At some point during Pharrell Williams' infectiously fun Oscars performance, as he coaxed actresses Lupita Nyong'o, Amy Adams and Meryl Streep to dance and shimmy in their seats with him, it was clear: Dude is coming off a damn good year. Simply put: Pharrell's enjoying the kind of ever-present pop culture moment that very few can rival right now -- well, outside of maybe Matthew McConaughey. 

In 2013, it was impossible not to hear him thanks to his presence on the biggest "Songs of Summer" -- Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" and Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" -- which festooned him in a whopping seven Grammy nominations (including Producer of the Year), and two awards -- Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Get Lucky."

And his own track, "Happy," one of the year's most delightful songs, yielded not only the world's very first 24-hour music video, but a Best Original Song Academy Award nomination for Despicable Me 2. And while Pharrell ultimately lost out to Frozen, Sunday's Oscars showcase served as both the perfect capper for his year, and his own unofficial record release party. (We haven't even mentioned his signature accessory -- the most memed hat in the history of hats.)

Now, Pharrell's riding the unstoppable comet that is "Happy" to a full album, G I R L -- his first new record since 2006. And as one might expect, G I R L -- which features guest spots from Daft Punk, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus -- brims over with his brand of funky, retro-leaning R&B, smile-inducing hooks, and some downright sexy swagger.

Members of the Soundcheck team put on our oversized Pharrell hats, cranked the new album (out March 3 and now streaming on Spotify) -- and have these initial reactions.

Spoiler alert: This album does not contain the rightful heir to “Blurred Lines” or “Get Lucky.” It does, however, contain that utterly delightful song from Despicable Me 2 (“Happy”) and a number of tracks destined for Sonos speakers in luxury hotel bars throughout Midtown. Stay away from the nearly six-minute opener (“Marilyn Monroe”) and teeth-numbing “Hunter,” and get your Daft Punk vocoder fix on “Gust Of Wind” and your JT fix on “Brand New.” (Joel Meyer)

Standout Track(s): "Gust Of Wind," "Brand New"

If there’s one thing that Pharrell has figured out through his 20+ year career as a pop producer, it’s how to craft a song that’s so subconsciously and instinctually rhythmic that the instant that it hits human ears, the body is practically forced to respond. In other words, Pharrell is a total puppet master when it comes to the dance floor. (Side note: One of my most vivid memories from adolescence is sneaking into a Catholic boys’ school dance in the school’s dank basement where Nelly’s “Hot In Herre” played at least four times and the walls were literally dripping with hormone-infused pre-pubescent condensation. How many teenaged mistakes can be directly attributed to The Neptunes, we will never know.)

But despite the success of his 2003 single “Frontin’,” Pharrell's failed to break through as a major solo act a la Justin Timberlake or Pitbull -- although that certainly changed during the past year. On G I R L, Pharrell is still strongest as a beatmaker; the song “Hunter” is basically a falsetto “Blurred Lines Pt. II;” “Come Get It Bae” is a catchy cocktail of 21st century hit-making ingredients (hand-claps, falsetto lines and shouted “heys” -- check); and of course, “Happy” inspired 24-hours of uninterrupted boogie-ing.

But beware of actually switching on your conscious, higher-thinking, decision-making brain while spinning G I R L; you might actually pick out lines like “Duck Dynasty’s cool and all / But they got nothin’ on a female’s call.” Or the entire beginning of “Gush.” Actually, all of “Gush.” But I’m not hating. As a whole, I really like this album -- not in spite of, but because of its unabashed popular appeal. (Katie Bishop)

Standout Track: “Brand New” 

Watching Pharrell Williams in the past year has been like watching a star go from nova to supernova. After years of beat-making and hit-making with the Neptunes and for practically every star you can think of -- he's equally in his element working with Jay Z and Beyonce as he is with Pusha T and Earl Sweatshirt -- the singer and producer extraordinaire is already one of hip hop greatest MVP's. And with "Happy" and now G I R L, Pharrell is positioning himself for next level ubiquitous pop stardom, offering a little something for everyone.

These ten songs touch the entire jukebox, and often in the same song -- from Jackson 5 kiddie soul and Prince-styled funk to slinky Chic guitar rhythms, Blondie disco pop and modern dance of Justin Timberlake or Daft Punk. And all throughout, there's Pharell's silky smooth voice and trademark sleek production, masterfully enlivening each song with the freshest sounds and skittering polyrhythmic beats that can get any party going in a hurry. (It just felt wrong to jam out to this at my office for the first time.) And while there's probably not a song here as immediately huge as "Happy" or "Get Lucky" -- and there's not a ton of substance to the lyrics here, one of Pharrell's rare weaker spots -- but it really doesn't matter. This is feel good music of the highest degree that dares you not to dance. (Mike Katzif)

Standout Track: "Hunter"

I can predict with an exceptional degree of confidence that this young man has a bright career ahead of him, with one caveat that I shall note at the end of my assessment. Certainly, his popular singing credentials appear to be in order: "Hunter" has a royal purple sound that sits comfortably among my Prince Rogers Nelson records. There's that snappy tune to which he gave an airing on the recent film awards program on Sunday evening. Thoroughly enjoyable, that. While something seems to have strung out some of the vocal tape on the tune "Gust Of Wind", it, too, is a veritable toe-tapper. And the closer of Side B sounds nearly like it could have been released away back before the turn of the century. Though I have not yet seen this charming artist on the performing circuit, I would offer that music with this kind of edge begs sartorial innovation on a stage, to boot.

An altitudinous Stetson would seem to be just the thing.

One does feel, however, when all is said and sung, that not much, in fact, has been said. If it is Mr. Williams' explicit intent that we should fritter away the whole evening in a jitterbug, then he has succeeded most admirably. But it is rare indeed when an individual has the (more or less) undivided attention of an enraptured nation. Still rarer that such an individual converts his popular currency into something worth remembering. One is reminded of another most admirable artist whose squandered moment was encapsulated perfectly by the mammoth nothingness expressed even in the title of their immortal hit record: "Hey Ya." (Dan O'Donnell)

Standout Track: "Gust Of Wind"