Monkey Business kicks off with the alluring, fast-paced “Pump It” and mainstream hit “Don’t Phunk with My Heart,” and then slows down to more melodious grooves found in “Don’t Lie” and “Feel It.” Frivolous, bass-heavy tunes follow - “My Humps,” an ode to the many curvatures of women; and “Dum Diddly,” which features members and guest star Dante Santiago articulating random syllables to exemplify the unique resonance of the song. Perhaps the most surprisingly innovative song is “Bebot,” a song that compensates for Elephunks’s “The apl Song” with a groove that translates to all languages.
After reaping benefits from having Justin Timberlake join them on “Where is the Love,” BEP bumped up their number of guest stars quite a bit. Timberlake rejoins the group in “My Style,” a track that could have easily been on his solo album Justified. Then there’s the smooth and rich guitar/vocal contribution of Jack Johnson on “Gone Going,” and the star-studded “Like That,” featuring Cee-Lo, Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, and John Legend singing/rapping atop a choir of strings. Whether people prefer BEP as a political trio, a shake-your-rump quartet, or not at all, Monkey Business is a CD that has a track for any and everyone. The innovativeness found in each and every track is enough to satisfy even the most particular music fans, and the mainstream appeal promises BEP enough commercial success to last them a lifetime. The only question remaining is how will BEP be able to surpass Monkey Business?
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