Missy Elliott :
Under Construction - Warner Music

Release date: 8th November, 2002

Album review by: Fiona Mckinson

Intro

1. Go To The Floor

2. Bring The Pain - (featuring Method Man)

3. Gossip Folks - (featuring Ludacris)

4. Work It

5. Back In The Day - (featuring Jay-Z)

6. Funky Fresh Dressed - (featuring Ms. Jade)

7. P***cat

8. Nothing Out There For Me - (featuring Beyonce Knowles)

9. Slide

10. Play That Beat

11. Ain't That Funny

12. Hot

13. Can You Hear Me - (featuring TLC)

14. Work It (Remix - Featuring 50 Cence)

'Under Construction', is Missy Elliot's fourth album under Electra records, and to be honest with you, this is my favorite one. Differing from her previous groundbreaking platinum-plus LP's', her most recent installment has a very eighties feel and pays homage to the likes of Salt And Pepper, Run DMC and the whole B-Boy Era. With the use of shout outs and samples, Missy endeavor to take us back in time, to when Hip-hop was more about dancing than fighting and where beef was about, "Who had the realist skills, who was the dopest on the mic."

The album cover reinforces the old skool theme with Missy sporting a pink puffer jacket, classic Nike trainers (sneakers as they're named in the states), and a Ghetto blaster stereo.

On the intro, Missy speaks of Aaliyahs death and how she has since viewed life in a different way. She goes on to explain the reason for her album title, stating, "Under Construction', means that I'm a work in progress, I'm working on myself."

Upon hearing the first single, Work It' my mouth was left ajar. Her profound lyrics, "If you got a big…let me search it and find out how hard I got to work it", leaves little to the imagination. No prizes for guessing what she's searching for. On one of two slow tracks, entitled, Pussy Cat, Missy, once again exposes her sexual side. I won't bother to quote you the chorus, but you can be rest assured, that you wouldn't want to be playing this track loud whilst doing the house work on a Sunday Afternoon, when your mum is in the next room watching the Christian channel. Missy justifies her use of explicit lyrics as her right to, "represent for the ladies." Though many may find her lyrics vulgar, Missy does promote safe sex and standing as a writer, singer, rapper, producer and CEO of her own record label, she demonstrates she has clearly more than a nasty mouth. Her second slow track features, Beyonce of Destiny's Child. Other features include Method Man, Ludacris, Jay Z and her duet with TLC, dedicated to left Eye, Aaliyah, Biggie, 2 Pac and Big Pun, a very touching tribute.

On a whole the album does not contain classics like, 'Hit Em Wit Da Hee', 'Sock It 2 Me', or 'Rain' taken from her debut, 'Supa Dupa Fly', nor does it contain hits like 'She's a Bitch' and 'Up in my Grill' from 'Da Real World'. However, overall, I'm slightly drawn to this albums 'old skool' vibe. Who knows, maybe because its just come out, so I appreciate it more than the older ones which I've heard over and over.

Once again Timberland lays ownership of overall production and does a good job, with his trademark beats. Missy acknowledges that this album maybe heavily criticized, but emphasizes that she has put a lot into the album, and that critics need to be a bit more supportive of artists music, rather than vindictive, as to achieve more interesting headlines. Despite my initial reaction, when first hearing this fourteen-track disc, I can definitely say that she has won me over, So she's got one less critic to worry about.

3 out of 5

My top three songs:

3. Gossip folks
4. Work it
8. Nothing out there

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