Some people are just better suited to be sidemen. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

Dan Akroyd, for one notable example, fashioned a great career by playing second fiddle to John Belushi, Bill Murray and others. Pharrell [ tickets ] Williams, one could certainly argue, is well on his way to becoming the Dan Akroyd of hip-hop.

Working out of the direct spotlight, Williams and partner Chad Hugo--collectively known as The Neptunes--have helped produce big hits for the likes of Babyface and Britney Spears. As a guest rapper, Williams has traded verses on mega-singles with such stars as Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg. He has also proven his worth as a studio sideman with No Doubt, Busta Rhymes, Justin Timberlake and several others.

On his debut solo CD, however, Williams shows that he's not yet ready to carry the show on his own. More significantly, there's little to be found on "In My Mind" that gives one hope that he might grow into the frontman role. To the contrary, the lasting impression from this album is, again, Williams' ability as a sideman.

The best songs on the disc, nearly without exception, are the collaborations with other artists. And, nearly without exception, what really sells those tracks are the guest stars. For examples, Gwen Stefani reigns as the queen of the party on the fun lead-off track, "Can I Have It Like That,'' while Kanye West shows who's really "Number One."

The CD definitely illustrates that Pharrell has a very limited singing voice, which isn't usually a problem in hip-hop. More troublesome, however, is that his voice simply isn't very interesting. That point is underscored--and highlighted and bolded and capitalized--when he again pairs up with Snoop Dogg on the cool track "That Girl."

None of this should be taken to mean that "In My Mind" is a bad CD. It's actually quite listenable, and could be a hit. What's disappointing is that "In My Mind" hardly proclaims the emergence of an important new solo artist in the way that most expected.