The E.N.D.

In an era of economic instability, it's nice to know the Black Eyed Peas still believe in truth in advertising: The acronym that forms the title of their latest stands for "The Energy Never Dies," and they more than make good on that promise, blasting through 15 high-powered rave-rap jams that rarely lack for melodic hooks or rhythmic thrust. The Los Angeles quartet's most dance-influenced outing yet, "The E.N.D." is best when group mastermind Will.i.am shares behind-the-board duties with David Guetta, the French disco-house producer whose "When Love Takes Over" is giving the Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" a serious run for song-of-the-summer status. In "Rock That Body" they "get a little crazy, get a little stupid" (as Will.i.am puts it), while "I Gotta Feeling" throbs as triumphantly as a BEP version of "Don't Stop Believin'."—Mikael Wood