In Search Of...\nN.E.R.D (No One Ever Really Dies)\nVirgin Records\nNo matter how hard you try, there's no escaping Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, a.k.a. The Neptunes. Turn on your FM dial to any urban/pop station long enough and you will hear their music. During the last five years, they have helped a number of well-known artists become even bigger with their punctuating beats and rhythms. They've worked with current chart toppers (Jay-Z, Mystikal, Britney Spears), thugged out rappers (Noreaga), alternative ska icons (No Doubt) and longtime superstars (Janet, Mary J. Blige, Babyface, Usher). But those were the Neptunes. Now they introduce N.E.R.D (No One Ever Really Dies) and the album In Search Of…\nLate last summer, they released the first version of In Search Of…, but were unsatisfied with the album. Now, with that album behind them, they've released a totally new version with -- shock, horror! -- real instruments! In fact there's a whole live band. The unknown Minneapolis-based band Spymob blends their guitar beats with the piercing sound of N.E.R.D's hip-hop lyrics. The instruments add a strong bite to last year's minor hit "Lap Dance" and they greatly aid this album in fusing hip-hop and '70s rock.\nWith hip-hop artists' recent endeavors to create TRL garbage with male/female duets such as the Ja Rule/J. Lo hits and the even more recent Fat Joe/Ashanti song "What's Luv," N.E.R.D gives a breath of fresh air to the hip-hop community. By revealing a musical sophistication, putting themselves far ahead of the familiar bling-bling, ball-grabbing, and Bentley-driving of rap, and reinventing themselves by using live instrumentation, N.E.R.D's results are jaw-dropping.\nLyrically, this album tackles social issues like homelessness ("Bobby James") and drug addiction ("Provider") with care and wit, while even the sex tunes have a fresh perspective and are sure to appeal to college students and nursing home residents alike. ("I just wanna tape you all night," sings Pharrell on "Tape You"). There's a Jimi Hendrix-like sound in the upbeat "Run To the Sun" and "Stay Together." And a keyboard and guitar assault the jazz funk that passes over "Baby Doll" and "Brain." This loud and sexy album will show you that these guys aren't afraid to be nerds, and you will realize they are certainly at the top of their class.\n
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