Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2 Review

rating: 4

Through a new special on iTunes that allows people to listen new albums for free before they come out, here are some things you should know about Justin Timberlake "The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2". It should be noted that I'm writing the review as I listen to the album, so I'm only listening to the types of songs on the CD, I can't go into detail about what the songs may or may not be about. (Just a disclaimer in case we have another "Blurred Lines" incident. We shouldn't though, I can't imagine Justin would do that. But a disclaimer nonetheless.) Everyone knows Justin Timberlake, and this is no doubt a highly anticipated album for his fans, and from the first song, Gimme What I Don't Know, it sounds a lot like classic Timberlake. And I mean that in a dance, pop way. Which, for me, is one of my favorite genre of music. The songs so far have a great beat, and even though Justin Timberlake, personally, is a flashback to the 90's for me (yes, don't kill me, I've missed his hits since then), I can't ever stop listening to him lately. So far, he hasn't disappointed. The song that definitely fits the season is "True Blood". It definitely has a bit of a spooky feel to it in the bridge, a good one to play a Halloween parties perhaps? Great timing, Justin. Oh, I hear creepy laughter in the background, how does Justin still make it sound hot? (And when did this article become the writing of a teenager in the 90's?) It seems like Justin started the album off very light, with dance and pop music that he's known for, but as the album comes to a close with songs that have more depth to them, including the aforementioned songs, and "Only When I Walk Away". The songs show feeling in them, not just "let's just have a good night and drink and party and have sex". I don't know about Justin personal's life, so I can't say what prompted them. But it's obvious that between "Drink You Away", "Amnesia", and "Only When I Walk Away", that there has been a heartbreak or issues in his love life when the songs were being written. I don't know how much of this was penned by the singer directly, but the effort was obviously to show some depth to a singer most known for a not very "deep" genre of music. Justin closes out the album with a song about falling in love. It starts with the pop tones that we're used to, but after a few seconds of silence, it becomes a soft song, to someone he loves. There is no bass, no dancing, it's a true ballad. The contrast from this song to the rest of the is astounding, and simply put, he ends the album beautifully. Overall, Justin did a wonderful job with this album. He got the type of songs he's known for in, he's got songs with the same sound, but with a deeper message than traditional pop song, and ends it with a song that only uses an acoustic guitar about how safe he will keep his love, and how he will hold her troubles for her, a complete 180 from the rest of the album. While normally it would seem out of place, I love the change of pace, and how it's not its own song, it's part of an eleven minute song called "Not A Bad Thing", it is by far a hidden gem in the album that I think a lot of people are going to wish was its own track.