> Switch to Advanced Search

New & Current Releases
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

60 31Knots
71 The Academy Is...
53 The Airborne Toxic Event
79 Alias
66 All That Remains
77 Theresa Andersson
74 Annuals
76 Apollo Sunshine
47 The Automatic
79 Azeda Booth
75 Joan Baez
84 Bajofondo
56 David Banner
77 Black Affair
74 Black Kids
79 Blitzen Trapper
74 Bodies Of Water
71 Brazilian Girls
72 Brightblack Morning Light
66 The Broken West
50 Buckcherry
79 Lindsey Buckingham
90 The Bug
56 Caesars
78 Calexico
70 Glen Campbell
70 Brendan Canning
74 Castanets
63 Cats In Paris
74 The Chemical Brothers
65 Cold War Kids
69 Alice Cooper
79 Rodney Crowell
63 CSS
67 Miley Cyrus
46 Dandy Warhols
65 Kimya Dawson
72 Dead Confederate
72 Death Vessel
83 Deerhoof
78 Delta Spirit
79 Damien Dempsey
79 Ani DiFranco
58 DJ Khaled
66 The Donkeys
72 Dr. Dog
80 DragonForce
78 The Duhks
77 Dungen
92 Bob Dylan
73 Brian Eno + David Byrne
66 Everlast
62 The Faint
67 The Fiery Furnaces
63 Ben Folds
64 iForward, Russia!
72 Friendly Fires
71 Fujiya & Miyagi
65 The Game
74 Inara George With Van Dyke Parks
74 Giant Sand
79 Girl Talk
83 Glasvegas
61 Golden Animals
64 Mike Gordon
68 Gym Class Heroes
77 GZA
66 Neil Halstead
72 Juliana Hatfield
61 Hawthorne Heights
81 High Places
77 High Places
73 Zach Hill
85 The Hold Steady
80 Jolie Holland
83 David Holmes
81 Horse Feathers
68 Howling Hex
58 Jennifer Hudson
71 Human Highway
70 Ice Cube
66 Ida Maria
68 Jack's Mannequin
69 Jaguar Love
73 James
81 Jamey Johnson
70 Jonas Brothers
78 Damien Jurado
83 Kasai Allstars
89 B.B. King
65 Kings Of Leon
67 Ladyhawke
77 Lambchop
54 Levellers
74 Jenny Lewis
76 Lykke Li
82 Lindstrom
59 The Little Ones
57 LL Cool J
60 Lloyd
60 The Lord Dog Bird
81 Patty Loveless
75 John Mellencamp
69 Mercury Rev
78 Metallica
71 Metronomy
74 Mirah
75 Mogwai
68 Monkey
64 Motorhead
66 Mugison
78 Nico Muhly
75 Murs
84 The Music Tapes
71 Nas
65 Nelly
50 New Kids On The Block
77 The New Year
85 Randy Newman
80 Ne-Yo
57 Nightmares On Wax
65 The Nightwatchman
78 Nine Inch Nails
62 Noah And The Whale
67 Oasis
75 Conor Oberst
78 Okkervil River
77 Old Crow Medicine Show
80 One Day As A Lion
75 Oneida
73 Joan Osborne
75 Oxford Collapse
85 Paavoharju
78 Amanda Palmer
65 Parenthetical Girls
89 Aaron Parks
73 Lee "Scratch" Perry
51 Kellie Pickler
70 Pivot
58 Plain White T's
89 Plush
78 The Pretenders
64 Primal Scream
52 Pussycat Dolls
75 Ra Ra Riot
62 Re-Up Gang
62 Rex The Dog
69 Rise Against
77 Roots Manuva
71 Darius Rucker
72 The Rumble Strips
81 Raphael Saadiq
57 Sam Champion
73 Scars On Broadway
81 Pete Seeger
68 The Shaky Hands
39 Shwayze
58 Jessica Simpson
69 Slipknot
73 Solange
59 Spinto Band
65 Rick Springfield
65 Staind
47 Stereo MC's
72 Stereolab
82 Marnie Stern
71 The Stills
62 The Streets
73 The Subways
83 Sugarland
70 Matthew Sweet
75 T.I.
72 Robin Thicke
71 Thievery Corporation
77 Irma Thomas
79 Tindersticks
71 Tittsworth
90 Shugo Tokumaru
74 Emiliana Torrini
67 James Jackson Toth
72 Randy Travis
70 Tricky
89 TV On The Radio
78 The Uglysuit
92 Underoath
56 UNKLE
61 David Vandervelde
77 Chad VanGaalen
71 The Verve
75 Vivian Girls
78 Volcano!
68 Loudon Wainwright III
81 The Walkmen
66 Ben Weaver
83 The Week That Was
77 Paul Weller
75 Michelle Williams
70 Brian Wilson
76 Wire
63 XX Teens
60 Yo Majesty
72 Young Jeezy
55 Yung Berg

