The Dutchess [Bonus Track]

Barnes & Noble

Naysayers may view Fergie as of the token girl in the Black Eyed Peas, but with her solo debut The Dutchess, the gal born Stacy Ferguson erases any doubt about her musical chops. Although Peas bandmate will.i.am co-produced 8 of the album's 13 tracks, Fergie co-wrote and co-produced much of the disc, ensuring that she's not just posing in front of a mic. And like fellow Californian Gwen Stefani, Fergie has a malleable enough singing style to be effective in myriad genres. She easily slips into urban-flavored jams like the ribald, chart-topping single "London Bridge" and the synth-infused, hip-hop mashup "Glamorous," featuring a catchy cameo by Ludacris. There's even a semi-sequel to the Peas' smash "My Humps" by way of the electro-funk opening cut, "Fergalicious," which includes an extensive sample of the J. J. Fad nugget "Supersonic." Elsewhere, Fergie successfully pushes her creative envelope, going from the punky reggae of "Mary Jane Shoes" -- complete with a sample of "No Woman, No Cry" and sweet harmonizing by Rita Marley and the I-Threes -- to the John Legend-produced "Finally," a sparse piano- and strings-kissed ballad that allows the ex-Wild Orchid member a chance to show off her inner Mariah Carey. With The Dutchess, Fergie not only crushes any notions of being mere eye candy for the Black Eyed Peas; she's also created an impressive base for what'll surely be a fruitful solo career. Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

Through all the twists and turns taken by Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson during her 20-year career as an entertainer -- including a stint on Kids Incorporated, background vocals for Martika, two albums with adult contemporary/dance-pop group Wild Orchid, and superstardom with Black Eyed Peas -- she has always sounded as if she is trying really, really hard. That has been the lone consistent characteristic of her output, and it remains in effect throughout The Dutchess, an album with all the characteristics of a release fronted by someone who has been itching to go solo and prove herself, once and for all, as a versatile force all her own. Fergie does cartwheels and handstands, juggles three objects at once, balances books on her head, hangs upside down, rides a unicycle with her hands in the air -- all these things while wearing different outfits. The whole process, produced mostly by fellow Pea will.i.am, is mildly entertaining. There's throwback hip-hop ("Fergalicious," done to the tune of J.J. Fad's "Supersonic"), throwback soul ("Here I Come," done to the tune of the Temptations' "Get Ready"), reggae ("Mary Jane Shoes"), ska-punk ("Mary Jane Shoes"), scat ("Mary Jane Shoes"), vaguely torchy midtempo fluff ("Velvet"), and a classy string-drenched ballad (the appropriately titled "Finally"), among several other passable switch-ups. "London Bridge" is terrific, provided you can block out the lyrics or prevent yourself from trying to decipher its meaning. One of the more convincing songs on the album, "Big Girls Don't Cry," sounds exactly like a 2006 version of Wild Orchid, with Fergie's Taylor Dayne kid-sister act in full effect. [A&M issued a bonus track edition in 2006 as well.] Andy Kellman