Monkey Business by Black Eyed Peas

Black Eyed Peas: Fergie , Apl, Taboo, Will.I.Am (vocals). Additional personnel: Dante Santiago, James Brown, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Sting, Cee-Lo (vocals); Q-Tip, Talib Kweli (rap vocals). Recording information: Glenwood Place, Burbank, CA; Metropolis Studios, London, England; The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA. The Black Eyed Peas' fourth outing, MONKEY BUSINESS, picks up right where their platinum-selling breakout album, ELEPHUNK, left off, with the feel of a non-stop party run by an ultra-savvy DJ. "Pump It" opens the disc on a straight sample of Dick Dale's surf classic "Misirlou," as the three MCs of BEP float in and out--sometimes rapid-fire, sometimes measured--with Fergie stepping in on cue to alternately sing softly or with deep, soulful emotion. The Peas' origins are tied to the DJ-driven world of breakdancing, and that flavor saturates MONKEY BUSINESS, as beats drop in and out, tracks blend into other tracks, and a lighthearted spirit of sophisticated ecstasy prevails. The aforemention...