On previous albums N.E.R.D. –  super producers The Neptunes in rock band  mode  –  dialed down their rep as r ’n’ b miracle workers, via lashings of punk-rap vocals and back to basics riffola . At its best, the results were a glorious mash-up of genres – too ,often however, it sounded like three very talented dudes playing at being in a nu-metal outfit.  For their third LP, leader Pharrell Williams has stated N.E.R.D. were eager tap a wider set of influences, specifically late sixties/ early seventies dino-bands  such as Crosby Stills and Nash, America and The Doors. They’ve certainly stopped channelling Limp Bizkit – Nothing is N.E.R.D. in stealth mode, with whispered vocals and cocktail lounge tempos replacing the yomping guitars and shouty-shouty hollas that were a previous hallmark. Mostly, the shift of direction pays off: ‘Hypnotize U’ is Williams with vocals set to ‘Prince’ whilst, in the background, his bandmates evoke the cheesy-but-good spirit of Dr Hook ; ‘I’ve Seen The Light’ has the  horn-splashed loucheness of a great seventies porn soundtrack. Throughout, the tempo rarely moves about gently insistent – indeed, the flotation tank lullaby ‘I’ve Seen The Light /Inside of Clouds’ is positively soporofic. Granted, a stomping beat underpins ‘Victory’, but, with its hazy harmonies and woozy brass, it still sounds like some lost Motown song played deep underwater.  Simply put, N.E.R.D. have learned that sometimes it’s okay to lie back and chill the fuck out.
Key track: Hypnotize U