Pop preorders

Review: Though internationally recognised now, few casual listeners will know about the Black Eyed Peas' debut album Behind The Front, released in 1998 via Interscope and will.i.am Music Group. Leaning heavily on demo material first intended for their unreleased Grass Roots project, the addition of Taboo helped sharpen their sound into a laid-back, live-instrument-driven take on conscious hip-hop, with 'Joints & Jam' and 'Karma' drawing nods from film soundtracks and video rotation alike. Despite the low-key rollout, the album stood apart for its jazz-informed grooves and anti-glitz stance, with early versions of 'Fallin' Up' and 'Head Bobs' laying a smooth patio for their future switch to global pop dominance. To serve as an indication of their stylistic change over the years, it remains the only BEP album issued with a Parental Advisory sticker until Masters Of The Sun Vol 1.