To many, including this critic, N.E.R.D.’s debut album, In Search Of…., is a classic. Not a hip-hop classic, and not a rock & roll classic, but surely an oft overlooked classic in popular music. Sure, it didn’t match the sales or critical acclaim of say, Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, however this surprisingly solid mixture of hip-hop and rock was perhaps this generation’s first successful fusion between the two styles of music (sorry Kid Rock). Originally N.E.R.D. was going to release In Search Of as a completely electronic outing, before scrapping the first mix and having former Star Trak rockers, Spymob, replay all of the studio tracks live, with outstanding results.

On the follow-up, Fly Or Die, N.E.R.D. finds Spymob absent (with their own album dropping just two weeks after), leaving Chad, Pharrell, and Shay (what does he do again?) without a band, left to fend for themselves. Regardless, it’s no secret that The Neptunes are incredibly talented, so producing a solid follow-up shouldn’t be that big of a challenge for them. After all, everyone from Britney Spears to T.I. to Daft Punk to Busta Rhymes have tapped these guys for beats, so they must be doing something right. However, following up In Search Of with another classic record is a lot easier said than done.

While The Neptunes evolved once when their sound became too monotonous (see N.O.R.E.’s “Superthug” or Mase’s “Lookin’ At Me”), they’ve done so again with Fly Or Die. Having produced hundreds of songs at this point, Fly Or Die almost works as the blueprint for the new changes The Neptunes’ sound will take over the next year or two. As true music enthusiasts, N.E.R.D. doesn’t carry the In Search Of torch completely, but doesn’t stray that far from it either.

Naturally, the same subject matter is covered on Fly Or Die, much of it involving Pharrell’s fascination with strippers, threesomes, and casual sex, however this chapter seems to put a little more focus on being a rebellious youth. While In Search Of presented a dark, live-fast-die-young, almost auto-biographical life of an early twenties drug dealer/rock star, Fly Or Die instead speaks from the perspective of a misunderstood teenager, which isn’t nearly as exciting. Tracks like “Fly Or Die” or the Good Charolette (eh….?) assisted “Jump” might be a little harder for twenty-something’s to swallow, especially those already looking back at their teen years with embarrassment or regret. Same can be said for the happy Beach Boys throwback “Drill Sergeant”, where the trio commands “Drill Sergeant / I don’t work for you / I’m not going to waaaaaar” or “Breakout”, which begs “if you feel just like I feel…. push people!!” That’s it guys, show ‘em who’s boss.

But despite a change in focus, fans of N.E.R.D. new and old can agree that Pharrell has never been an outstanding lyricist, and we pretty much agree that he can’t sing either. Yet, there is a certain method to N.E.R.D.’s madness that keeps it interesting; the Neptunes’ natural gift for composing incredibly catchy tunes, even if their lyrics are poorly written and the singing is out of key. Yes, despite its faults, like it’s predecessor, Fly Or Die is another guilty pleasure that still manages to reel listeners in with easily accessible, sexy party starters like “Don’t Worry About It”, “The Way She Dances”, and “She Wants To Move”. Yet the real meat of the album is within the ballads, such as the incredible leading pianos of “Maybe” (which mirrors last album’s “Am I High”), the breezy, drum breakdown propelled “Chariot Of Fire” (not a cover), or the magnificently acoustic second half of “Wonderful Place”.

Fly Or Die, like In Search Of, is all over the place, presenting a variety of different styles and sounds, as N.E.R.D. draws its influence from several different sources. Yet noticeably absent is the fusion of rap lyrics into N.E.R.D.’s brand of jiggy rock tracks. Who can forget Lee Harvey spitting flames over the thrash guitars or “Poser”, Pusha-T smoothly lending a brilliant verse to “Am I High”, or even the perfectly meshed N.E.R.D. / Clipse collabo from the Clones LP, “Loser”? Unfortunately N.E.R.D. did, with not a single rap lyric on the LP. And yes, Spymob is missed, as their four piece ensemble seemed to add deeper dimensions to Chad and Pharrell’s concoctions, yet N.E.R.D. still manages with live production, including added help from Lenny Kravitz and ?uestlove, which doesn’t hurt.

With all this complaining, it would almost seem as if this album was one big let down. Not so, it still is a very solid release; one that will find listeners singing along once they get to know it (much like the first album). However, it’s like comparing Nas’ Stillmatic to the original Illmatic - the follow-up was hot, but didn’t hold a candle to the original.