Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience

Having served his apprenticeship in the rather banal boy band N*Sync, it seemed unlikely that Justin Timberlake’s solo career would see him reinvigorate pop music for the 21st century. But a decade ago, he released the brilliant Justified, which thanks to JT’s charisma and the musical input of The Neptunes – then in the middle of a seemingly unstoppable hot streak – became a massive international hit and provided the kind of sophisticated pop kicks which had once been the preserve of icons like Madonna, Michael Jackson and Prince.

The Neptunes weren’t around for the follow-up, FutureSexLoveSounds, but Timberlake and Timbaland still delivered the goods, including the claustrophobic club stomper ‘SexyBack’, a most unusual sounding record which, remarkably, became another global smash. It’s been over six years since FutureSex, during which time JT has expanded his role as pop-culture renaissance man still further, including a highly creditable turn in David Fincher’s brilliant The Social Network (even if hopelessly miscast as, er, a cocky so-so who’s a hit with the ladies).
Indeed, Fincher has made a rare return to his former music video stomping ground to helm the typically stylish black and white clip for ‘Suit & Tie’. The track itself is something else, one of the tunes of the year, a lush dream-pop cocktail of funk bassline, harp glissandos and brass flourishes. Once again, Timberlake and Timbaland – now firmly installed as producer of choice – have succeeded in making a mass-market pop album of highly idiosyncratic music: there’s the quirky hip-hop of ‘Pusher Love Girl’, which eventually segues into a soundscape of skittering beats and cut-up vocals; the rumbling ‘Don’t Hold The Wall’, the second half of which is a dark dance work-out; and the weird electro-pop tune ‘Strawberry Bubblegum’, which sees Timberlake delivering a Jacko-like falsetto.
In the debit column, Timbalake at times indulge themselves far too much (the average track time is seven minutes) and the lyrics – largely variations on “Hey baby, you’re hot” – aren’t exactly Leonard Cohen. Still, even allowing for the appalling cover, The 20/20 Experience confirms Timberlake as the foremost male pop star of this generation.
With the decline of The Neptunes and the rise of X-Factor pap, pop music definitely entered a sustained slump. But with Lana Del Rey’s sublime ‘Video Games’, Taylor Swift’s “popstep” classic ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ (original and goat version) and Mr. Timberlake back on form, the genre is suddenly revitalised. Interesting times ahead.