We'd like to thank the Baller Status for allowing us to feature this review of Fergie's album 'The Dutchess' on our site.

Many artists would like you to believe that their distaste for being labeled or pigeonholed is because it confines their artistry. What many of these artists really mean is that by confining their music, you're confining their potential fan base and therefore confining their income. It's not so much an issue of artistic merit, but more so an issue of financial merit. Of course, there are also artists that have genuinely been influenced by a hybrid of sounds and therefore this is reflected in their music, like the ultra eclectic Fergie of Black Eyed Peas. The former child star ("Kids Incorporated") transformed the Black Eyed Peas from alternative hip-hop backpackers to hip-pop venue packers. Now, after her unique melodies helped produce two Soundscan sizzlers for BEP (03's Elephunk and 05's Monkey Business), Fergie hopes to duplicate this success with her solo debut, The Dutchess.

Fergie's band mate, underrated producer Will.I.am, brings the BEP signature sound to a bevy of beats on "The Dutchess"; he has recently begun to flex his production pecks lacing everyone from Justin Timberlake to The Game. On the frantic opening track, "Fergalicious," Will interpolates J.J. Fad's "Supersonic" and lays it over a lush Miami bass, while Fergie spits - not swallows - mischievous metaphors about getting laid, "I ain't easy, I ain't sleazy / I got reason why I tease 'em / Boys just come and go like seasons." Fergie distances herself from other cliché female emcees by opting for regal sensuality, instead of raw sexuality. The album's first single, the Polow Da Don produced "London Bridge," follows suit with its suggestive similes, but it doesn't quite match the meticulous lyrics and addictive symphony of "Fergalicious."

The metaphorical madness continues on the 50's swing of "Clumsy," which derives from Fergie "falling in love," and on the reggae infused "Mary Jane Shoes," where she claims that a pair of Manolos can be just a psychedelic as a puff of marijuana. On these songs - and on many others - Fergie sporadically switches to a schizophrenic mix of singing and rapping. She revels in pushing the boundaries of musical experimentation. On the last verse of "Mary Jane Shoes," mid-tempo ska suddenly changes into mosh pit punk rock - half the fun is trying to anticipate Fergie's many mood swings.

The down side of this reckless regard for structure is that when Fergie tries to showcase her versatility with more classical styled ballads, you find yourself yearning for a return to the mayhem. Though she possesses a vocal range that's on par with many A-list pop stars, her lyrics fail to tap the tear-jerker nerve of even the most sensitive teeny bopper. On "Big Girls Don't Cry," the deepest sentiment Fergie can muster is, "And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses his blanket." It's moments like this that we miss the more frivolous Fergie like, um, hmm... rappers miss Johnnie Cochran.

by Jorteh Senah, Baller Status