Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas, who double as hip-pop's version of Up with People, are making sure they get the biggest bang for their buck out of potentially fooling the masses into thinking this may be The E.N.D. for them. You see, this clever acronym, which may impress someone in junior kindergarten, is meant to say the Energy Never Dies. It most certainly doesn't. This 15-track album, the group's fifth, is tailored the club and school dances, where it's bound to knock the socks off of plenty of eight to 12-year-olds. Laden with auto-tune and beats that sound like they were beamed down from space, The E.N.D. is a lyrical and creative wasteland best exemplified by Fergie, who comes across as downright embarrassing on virtually every track. will.i.am will most certainly gain licensing fees from a few of his songs. Every sports producer looking for a generic soundtrack to cover a montage will be itching to use songs like "I Gotta Feelin'." He also tries to cut Lil Wayne's grass with a poor attempt to harness the gusto of "A Milli" (produced by Bangladesh), with "Imma Be." If he sought out to make a few more bucks with another formula album, then will.i.am has done just that. It would be a shame if he tried to pass this thing off as anything other than what it is.