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

In Search Of... [Second Version]
by N.E.R.D. [The Neptunes]


8.8

based on 20 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 23 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

MUSIC:

Pharrell Williams: In My Mind

This is the debut album for in-demand hip-hop production duo The Neptunes, recording with Shay under the name N.E.R.D. (for "No One Ever Really Dies"). Note that there are two different versions of this album in circulation. The original version, featuring mainly electronic instrumentation, was intended for release in August 2001 but was shelved by the band (only to be released in the UK over the band's objection). This new version, released March 2002, was completely rerecorded, and features live instrumentation by Minneapolis funk band Spymob.

LABEL:	Virgin
RELEASE DATE:	12 March 2002
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Rap

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Entertainment Weekly

''In Search Of...'' has a crackling vigor missing from the first stab, and its mélange of genres makes for music unlike anything else around.

E! Online

Evokes Jamiroquai, Steely Dan and Curtis Mayfield--all at the same time.

L.A. Weekly

An early contender for album of the year.

CDNow

The group studiously avoids the hackneyed synth-slabs that propelled their ascent up the hip-hop production ranks. In doing so they reveal an unforeseen musical sophistication, healthily cleansing themselves of all familiar bling-bling excesses, and reinventing themselves by delving into the realm of live instrumentation.

Mojo

It is quizzical, troubled, socially concerned, compassionate, schizoid, retro-eclectic, strikingly modern, racially mixed--and even likes women. [Apr 2002, p.112]

Urb

A densely brilliant sonic template. [June 2002, p.102]

Mixer

Embraces edgy live instrumentation that adds a preferred rawness to the trio's unique brand of urban jams. [Jan 2002, p.73]

Spin

As broad as their discography is, though, In Search Of still feels radical. [Apr 2002, p.113]

Neumu.net

Whatever the lyrical content, though, the pleasures of N*E*R*D ultimately come down to their exhilarating production, flush with the breathless energy of rock and starry-eyed with the psychedelic potential of the studio.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

A strange, rewarding, unclassifiable journey into the sonic imagination of The Neptunes, and without a doubt the weirdest, funkiest disc ever released by a Britney Spears producer.

Nude As The News

It's great to love an album on the surface just for the hooks, and also realize that underneath there is some true thought going into the concept.

Launch.com

While their hitmaking formula is responsible for countless success stories, the talent, smarts, and overall quality of this album prove the Neptunes are infinitely more interesting than most of their clients.

New Musical Express

Despite the rock, you can still dance to it. [Review of U.S. version]

Rolling Stone

For all its audacity and lyrical cleverness, Search is an album with insecurities as remarkable as its confidence, with desperate measures justified by sincerity of purpose.

Q Magazine

Still a stunningly individual reinvention of hip hop and R&B, with great songs swimming in a murk of bizarre arrangements. [Apr 2002, p.119]

Alternative Press

The live drums and guitars show how the duo's chartbusting sound bears a surprising similarity to modern metal. [Mar 2002, p.86]

Dot Music

If you're lucky enough to have the original version of 'In Search Of', you don't just own a sure-to-be-valuable collectors' classic, you also have the better album. [Review of U.S. version]

Uncut

Occasionally, N*E*R*D edge a little closer to staccato nu-metal than fans fo their inventive music might appreciate. [May 2002, p.105]

Village Voice (Consumer Guide)

Sure they're clever, but they're also as shallow as Britney Spears.

Pitchfork

While Rap-Metal 101 drums bang away in the background, the basslines are replaced by chugging guitar riffs reminiscent of your high school hardcore band. What remains, though, is the exceptional quality of Pharrell's voice, which, unlike the bass sound, doesn't lose its intensity due to repeated radio exposure.

The average user rating for this album is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 23 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

marshall m gave it a10:
what a cd! loved it ! one of my favorites! the 2 best were " baby doll" and "brain"...very original!

J C gave it a 9:
Yeah this CD is crazy, only the drums suck.

Nicola C gave it a 10:
I thought it was brilliant

JUSTIN F gave it a 10:
This album is killer. Nerd not only mixes several great kinds of music, but Pharrel wows me with his great vocal range... kickas$.

richard s gave it a 10:
fresh n funky sounds unlike anythink i've heard b4.

Rosa F gave it a 10:
I think this album is brillent and i can't wait for the next one and i hope it's even better than the last even though it will be hard to beat because In Search Of.... is one of the best albums around

bill gave it a 10:
One of the best CD's I've purchased this year. Beats are catchy and lyrics are witty.

In Search Of... [Second Version] by N.E.R.D. [The Neptunes]

In Search Of... [Second Version]
by N.E.R.D. [The Neptunes]