A week after Beyonce rocked the world with her genre-bending Cowboy Carter album, Pharrell has dipped into the yacht rock waters with the surprise mysterious release of Virginia: Black Yacht Rock Vol. 1: City of Limitless Access, in celebration of his 51st birthday.
The album hasn't been released through traditional channels. Rather, it's available for free streaming or download on the website blackyachtrock.com. Pharrell's name isn't anywhere on the site or tracks, but Rolling Stone confirms that Pharrell is the man behind the project. It's also unclear if Pharrell had help making the 10-track album or if it's a complete solo venture.
While Pharrell is spreading the yacht rock vibes on the new album, it's not a complete '70s or '80s throwback. Rather, it boasts modern production, with harmonies and occasional musical flourishes that are reminiscent of the smooth '70s and '80s sounds of the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan and other acts who were retroactively dubbed "yacht rock."
Pharrell has released a pair of collaborations as singles this year. First, he dropped "Good People" with Mumford and Sons and recently followed that with "Doctor (Work It Out)" with Miley Cyrus. He hasn't released a solo album since 2014's Girl.
While he hasn't been overly prolific on the music front, Pharrell is delving into the film world, with at least one project also featuring a Virginia theme. His collaboration with Michel Gondry -- featuring Halle Bailey, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Da'Vine Joy Randolph - was recently announced. It will be set in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1977, which is when yacht rock was at its peak. He also has a film called Piece By Piece in the works, which is reportedly a fresh twist on the biopic format with Lego brick animation.
