Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience, 2 of 2 (2013) – Review

Review: Following his highly commercially successful album The 20/20 Experience, Justin Timberlake decided to release more tracks from his recording time with Timbaland and J-Roc (Jerome Harmon) as his fourth studio album calling it The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 (and he may have recorded some new stuff too).

Overall, the album sounds and feels a lot like its predecessor, which was expected, but on a track-by-track basis it is much weaker, as it seems clear that many of these songs were not quite album-quality leftovers from Timberlake’s initial 2013 release. And, the issues that plague The 20/20 Experience are also very apparent here as well. Namely, many of the tracks are just over-indulgent, over-long, and frankly boringly generic. Although, Amensia, one of the longer tracks on the album, is probably the best song on the album. It showcases Timberlake at both his sensual and pop-music best. The radio-friendly singles Take Back the Night and TKO also mark a large improvement on Suit & Tie, though neither is quite as strong as Mirrors.

Collaboration wise, the album again sees a pointless verse from Jay-Z and a song featuring Drake, who also really adds nothing. The album is again fully produced by Timberlake, Timbaland, and J-Roc who work well together, but again many of the tracks just go on too long and/or feel/sound like leftovers.

The album is still probably a worthwhile endeavor for fans of Timberlake. For pop music fans, however, a wiser strategy might be to just cherry pick a few of the stronger tracks, as the album as a whole is weighed down great by all the bloated material. 2/5

Essential Tracks:

1)      Amnesia – Produced by Timbaland, Justin Timberlake & J-Roc

2)      Take Back the Night – Produced by Timbaland, Justin Timberlake & J-Roc

3)      TKO – Produced by Timbaland, Justin Timberlake & J-Roc

Available on: Digital Download

Jay-Z – Magna Carta… Holy Grail (2013) – Review

Review: Magna Carta… Holy Grail is Jay-Z’s twelfth solo release and his first album since 2011’s collaboration with Kanye West Watch the Throne.

There is a lot to like about the record. Musically, it is lush and interesting – filled with first-class beats from the industry’s top producers (Timbaland and his partner Jroc handle most of the production on the album, but Pharrell, Mike Dean, Swizz Beatz, Mike Will Made It, Travi$ Scott, Hit-Boy, and Boi-1da among others also contribute). Lyrically, Shawn Carter seems somewhat engaged and still has a gifted flow. He mostly focuses on his wealth and the things it affords him (thus disconnecting him from most of his fans), but there are some more reflective moments as well (like the best track on the album Nickels and Dimes or Jay-Z Blue). Also, there are not a ton of features overpowering the album. Rick Ross is the only rapper to be given a proper guest verse, and the other featured artists all bring something to the record. All in all, it is very much a typical Jay-Z album. Not his best work, but a solid outing.

Magna Carta Holy Grail is also significant due to its unusual release. Jay-Z made an exclusive deal with Samsung who bought one million copies to give to their customers for free seventy-two hours before the album’s official release to the public. And, like West’s Yeezus, Carter did not really engage in the typical music industry marketing plan for the release. There were not any prerelease singles (though Holy Grail did sort of serve one) and there was not much build up other than one Samsung commercial and internet buzz. But, in today’s world when you are as big as West or Carter that is all you really need.

However, getting back to the music, upon further inspection Magna Carta Holy Grail is also kind of disappointing. West, hit or miss, is constantly trying to change and progress music (and specifically hip hop). He is not afraid to create raw music and bare his soul. Meanwhile, Jay-Z has basically just turned in a lazy dose of sameness. Plus, Jay-Z has ascended to such a place personally that what is important to him and what he talks about primarily on the album is superficial and meaningless to most of his audience. Essentially this is yuppie music. It is no longer hip hop for the streets (and probably has not been for a long time now), which is fine – it is just that it seems to now lack heart, ambition, and urgency.

The songs themselves also feel lacking. Personally, I like seven of the tracks. But of those, I still find issues: Holy Grail is basically great thanks in most part to Justin Timberlake (and he also adds a lot to Heaven); Tom Ford succeeds thanks to Timbaland’s fantastic beat; Crown sounds like a track left off Yeezus but is nowhere near as engaging; Beach is Better is great but its playtime is not even a minute, and thus feels incomplete and frustrating – for example. Then there are tracks like La Familia which add nothing other than to give the album as overlong bloated feel.

Overall, I like Magna Carta Holy Grail, but it just sort of feels like Jay-Z phoned it in when other artists are still trying to make amazing music (for better or worse), which leaves me let down. 3/5

Essential Tracks:

1)      Nickels and Dimes – Produced by Kyambo “Hip Hop” Joshua

2)      Holy Grail – Produced by The Dream, Timbaland and Jroc, featuring Justin Timberlake

3)      Crown – Produced by Travi$ Scott and Mike Dean

Available on: Digital Download

Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience (2013) – Review

Review: Justin Timberlake has been atop the world of pop music for over a decade, maintaining his position even without releasing a new album in over six years. That is how much impact his first two solo albums Justified and FutureSex/LoveSounds had on the genre and its fans. Thus, The 20/20 Experience drops with almost unattainable expectations.

The album’s lead-in single Suit & Tie featuring Jay-Z is both probably the most radio friendly and the weakest track on the album. It is not a bad song; it is just underwhelming given the immense expectations. It does not grab the listener like his great past singles have. Plus, Jay-Z’s verse is sort of boring and the song would be better without it.

Suit & Tie aside, the rest of the album is filled with epic genre blending songs that seem to take grand pleasure in how well-crafted and how much different they are than the overall sameness of today’s radio singles. Timberlake seems to be interested in making music that actually aspires to be something more, something that pushes pop music forward.

It is a very ambitious album – and, it mostly works very well. Fans will to some extent lament the loss of true catchy singles (as really there are none, unless you like Suit & Tie). But, Timberlake wants his fans to grow musically like he has. Nevertheless, however, this will likely disappoint a few.

Musically, Timberlake, producing with long-time collaborators Timbaland and J-Roc (Timbaland’s protégé), has created a lavish musical experience. The album combines aspects throughout the history of pop and R&B with each song (for the most part) playing as a sweeping musical journey. The album has tracks that invite the listener to dance, but it mostly stays away from the more bombastic sound that has seemingly overtaken pop music (by way of electronic music’s rapid rise in popularity) – and in that way it has a different overall sound though there are certainly touchstones to Timberlake’s past.

The 20/20 Experience is maybe not the great album it aspires to be, and strong singles are not really a bad thing for a pop album to have – but, it is a very good album and musically something different and aesthetically interesting. That is something listeners should expect from genre leaders, to grow and push their craft forward, and that is what Timberlake has done with this album. 3/5

Essential Tracks:

1)      Mirrors – Produced by Timbaland, Justin Timberlake & J-Roc

2)      Tunnel Vision – Produced by Timbaland, Justin Timberlake & J-Roc

3)      Strawberry Bubblegum – Produced by Timbaland, Justin Timberlake & J-Roc

Available on: CD and Digital Download