The way I are

Not only did it finally knock Umbrella (ella… ella… ella…) off the number one slot, this tune rocks. I’m not knocking Rihanna or the Umbrella tune, but hey, it gets pretty irritating when played absolutely everywhere…

Featuring Keri Hilson, Timbaland has produced a stunning track and the lyrics are like a breath of fresh air. I’ve been listening to The Way I Are quite a bit these past few weeks and would vote it number one of the number ones of 2007 to date.

Chorus (Keri Hilson):
“I don’t need the G’s or the car keys
Boy I like you just the way you are”

Verse 2 (Timbaland):
“I ain’t got no Visa
I ain’t got no Red American Express
We can’t go nowhere exotic
It don’t matter ’cause I’m the one that loves you best”

Verse 3 (DOE):
“Baby girl, I don’t got a huge ol’
house I rent a room in a house
Listen baby girl, I ain’t got a
motorboat but I can float ya boat”

When was the last time a major player (who’s not short of a bob or two) wrote a tune from this perspective? Carefully crafted to remain ’street’ yet at the same time, self-deprecating and about love and soulmates over cars and money (oh and a bit of stripping and tipping to ‘keep it real’). A well balanced follow up to Give It To Me, featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake; Give It To Me is another amazingly well produced tune which also rocks (those percussion patterns are pretty hot) but whilst taking your argument with a fellow producer into the studio is not uncommon (Tim: I get a half a mil for my beats you get a couple grand…, vs. Scott Storch), getting the intimidating duo of Justin and Nelly to back you up seems plain bizarre. Where’s Magoo when you need him…