Top Favorite Albums of 2014 - GIRL by Pharrell Williams

Favorite Tracks
“Come Get It Bae”
“Brand New”
“Marilyn Monroe”

Pharrell Williams had a lot of making up to do at the beginning of this year for the train wreck that was last summer’s big hit “Blurred Lines.” Luckily for him, his solo album, G I R L, earned him a spot in my good graces again. Williams bounced right on back from the unsettling and downright creepy territory he and Robin Thicke ventured into on Thicke’s single with a record that was the flawless pop and R&B crossover album I never knew I needed in my life.

Prior to G I R L, I and the rest of the world viewed Williams as a supporting force in the industry. His name has been stamped on the credits of way too many number one songs to even attempt to count. He’s a producer, a songwriter, a featured artist, what have you. This year, however, Williams dropped “Happy,” his solo contribution to the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, and brainwashed the world with his optimistic falsetto. I’m convinced that you could use that song to control a small army because it is that infectious. One listen had me grinning like an idiot and doing my best “Carlton” dance moves. “Happy” is music at its finest because the song demands you to feel happy. Williams captured the basic emotion of happiness within the song’s repetitive structure and easy to follow melody, proving that sometimes the best songs are the least complicated.

G I R L was released soon after and I was just as hooked on it as I was on “Happy.” Williams put his expertise to work on brilliant collaborations with Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, and Daft Punk. Each song brings back that familiar cool Pharrell groove which permeated the early 2000’s top 40 and combines it with a fresh futuristic sound. Songs like “Lost Queen” and “Gust of Wind” exemplify this perfectly with funk guitars, swelling strings mixed with synthesizers and robotic vocals. The song that tops all of the others however, has to be “Come Get It Bae.” With its cheeky lyrics and sassy rhythm, “Come Get It Bae” had me clapping along whenever I heard it. Not to mention the undeniably playful bridge featuring supporting vocals by Miley Cyrus got me so completely lost in the sound that nothing else mattered but that beat and Williams’ always on point delivery.

G I R L was largely responsible for my renewed obsession with R&B music, landing it a much deserved spot on my list this year. Well played, Pharrell. Now, let’s never speak of “Blurred Lines” ever again.