Ten years ago, if someone told the world that the curly haired kid from ‘N Sync would be one of the best entertainers of our generation, you would’ve been laughed at. But here we are, in 2013, a full eleven years after ‘N Sync broke up and Justin Timberlake is riding a major creative and apparently personal high. Apart from Timberlake and Lance Bass, most people can’t name another member of ‘N Sync and let’s face it, Timberlake was the one that people were focusing on.
In the last decade, since ‘N Sync broke up, Timberlake has gone on to have a lot of success. Becoming a well regarded actor in movies like The Social Network and Trouble With the Curve, marrying Jessica Biel, co-owning MySpace, and being one of the most beloved hosts of Saturday Night Live. In the meantime, he’s released two successful albums, Justified and FutureSex/LoveSounds. Since then, fans continued to ask for a new album, but he kept saying no, that he was focusing on acting and other ventures aside from random guest appearances.
Quietly in the summer of 2012, Timberlake went into the studio for a few weeks and recorded a number of songs that would become his newest album. It’s hard to believe that Timberlake got away with recording the album without many people finding out about it, especially in today’s Twitter based, quick flowing news world. In early 2013, he announced that he would be releasing a new album, the end result being The 20/20 Experience.
Sonically and musically, there isn’t much difference here from his last two albums. It’s actually a continuation of FutureSex/LoveSounds. Timberlake here has crafted longer tracks and is working again with producer Timbaland. The themes are also similar, love and sex. What is different though is a more confident Timberlake. He’s had numerous successes so he’s not afraid to try something a little different and he’s happier than he’s been in a while. If FutureSex/LoveSounds deals with the darker aspects of relationships, The 20/20 Experience deals with falling in love and being in a happy, stable relationship. His signature “sexy time” sound is still there and it would be difficult to imagine that there won’t be at least a few kids conceived to this album.
It’s clear that JT has gone back and expanded his musical encyclopedia beyond modern pop artists. There are hints of classic Michael Jackson, Prince, Barry White, Marvin Gaye, and even The Bee Gees through out the album. In the lead off track, “Pusher Love Girl” he channels Prince and then three tracks later on “Strawberry Bubblegum” he hints at some Michael Jackson mixed with Barry White (whose voice is actually sampled). Nowhere is the Michael Jackson influence felt more than on “Spaceship Coupe” which features a wailing guitar solo ala Eddie Van Halen on MJ’s “Beat It”. There’s even a Gloria Estefan style track, “Let the Groove Get In” which features a Latin/African beat through out.
The album itself is good, but a tad inconsistent. While there is a lot of interesting stuff here, some songs are too long, especially “Strawberry Bubblegum” and “Let the Groove Get In” which features “Are you comfortable right there right there / Let the groove get in right there right there” for roughly 3/4 of the songs seven-plus minutes. “Suit & Tie” is fantastic, with the exception of Jay-Z’s part. Jay-Z’s later career songs have been inconsistent, and on his guest part here it’s as if he really doesn’t know what he wants to rap about and as soon as he finds a groove to ride it falls apart. The song is ultimately saved by Timberlake’s crooning. Few of his songs really push the boundaries from being different from something he’s done in the past and on this album they are rare. “Don’t Hold The Wall” is easily one of the best tracks on the album, it’s ultimately a straight up dance track with a very cool tribal feeling to it.
There are some awkward moments on the album, like towards the end of “Spaceship Coupe” which features the sounds of a girl orgasming, as if Timberlake’s singing is what is causing it. “Blue Ocean Floor” is a Coldplay-like song that closes out the album in a melancholy way, it would be great if it weren’t for the fact that the previous 45-ish minutes you’re given all kinds of R&B, dance songs. The best song on the whole album though is buried at the end, the penultimate song, “Mirrors,” a song written for Jessica Biel after they broke up a few years back where he realized that she was the one that he wanted to spend his life with. It’s an eight minute long song that features two phases, the first part is where he muses that she is his mirror, the other half of him and he’s realized what he wants. The second half is slower and feels as if it’s the part of his life where he’s ready to commit to her.
Apparently there is a second half to this album coming out in November. After the odd ending of “Blue Ocean Floor” one wonders where the next album will go. One thing is for certain though, buy this album on vinyl. For all of the styles that Timberlake plays around with, new jack swing, blue eyed soul, R&B, big band, EDM, pop, and down tempo it feels warm and cozy on the record that the iTunes/digital/CD version just can’t display. This album also begs to be played loud, if it’s played through some nice speakers with a good turntable, you’ll get a very cool experience. If you like Justin Timberlake, you’ll probably like this album. Overall, it’s good, with some rocky points along the way. There are some great songs on here though, a very cool vibe throughout, it’s probably the closest thing we’ve had to some good old Marvin Gaye, Barry White, sexy time music in a long time.