MY goodness, I’m once again weak in the knees for Justin Timberlake, as you shortly will find yourself as well. Ladies and gents alike, come feast your eardrums and senses upon the contemporary opus that is Justin Timberlake’s freshly picked album, The 20/20 Experience (2013), just in time for the oh-so-glorious spring that has descended delicately upon us like your mother’s gossamer lace curtains grazing your home’s guest bedroom. It’s sensual, complex, and funky.
Succinctly put, this album is the bomb dot com. Don’t incorrectly presume that a lack of estrogen will inhibit your enjoyment of Justin Timberlake and Timbaland’s unique new creation. Put on your Boses, Beats by Dre, or SkullCandy headsets and let loose- on the quad, in your room alone in front of the mirror, or at Ishi (where they not-so-subtly play the album’s two singles on repeat). I dare you to blast it and not move your body to its nuances of bass and heavy beats.
Futuresex/Lovesounds was and always will be highly celebrated, as it should be; However, The 20/20 Experience gives its predecessor a run for its money. Timberlake has refined, innovated, and modernized his sound for our sublime benefit.
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Even Pitchfork, the musical authority with the pointiest nose, gave the album its wholehearted approval. Some question whether or not the website did this to contradict claims towards its pretentious reputation is neither here nor there; it’s simply implausible, as the review is warranted and on point, gushing with praise for a rightfully appreciated musical compilation.
The album’s tracks create a spectrum of sound and variance; the songs range from slow and sensual (classic Justin) to explosive and blanketing. The whimsical yet sophisticated nature of the album’s initial track “Pusher Love Girl” plays on a junction between retro and electronic, creating a synthesis of modern R&B, jovial pop rock, and theatrical drama embodied by sweeping orchestral movements harmonizing and underlying his overt melodies.
“Tunnel Vision” gave me goose bumps – it’s sexy, sultry, and intuitive. “Don’t Hold The Wall” is reminiscent of the sound set forth on Timbaland’s Shock Value II (2009). This comes as no surprise, as the album was again co-produced by Timberlake’s right hand man, Timbaland.
The two have once again teamed up to endow your ears with one of this year’s biggest gifts to modern music. Turn up your headphones, sit on the Reynolda patio, and enrapture yourself in blissful weather and melody.