Albums to watch

G I R L

Pharrell Williams

G I R L

Second album from the R&B singer, rapper and record producer who sang on 2013's biggest singles – Get Lucky (Daft Punk) and Blurred Lines (Robin Thicke)

ADM rating[?]

6.5

Label
RCA
UK Release date
03/03/2014
US Release date
03/03/2014
  1. 8.5 |   Billboard

    A relentlessly positive and unselfconsciously joyful tour de force
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  2. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    The mood on G I R L is celebratory rather than predatory, concerned with conveying a sense of musical joy that's remarkably hard to pull off when your music is this precision-tooled
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  3. 8.0 |   Time Out

    Pharrell has created, hands down, one of the biggest and best pop albums of the year
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  4. 8.0 |   Entertainment.ie

    Perhaps the biggest surprise is that there's nothing here that really matches the ear-worm levels of his recent hits
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  5. 8.0 |   Digital Spy

    Fortunately big names never manage to overshadow the presence of Pharrell, whose radiating passion and positivity is the real star of the show
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  6. 8.0 |   The 405

    It's not too long, but not too short; it's fun without being transparent and it's got its feet firmly rooted in the sounds of the past without sounding like a weak tribute. In short, it's great
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  7. 8.0 |   Spin

    Pharrell Walks on Pop-R&B Sunshine With the Daring, Infectious G I R L
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  8. 8.0 |   All Music

    It's fun, frivolous, and low on excess
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  9. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    The 10 songs on Girl are steeped in sunshine, air and the most natural, universal strains of Seventies and Eighties R&B
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  10. 8.0 |   NME

    An apology for 'Blurred Lines' transforms into the superstar producer's solo high point
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  11. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    G I R L will keep you entertained throughout
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  12. 8.0 |   Q

    Fresh, innovative production without drowning out the frequently spectacular songwriting. Print edition only

  13. 7.5 |   A.V. Club

    This is pop music at its cleanest, with none of “Blurred Lines’” unctuous sexual politics or even so much as a single rap verse to offend delicate sensibilities
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  14. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    G I R L may not be breaking many new boundaries, but it’s guaranteed to keep Williams in ludicrously large hats for some time to come
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  15. 7.0 |   The Music

    There’s not enough substance for G I R L to be considered anything more than a very pleasant pop album, but there’s no shame in that
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  16. 6.7 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Given his lack of solo success pre-“Happy” you could argue that G I R L was always a destination for Williams, even when he vowed he wouldn’t make another solo record
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  17. 6.2 |   Pitchfork

    While the immaculately blended pop smoothie that is G I R L goes down easy, its complacency is disappointing
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  18. 6.0 |   Evening Standard

    The backroom may be his natural habitat
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  19. 6.0 |   The FT

    He’s a better producer and hook-singer-for-hire than frontman
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  20. 6.0 |   The Independent

    It’s an enjoyable dance-pop album lacking a central focus. But one whose diffident charm makes a pleasant change from the overwrought wailing that routinely afflicts R&B
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  21. 6.0 |   Slant Magazine

    G I R L may have benefited from a few more introspective trips back to the drawing board
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  22. 6.0 |   Mojo

    Only a few moments sound truly out of the ordinary. Print edition only

  23. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    A couple of superstars make appearances, but the real pleasure is in listening to Williams open those laidback grooves, add space and sunshine and fire them up again
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  24. 6.0 |   The Observer

    No sackcloth is in evidence, just a coy, elfin who-me face, and songs that tone down the smut'n'grind of Pharrell's more R&B-oriented productions and turn up the knobs on his Michael Jackson fetish
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  25. 5.0 |   PopMatters

    It comes off like a tossed off, half baked batch of outtakes from sessions where his more impressive music was produced
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  26. 5.0 |   No Ripcord

    Sounds like the work of a much less interesting artist. But if Pharrell’s goal was to bring happiness to his listeners and vibrant tunes to the charts, then by all means he’s fulfilled his goal
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  27. 4.0 |   Clash

    Pharrell isn’t raising the game on ‘G I R L’ – it’s a thoughtful, imaginative unit-shifter with some sincere themes running through it. But “different”? Not quite
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  28. 3.0 |   Crack

    Wine bar shit
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  29. 2.0 |   Fact

    One of this generation’s finest talents opting for paint-by-numbers retro-pop (no matter how bright and shiny) when his old records still sound like dispatches from the future is heartbreaking
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  30. 1.7 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    This record has no artistic ambitions, only commercial ones
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Pharrell Williams: G I R L

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