Artist: Justin Timberlake
Album: FutureSex/LoveSounds
Release Date: September 12, 2006
I am not too proud to admit that I have both of Justin Timberlake’s solo albums on my computer. Timberlake’s career seems to be a very unique one in my generation. Ten years ago no self-respecting straight white male liked the guy. With *Nsync he was the leader of one of the biggest groups in America (and arguably abroad), good looking to an envious degree, and his relationship with Britney Spears effectively killed the fantasies of millions of teenage men. So yeah, the guy’s target audience was overwhelmingly female (and I mean that and the following bit in the least sexist way possible).
Now fast forward into the mid-2000s. Timberlake disbands *Nsync and goes solo, starting with the hit “Cry Me A River”, about none other than Ms. Spears. Then he dumps the pretty-boy appearance for a more refined, gentlemanly look. Follow that up with a few absolutely clutch Saturday Night Live appearances, and proof that he’s genuinely a funny guy, and suddenly Justin Timberlake is a full-blown likable dude. True, FutureSex/LoveSounds is still a pop oriented album in every sense of the world, and nothing short of a horrific accident worthy of a supervillain origin story will sway his adoring female fans, but suddenly saying that you’re a fan of Justin Timberlake is no longer the point of ridicule that it once was.
Quite simply, FutureSex/LoveSounds is a terrific pop album that masterfully blends pop, hip-hop and R&B into a cohesive musical journey. Each of its endless string of hits are top-notch, showing not only Timberlake’s great voice, but also his songwriting skills, which grow leaps and bounds with the help of produver Timbaland’s innovation. The downside is that the biggest hits on the album also make the obvious filler tracks (“Damn Girl”, “(Another Song) All Over Again”) stick out all the more. At the end of the day the record is one of the best pop albums to come out in my lifetime, and just another step in Timberlake’s plot for total cultural domination.
Justin Timberlake – What Goes Around…Comes Around [iTunes] (YSI)
==TJ==
Filed under: Album A Day | Tagged: 2000s, Album A Day, Justin Timberlake
