The Rundown: Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience
Does his first LP in six years live up to the nonstop hype?
1 / 11
The Rundown: Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience - The 20/20 Experience, Justin Timberlake's first album in six years, lived up to its title before it even hit stores today, March 19. The album, produced by JT's favored collaborator, Timbaland, was unveiled with one of the slickest promotion campaigns in recent memory, beginning with an online countdown and culminating in a seemingly endless round of TV performances on Saturday Night Live and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. But what about the actual music? Does it match up to the relentless hype behind it? Read our track-by-track review of The 20/20 Experience to find out. —Alex Gale (Photo: RCA)
2 / 11
"Pusher Love Girl" - The album begins with a lush, climactic, string-laden intro that drops to one of Timbaland's signature vocal noises — a fitting intro to the double-sided sonics here, at one moment classic soul, the next future-pop. Every other song on this album is a straightforward metaphor about love. Here, Justin's significant other is a drug dealer and so the lyrics include a bizarre MDMA shout-out, but Justin's perfectly delivered falsetto and Tim's bluesy, vocoder-driven beat help you overlook it. Like the songs that follow, this track stretches past five minutes, into a glitchy outro that overstays its welcome a bit. (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for DirecTV)
3 / 11
"Suit & Tie" feat. Jay-Z - While this single still sounds just as optimistically smooth and pleasant as when it came out, the more experimental sonics elsewhere on the album make "Suit & Tie" seem a little prosaic in comparison. Jay still shines though — unlike the "B---h Don't Kill My Vibe" remix, he didn't have to contend with Kendrick Lamar. (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)
4 / 11
"Don't Hold the Wall" - Timbaland goes there — that amazing, otherworldly musical place it sometimes seems only he can go — on "Don't Hold the Wall." Galloping Eastern percussion, cricket sounds, exotic vocal samples, high-pitched voices and a blues guitar riff float in and out in perfect coordination. Justin is almost just window dressing here, which suits the well-worn lyrical ground just fine. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
5 / 11
"Strawberry Bubblegum" - The second longest song on the album at eight minutes, but here every second is well used. The lyrics can again approach the prosaic — "Don't ever change your flavor 'cause I love the taste" — but the music and melodies are anything but. There are two movements here, the first recalling Prince at his creepiest, while the second spills Stevie, with a joyful Rhodes melody riding a moog bass line. There's even a sly NSYNC reference ("pop!"). It all adds up to the album's funkiest moment. (Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
ADVERTISEMENT
6 / 11
"Tunnel Vision" - "Tunnel Vision" features more longing love, more controlled falsetto, and another skittish but luxurious mid-tempo Timbaland beat with a way-extended outro. This album definitely sticks to a script, though at least it's a pretty good one so far. (Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Myspace)
7 / 11
"Spaceship Coupe" - Timbaland shines again here, hinting at (and possibly sampling) the Stylistics' "You Are Everything" before bringing in some serious bass that gives the album a much needed sonic rabbit punch. Fittingly, Justin finally allows for a hefty rasp in his falsetto. The love-in-space metaphor gets a little silly if you pay too much attention, but the amazing music and melodies will keep you fully distracted. (Photo: Getty Images)
8 / 11
"That Girl" - Though Justin married Jessica Biel last year, for much of the album it seems he's serenading a faceless, nameless, could-be-anyone lover. On this song, backed by classic-soul live instrumentation and fantastic backup vocals, he finally seems to actually be talking to a real person: his wife. And at under five minutes, this song benefits from brevity. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
9 / 11
"Let the Groove In" - Much of The 20/20 Experience flirts with quiet storm territory — yes, it's soulful, but it can sometimes be a little too safe and soporific. On "Let the Groove Get In" we at long last get a blood-pumping glimpse of the experimental outer reaches of Timbaland's and Timberlake's funk arsenal. The tempo finally quickens, and the energy finally goes from foot tap to two-step, with percussion and horns that almost recall Gloria Estefan's Miami Sound Machine, and Justin again channeling the gloved one. More of this please. (Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
10 / 11
"Mirrors" - The album's most straightforward pop song, "Mirrors" plays it safe with straightforward production and wedding-DJ-worthy lyrics. But thankfully, we once again get a reminder that Justin isn't just a soul seducer — he's a real-life married person. The robotic "you are the love of my life" refrain that closes the song brings the point home, and is perhaps the album's least extraneous outro. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)