Posted on Tue, Aug. 15, 2006

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Beats are hot, but lyrics are not

"In My Mind," Pharrell, Star Trak/Interscope **½

If the megahits you produce for other artists help make them stars, they'd darn well better help out when you're making a record of your own. They did for Pharrell Williams, half of the production duo the Neptunes. "In My Mind," his solo debut, features contributions from Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Nelly and Kanye West.

Pharrell's beats are the real attraction on "In My Mind." There are echoes of the retro rock 'n' soul sound of his side project, N.E.R.D, and nods to his previous work.

Although Pharrell is a beat wizard who loads his songs with memorable musical hooks, "In My Mind" tends to fall short lyrically. "Raspy" is a clever exception, as he attempts to put an arm's length between himself and eager hangers-on, and Jay-Z fleshes out "Young Girl/I Really Like You" with a quick burst of rhyme toward the end. Elsewhere, though, there's a lot of repetition, which suggests Pharrell's mind is better occupied by music than words.

— Eric R. Danton, Hartford Courant