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Pharrell Williams the producer is used to making big hits with big stars. Pharrell Williams the artist has more modest aspirations for his solo album, "In My Mind," which arrives today after several delays.

Williams splits the album between hip-hop and R&B tracks, which he says are for "the small society of people who think for themselves. It's all about individuality."

The more visible half of the hitmaking Neptunes (with producer Chad Hugo) describes the songs as "those explorative kind of conversations with yourself. I consider this album as just a paragraph in the book of my career."

That's a pretty thick book, filled with nearly a decade of propelling platinum hits by such diverse acts as No Doubt, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Justin Timberlake, Usher and Britney Spears. He also has taken more artistic turns with 2003's "The Neptunes Presents ... Clones" and two albums with their alternative rock band, "N.E.R.D."

The perpetually busy Williams says another "N.E.R.D." album is in the works, as are new projects on their Star Trak Records label from Robin Thicke, Slim Thug, the Clipse and Snoop Dogg.

"In My Mind" was supposed to come out late last year to take advantage of the single "Can I Have It Like That," with Gwen Stefani. But Williams was so busy producing the likes of Jay-Z, Omarion, Snoop Dogg, Stefani and others that he never got to his own record.

"I threw back the curtains too fast, being anxious and being artistic, and I didn't pay attention to the practical part of things," he says. "I didn't even have my album mixed."

Williams, whose raspy tenor is often heard on his productions, shows a sensitive side on his R&B tracks, while his raps are more introspective.

He also plays off his youthful alter ego, Skateboard P. "That's me looking back and realizing what I was into when I was a teenager," says Williams, who sponsors the nationally touring Ice Cream Skate Team.

His new single, "Number One," grew out of a chance meeting in the studio with Kanye West. The video shoot turned into a fly fashion summit (Williams topped Esquire's 2005 best-dressed men in the world list; West was No. 3) between the self-proclaimed Louis Vuitton Don (West) and the man Louis Vuitton tapped to design a jewelry line and appear in their fall/winter ads.