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by gerald poindexter

N.E.R.D. stands for No One Ever Really Dies. Some hip hop fans probably think it’s an acronym for Never-Ending Release Dates, based on the delays surrounding this album. But now, those desperately seeking “In Search Of...” can find it, along with the knowledge that they’ve possibly invested early in an album of the year candidate.

N.E.R.D. consists of the Neptunes — Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, the same credible cats who’ve laced tracks for Britney, Mary J., Jay-Z, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and Kelis, among mainstream acts (and folkies Shea Seger and Alana Davis, for good measure). Shay, their musician sidekick and homeboy from Virginia Beach, is also on board for this, the second recording of these same 13 songs.

Yes, this album represents new versions of the same songs (which appeared on the album’s initial, import-only release last summer in the UK). Think of it as Version 1.5: same lyrics and vocals, but different musical philosophy, thanks to the addition of funk-rock band Spymob, whose instrumentation improves upon Version 1.0’s reliance on programmed beats and samples.

“In Search Of...” is pure and personal; a raw, streetwise dosage of humor, heart, soul, love, politics highlighting life’s elevator—from the street-level to the penthouse—of playas, pimps and pushers. The trademark Neptunes magic of dirty beats and rhymes, syncopated rhythms and Williams’ off-kilter falsetto harmonies combines with the newer, more musical rough edges. The result is an instant classic with a hip- hop foundation supporting a tower of boundless musicality.

“Things are Getting Better” is a funny slice of sexual confidence/cautious optimism that draws from the melting pot of rap, rock jazz and funk that N.E.R.D. endlessly advocates. This track’s quirkiness informs many others including “Brain, which” is New Wave-ish Gary Numan with funk, and “Provider,” a street corner folk-meets-bossa ditty, whose drug-dealing subject could never hang in the harsh, apocalyptic-sounding aural environs of “Truth or Dare” (featuring banshee rants by the aforementioned Kelis).

By the end of the album, it’s hard not to admire N.E.R.D.’s ambition, and more importantly its execution. To not like this album would, at minimum, risk admitting to being a cement-eared drone hardened by radio-friendly beats. The irony is that the Neptunes, hitmakers extraordinaire, are culpable and guilty as charged. However, any listener inflexibility would be missing the point that N.E.R.D. espouses: fearless, sonic diversity is here (hopefully to stay) and should be embraced.

Ultimately, their colorful expansion of the sonic palette, speaks to the wisdom of N.E.R.D. going at last halfway back to the drawing board.

Originally published in The San Diego Union-Tribune, March 14, 2002
Photo Credit: Virgin Records