Nothing,Interscope **

A decade ago, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were at the top of the hip-hop production tree. As The Neptunes they could name their price when it came to turning tracks into radio bangers, and Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Kelis and many more rolled up to be sprinkled with stardust. These days, The Neptunes don't have quite the same traction, which doesn't bode well for N.E.R.D., their rock offshoot that often seems more of an excuse for throwing poses than a serious going concern. On the plus side, there's a decent shake at floor-filling panache on Party People, and Daft Punk provide a dash of electrofunk on Hypnotise U. On the other hand, there's really very little that sticks to your ears and, worse, nothing which sounds inspired or groundbreaking.

See n-e-r-d.com

Download track: Party People