You can't turn on the radio nowadays and not here a Neptunes produced track. The Neptunes Present Clones is the second release from the producing duo of Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo. The 1st N.E.R.D In Search Of was more eclectic than most people expected & left most listeners either loving or hating it. But with this 2nd album the guest appearances are many & should please most listeners.

Production on the the album is tight & typical Neptunes fair for the most part. With simple instrumentation & bare bones beats reminiscent of the early hip-hop days.

The place where this album truly impresses is with the guest appearances that bless these Neptune produced tracks. With artists like Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, & N.O.R.E appearing on tracks. There are also tracks by Dirt McGirt [aka O.D.B.] and former dancehall king Supercat as well as Star Trak regulars Clipse & Kelis.

One thing that caught me off guard were the rock tracks that hit me half way though the album. Now I'm not the biggest rock fan but when i do listen to it I prefer artists like Papa Roach, Alien Ant Farm or Prodigy. But the rock tracks on this album had me skipping them after the first listen, a little to soft for my tastes I guess.

Stand out tracks on the album include the current singles ''Light Your Ass On Fire'' w/ Busta Rhymes & Pharrell & ''Frontin'' w/ Pharell as well as Snoop Dogg's ''It Blows My Mind''. But one artist who I would have liked to have seen featured more on the album is Kelis. Her song w/ Nas ''Popular Thug'' is banging. And ever since her 1st album Kaleidoscope I have been waiting for a second US release. Her Wanderland album, which was released in the UK in 2001, never saw stateside release & had fans importing the album.

Overall its a solid album and, other than a couple of disappointing rock tracks, worth buyin. If you like the Neptunes sound then you should definitely pick this joint up. If your tired of the Neptunes sound or just don't like their production, then skip it.

SonicAmp Rating: 8/10