AMG Review of Dutchess

Andy Kellman
All Music Guide

After attaining superstardom with Black Eyed Peas, Fergie's solo debut, The Dutchess, has all the characteristics of a release fronted by someone who has been itching to go solo and prove herself, once and for all, as a versatile force all her own. The album, produced mostly by fellow Pea will.i.am, includes throwback hip-hop ("Fergalicious"), throwback soul ("Here I Come"), even ska-punk ("Mary Jane Shoes") and scat ("Mary Jane Shoes") and a classy string-drenched ballad (the appropriately titled "Finally"). But the song with the most lasting value is the hit single "London Bridge."