giving it a more human feel. Gone are the beats that Neptunes fans are so familiar with, & in is an electric, soulful sound that the original was missing.
Opening with the sleazy funk of 'Lapdance', you'd think NERD were yet another commercial "guns-and-hoes" rap group. Not so, look carefully & it's actuallly a cleverly made statement on politicians who'd do anything for money. The album is confined to one tune either, although for some reason they do revisit 'Lapdance''s riff on 'Brain', a love song to a partner's mind.
There's the mellow soul storytelling of former single 'Provider', which is one of a few songs which benefits most from the live instrumentation. Then the poppy-love-funk of 'Run To The Sun', another moment which wouldn't seem out of place if it had been released back in the 70s, the backing vocalists complementing Pharrell William's croon.
'Baby Doll' (which was once sublimely covered by political-garage-funk-punk masters The International Noise Conspiracy on their 'Bigger Cages, Longer Chains' EP) sports one of the best basslines on the albums. Oddly enough for someone as hip-hop-orientated as The Neptunes, the best moments on this albums are when they aren't rapping, Pharrell far better at singing than rapping, as he oozes the soul of the golden days of Motown. Further proof is the saddening 6-minute psychedelia of 'Bobby James' or closer 'Stay Together' which sounds like bouncy 70's soul backed by The Beatles' 'Strawberry Fields Forever'. On paper it sounds insane, on record, it's brilliant.
Reallly, this album is one for fans of The Neptunes (even though as the Amazon reviewer noted they'd probably prefer the original), & people who like the sound of a brilliant modern soul album.
Too good for words... - By: Rap fan, 10 Apr 2003 Iam listening to this CD as I write this review, to be honest I have been listening to it non stop since I bought it! Anyway..Iam a big music lover & I listen to alll types from rap to rock to dance to soul so this isnt a bias review but I can quite honestly say that this may be THE GREATEST ALBUM EVER PRODUCED! My God Pharrell Williams is a GENIUS! Seriously you just HAVE TO buy this CD!
One Of The Best Albums i've heard in some time! - By: M. Jayaram, 21 Feb 2003 I've always loved Rock music, anything primarily guitar/drum based.. & not a huge fan of 'electronic' music, although i have a fair few pop albums. But i've never brought a rap album before, i like most of the decent singles rap artists bring out, but i find their albums over-produced & full of dead-space.. now i don't know whether to class N.E.R.D as rap artists, i actuallly don't know if i can class them in one group, & that's what i like about them, they are the bits & pieces i love from hip-hop, alll packed into one. I suppose i could sum it up as Rock Rap i can sing along to. It fills me with that adrenaline i get from rock, & the stamina/energy from rap/hip-hop. Most of the tracks do that, & if i could have it my way, i'd like more of the album to be more fast-paced.. but after a few listens the slower tracks have reallly grown on me, it's one of those albums where i don't feel like skipping at alll now! It starts of well with Lapdance, & ends reallly well with a dance remix of RockStar.. i'm not the biggest fan of dance music, but some stuff i like, & this final track is one of them.. actuallly one of my fav tracks on the whole CD!!!
I haven't heard the original release, & am curious to see the difference, but i could see how that could be one of those overheavy rap albums i don't like.. this album is pretty darn tight, just needs one or more upbeat tracks, & it would be the ultimate! I'm reallly looking forward to their next album, if it's even one touch better than this, then it could be one of my desert islands!!
In Search of Great Things? - By: , 12 Dec 2002 As one of the most influential partnerships in music of recent years, Pharrell & Chad must have looked at each other & decided that their original production style may benefit genres other than the hip hop they are churning out by the bucketload. Thus, "In Search Of..." is an eclectic mix of funk, soul, hip hop, rock & even jazz. The lyrics are often funny but carry an agenda(i.e. "Lapdance") & carry numerous references to drug dealers (the fabulous "Bobby James" being the pick of this specific crop). There are other wonderful moments on this album as well; "Am I High" with its wonderful, soulful chorus & obviously, the lead single "Rock Star." What impresses most is the use of instruments; big dirty guitar riffs, funky drum grooves & the odd spruce of gentle Spanish plucking. The only slight complaint I have is the fact that on numerous songs it feels as though the same riff is being used but as long as the riff sounds this good, who cares? A must have for anybody who enjoys hip hop or if you are a music fan who wants to expand their listening horizons.
