Pharrell Williams: In My Mind : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

The solo debut from the omnipresent half of the Neptunes comes after a slew of missed release dates and self-imposed revisions. Despite the extra work, In My Mind is still only so-so, offering a series of modestly tuneful, sometimes snoozy soul-pop-hip-hop songs. Beatwise, Pharrell keeps it too mellow, whether dropping jazz-inflected minimalism ("Can I Have It Like That"), hooky synth-bounce ("Angel") or low-end funk (the great "Raspy Shit"). Lyrically, it's all over the place: Between the usual boasts and horniness, Pharrell airs some personal pain on cuts like the grandma tribute "Best Friend" and makes time for his alter ego Skateboard P, a skate rat whose persona is a little too ill-defined. Next to guests Jay-Z, Snoop and Slim Thug, Pharrell's playa-playa croon gets tiresome. He would have been better off saving In My Mind's best bits the sly hook on "Keep It Player" or the beat to "Raspy Shit" for someone else's record.