The Black Eyed Peas have quite literally returned to their roots by stepping back in time before Fergie was in the picture by releasing a hip-hop inspired record. No longer are the days of their widely successful electronic fusion, they’re wanting to give music with a message again instead of club bangers. ‘Masters Of The Sun – Vol. 1’ is a bold political and environmental statement that reflects on a lot of different issues affecting our society. It’s quite evident that the band are missing a giant hole now that Fergie is gone so they over compensate with guest vocalists like Nicole Scherzinger and Esthero as well as uncredited backing vocalists who try to fill the void. They harmonise with the three rappers and attempt to give you smooth transitions. But lets be real, no one can replace the raw personality and charisma of Fergie and this album really will have you missing her. The moody opener ‘Back 2 Hiphop’ feat NAS does exactly that and delivers hard hip-hop beats that reintroduces their original sound. This is not a record for their pop fans and that is heavily evident. But the slick deliveries of ‘Yes Or No’, ‘Get Ready’ and ‘Dopeness’ will you give you some nostalgic moments that have a slight pop infected crossover. Their single ‘Big Love’ is the albums biggest pop track and hears them creating a ‘Where is The Love’ 2.0 with a similar energy. But sadly the rest of the album lacks the same quality and feel. I really wanted to love this record and say that they didn’t need Fergie to keep the group together but I can’t say that. It’s a little uninspired and lost in parts and with the long duration of the songs it all blurs into one average hip-hop vision.
You can purchase a physical copy of Masters Of The Sun Vol 1 from Sanity https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2404796/Masters_Of_The_Sun_-_Volume_1