I find it incredibly challenging to be unbiased towards Justin Timberlake’s new album, The 20/20 Experience Part 2 of 2, mostly because of Timberlake’s domination of the music industry and his huge success with previous albums. 20/20 Part 1 took everyone by surprise back in March due to its wide range of musical diversity and lengthy tracks lasting up to seven minutes. Part 2 is, in my opinion, one of the most outstanding albums to be released this year. To be honest, I didn’t think that Timberlake would be able to top his first album. I mean, how much music can you release in bulk before it becomes repetitive and just pushes the envelope? I was proved wrong as soon as I listened to the first track. If I could summarize this album in the easiest way possible, I would tell you to imagine the love-child of Justified and FutureSex/LoveSounds.
The album’s opener is “Gimme What I Don’t Know (I Want)”, a very Justified infused sound with beatboxing, overlapping voices, and a noticeable key change halfway through the song. There’s something about this song that seems as if it were meant to be on Part 1 of 20/20 and it just didn’t make the cut. That being said, the lyrics and background instrumentals are simple and repetitive, turning this into a song you most likely won’t be putting on repeat. “True Blood” falls along these guidelines as well; while listening to this song, I couldn’t help but actually burst into uncontrollable laughter. This track almost makes me feel as though Timberlake sat down in his studio and said to himself, “You know, because this album is coming out near October, I should make a Halloween themed song,” when in reality this song is just 10 minutes of uncomfortable.
There are two collaboration tracks on this album, and in “Murder” Justin Timberlake joins forces with Jay-Z once again to produce a catchy masterpiece. Jay-Z and Timberlake turn out to be a very odd but powerful combination. Not only are the two touring together, but every single that they release together become instant hits (“Suit & Tie”, “Holy Grail”). The second collaboration was something that I’m surprised took this long to happen: Timberlake and Drake. These men, known for their powerful lyrics towards the opposite sex, came together to produce one of the most sexual songs I’ve heard in a long time, “Cabaret”. With a title such as that, and knowing the past lyrical styles of Timberlake and Drake, I knew how I’d feel about this track. While listening, take the time to notice not just the amazing instrumentals, but the words. This song is filled with hidden innuendos and double meaning phrases that will make you blush.
This album wouldn’t be complete with the already chart topping hit singles “Take Back the Night” and “TKO”. Because these tracks were released to the radio, the edited versions cut out practically half of the “TKO”’s seven minutes. The last two minutes of it are, in my opinion, the best part of the entire song. The song breaks down from it’s strong instrumentals into nothing but Timberlake’s beatboxing followed by a subtle beat to support it, showcasing just how talented Timberlake is. As for “Take Back the Night”, this song relates very closely to the style of Michael Jackson, which is exactly what Timberlake intended. You don’t have to be a genius to understand that Timberlake is clearly stating that he is the new “King of Pop”. Although, to be completely honest, that statement may not be far from the truth. Score: 9/10
Gabby Shusterman/Photo Editor
