What's the symbolism of Justin Timberlake stomping on a disco ball for the cover of his new album, FutureSex/LoveSounds? Disco died years ago (and has been subsequently resurrected), and I doubt he wants fans to just sit around and listen to his album, since it's full of futuristic hip-hop club filler.
Timberlake's status as the new King of Pop appears safe for the moment, guided once again by Timbaland to release a collection of cutting edge pop so of-the-moment that if you blink you really will miss it. First single "SexyBack" pulses with deep bass beats, keyboard bursts, and computer-processed vocals. That signature Timberlake falsetto? Missing on this song, although it does appear in others, namely the album's winning second single "My Love." Perhaps the album's best track, "My Love," also pulses with deep bass beats and synthesizer bursts, but also features a more traditional structure and an actual melody. The only drawback is the tedious minute and a half intro you have to sit through to get to the song--why not make that it's own track so I could just skip it?
Opening track "FutureSex/LoveSound" swaggers out with a fairly minimal production of bass beats and percussion that bursts forth with rich keyboard chords for the chorus. It's another of the album's highlights, along with "What Goes Around...," which is surely destined to become FutureSex's third massive hit. It has the lushest production of the set--a mid-tempo number with beats, subtle guitar, and a great strings section.
Similarly, "LoveStoned" (does the space bar not work at Timberlake's record studio?) also has a good beats and strings production, along with what sounds like human-generated sound effects, which Timberlake used famously when in NSYNC and on his previous album. It also has an interlude attached to, "I Think She Knows," which is actually quite good, taking lines from the song and putting them over a lush strings and piano arrangement.
Also good is "Damn Girl," a soulful, jazzy throwback with a great beat that's got to be a real thrill to see live, as Timberlake imbues it with so much energy. "Losing My Way" is a pretty ballad, breaking into strings and choir about two-thirds through, but its serious subject matter--drug abuse--strikes an off tone amid all the party and sex songs. Closing track "(Another Song) All Over Again" is a lovely, soulful ballad that ends the album on a nice mellow note.
Some of the other tracks, while not bad, aren't quite as interesting. "Sexy Ladies" has a fun swagger, but doesn't amount to much musically. "Chop Me Up" sounds like typical popular hip-hop, bathed in an over-repetitive production, that gets old really fast. Similarly, "Summer Love" would be better a song if it wasn't just the same thing over and over again throughout much of the song, although I guess it wouldn't feel as great when the bridge comes like a breath of fresh air. "Until the End of Time" is enjoyable because it sounds like an imitation of a Prince ballad, but don't listen to the banal lyrics. Timberlake gets briefly distracted at the beginning by "disaster in the world" before turning his attention to more important things, namely the pursuit of some damsel.
Best tracks: My Love, SexyBack, FutureSex/LoveSound, What Goes Around..., Damn Girl
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