Black Eyed Peas: Monkey business

Herald rating: ***

It was once easy to sympathise when fans became disgruntled by the Black Eyed Peas' accessible direction on Elephunk. But there are no excuses to keep stewing. The Peas aren't trying to fool anyone - look at their camp dress. They're pop stars. Get over it.

On Monkey Business they show no signs they're done with their radio love affair, calling back Justin Timberlake, plus James Brown, Sting and Jack Johnson for a bright, breezy romp around the dancefloor, kicking it off with a sample from Dick Dale's surf classic Miserlou while shouting "Pump it - louder!"

Meanwhile, the big choruses of Don't Phunk with My Heart, Don't Lie and My Humps, (the album's Hollaback Girl moment, as much an ode to the 80s as it is to Fergie's non-musical assets), suggest Monkey Business will be courting the air waves all year.

Long-haul fans might get relief from Like That, an irresistibly smooth hip-hop groove that hijacks a 60s lounge sample from Astrud Gilberto but elsewhere, they won't find lyrics much deeper than "dum-diddly-diddly".

This pop machine is a little too slick but if they set out to make a feel-good album of bumping tunes, there are no mushy Peas in sight. Rebecca Barry

Label: Interscope