Hey laaadies! Here it is in all its glory, Pharrell's ode to all of the women out there. He respects ya'll and he made an entire album to express that. There's a lot of positivity here and that's a good thing. If "Happy" was any indicator, Pharrell's solo material is not on that "Mr. Me Too" steez. This is Pharrell cementing his reputation as a pop icon. It's undeniable at this point. From the numerous guest spots to the ultra positive vibes, there's just no turning away at this point. Just check out "Marilyn Monroe" for starters. It's like a song that Justin Timberlake wishes Pharrell wrote for him, but better. Speaking of Timberlake, he pops up on the next song, "Brand New," to duet with Williams. And that's just the start of things. The sound of the album is the retro pop that is so of the moment right about now. Motown abounds, as does the chunking guitar stylings of Nile Rodgers. It's not necessarily groundbreaking material, but this record is going to be big. Your mom is gonna be singing along to it this summer.

• music label: Columbia 2014

reviewed by Hank Ohs 05/2014