Save It Till Morning – I appreciate the early 2000s and late 2010s production, especially as we creep into the chorus. Fergie gives her big and brass vocals, but something about the edited is a bit off-putting. However, she keeps it fun with the ad-libs at the pre-chorus and her promise that there’ll be no negativity until the new day. This is an interesting ballad track in its production, almost sounding like a brooding, trap-pop-country song all in one. Fergie continues to show her varied influence and ability to take on multiple genres.
Enchante (Carine) [feat. Axl Jack] – This song? Enchanté, comment allez-vous? Axl Jack has a name fit for a musician and with his own feature alongside mom Fergie. Giving his best French, he starts off the song on this smooth and relaxing house track. Fergie brings out the marimba, dynamic melody and vocals (“If I could live inside this dance I would”) all able to work alongside one another. The production leaves enough space throughout the song to avoid any sort of overload. Another hidden track.
https://youtu.be/6GiD3Is9YQU
Tension– A groovy track. Fergie sings of a moment where there is a hint of interest, about seeing a potential during a night on the dance-floor. The wavy guitar, keyboard, and sensual lyrics keep this song as a nice reminder of house tracks of yesterday and today.
L.A. Love (feat. YG) – The groove breaks suddenly into the single previously released in 2014, but the vibe works with the underlying trap and synth that combines the features found in West Coast hip-hop and modern music.
Love is Blind – The hazy guitar and bass, all underneath the soft open, sound reggae from the start. Fergie rides the groove and asserts that it doesn’t matter, like Blondie, the tide is high, and “Love is Blind.” She sings, “feed me those delicious lies I love to hear.” She doesn’t care about all the other women, but cements her need for this person. The production and Fergie’s yearning voice, and call out to other iconic reggae tracks and singers (like “Pass the Dutchie” and Sister Nancy) makes this a simple but very well-done song.
Love is Pain – The closing song on Double Dutchess gives synth, a good guitar solo, and a constant, solid melody. The production almost vibes of Sinead O’Connor’s version of “Nothing Compare to U,” I may add. Regarding the lyrics, Fergie promises this is the last time she’ll ever cry over the person who tried to break her down, or leave her at a dinner table alone. The second longest song on the album, it fades up and into a neo-soul interlude and Fergie checking out with soft vocals. A nice closing.
Survey Says? Solid, but just a bit more.
There’s something for those who are addicted to the tropical house that has overtaken our airwaves since forever, and those who are always overcome by Fergie’s ability to cross genres and still give us solid vocals. She’s a Double Dutchess indeed. If you’re not a fan of throwbacks (anything with guitar or rap), then this album is a waste for you. However, for long-time fans of Fergie, this album may not give all marks out of 10, but it’s a taste of where she may be headed in terms of sound down the road. She’s keeping grounded and true to her musical tastes she grew up with, but still appealing to those growing in the radio of today. I think this album is a solid listen for those who’ve missed hearing Fergie on our pop radios 24/7.
Check out the album trailer on Fergie’s YouTube channel and the full album on Spotify, Apple Music. You can also experience the visual album on its website the way as Fergie intends it.
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‘Double Dutchess’ Album Review: Fergie Never Left: Featured image courtesy of Fergie/Facebook
