In musical fashion

Known for their sartorial statements and epitomizing the cool side of R&B, Pharrel Williams has a new solo CD, and Aloe Blacc starts his own journey for mainstream recognition, via his first major label album. Pharrel creates pop bliss while Aloe proves there’s life beyond hip-hop.

Pharrel Williams — GIRL (Columbia Records). In music, fashion and in design, Pharrel has made himself one of today’s most potent arbiters of what passes for cool. And with the new solo CD, Pharrel takes one giant step in gaining mainstream popularity. He’s done it often enough in the context of producer and collaborator, but unlike his previous work as a Neptune or on N.E.R.D., the offering is pure, unadulterated pop. Thankfully, the quality doesn’t suffer, and I have to admit this is a pop gem. Marilyn Monroe, Brand New (with Justin Timberlake), and Know Who You Are (neo-reggae lilt and Alicia Keys) should be instant hits — with good reason. If anything, I find the end product just a tad too slick and calculated, and I miss some of the old unpredictability.

Aloe Blacc — Lift Your Spirit (Interscope Records). An American singer, songwriter, rapper and musician, Aloe (Egbert Dawkins III) is probably best known here in Manila for providing the vocal work on a song he co-wrote for Swedish DJ Avicii, Wake Me Up. An acoustic version opens the CD, and the big surprise for us is to hear the renowned rapper become “old school” when he sings. Love Is the Answer, Eyes of a Child, these songs remind us of baritone soul singers from the past, like Bill Withers. Even the more upbeat songs like Ticking Bomb, surprisingly have a retro feel to them. When he shifted to songwriting and singing, Aloe spoke about how he wanted to move away from how hip-hop would be so ego-centric, and the CD goes down easy.