Justified

I understand that there's been a cultural reassessment of JT in the last several years, but the fact is that most of his early 2000s stuff sounds like Axe Body Spray smells. Best track: Cry Me a River

That was awful. Torture.

Bland early 2000s pop. It's competently done (Pharrell is a producer) but it's just bland. And too long. Could have cut 20 minutes and it would have been bearable. It's also really cliche and just sounds of that time.

Its shocking or depressing that a couple of the songs on this album each have over half a million listens on Spotify. What does that say about our society? To me it just sounds like a white guy trying to sound like Michael Jackson, sorry Justin that boat has sailed. The inclusion of this album on this list is not Justified.

I'm not a Justin Timberlake guy but I did enjoy watching my wife dance to the album, and that adds a +1 for me.

Pharell Williams has obviously written most of this, to the point his voice is the first thing you hear on the album lol. And Pharrell loves Michael Jackson, but JT doesn't have the chops to really pull off the vocal theatrics needed for a good MJ knockoff. There's cheesy "reppin" from no doubt wholesome rappers, eg. Pharrell himself, maybe 1 or 2 others. Really cringey lyrics; almost every line a tired cliche. I recognised way more than I thought I would (club hits from when I was 18 I guess, even though I tried to avoid clubs I still ended up in them from time to time). It's at least consistent in songwriting, and the production is flawless, but overall too long and too many ballads. Dragged on towards the end. 3/5. None of the full charm of catchy boy band stuff, but at least there wasn't 300 different songwriters like on Britney/Christina etc albums.

THE best pop album of all time no arguments nothing further from the defence thanks your honour. I've said it a few times now during this exercise but Pharrell is absolutely everywhere on everything if you listen for him, absolute production genius. Sprinkle in some Dre with JT over the top and you've got a recipe for something very special.

Not bad for the guy who threw Janet Jackson under the sexy bus. 4 stars.

Dude… no. Literally the music that made me get into alt genres. Production is impressive tho.

I am not the target demographic for this record, I'm sure it would have been better if I were in a club looking for action. Best song for me was Cry me a River, which is a sentence I never thought I would write.

I don't disdain, and even admire in some ways, ther star maker machinery (behind the popular song). The judicious addition of soul and hip hop elements to the dance and pop foundation of his boy band roots is well considered and well done. He certainly has the goods, both in voice and star quality. Typical of products of the machine, it has that manufactured taste... the human element almost glossed over. For what it is its top of the line though, if not really my cup of tea.

Super nostalgic. Takes me back to HS and college days. Half of these songs were played on the radio and in "da club". Some songs have aged, but the hits still sound fresh. Hard to believe this album is over 20 years old now.

Man wanted to be MJ so bad! This is such a Time Capsule of an album… The Neptunes sound was everywhere when this came out and there are a couple of great singles. But so many of the rest are grafting forgettable songwriting and indifferent vocals onto that production. Songs *feel* long even when they’re not. Not great.

it’s not bad it’s just really not any good

Generous 4 but the singles still bang

Remember that YouTube video of the shirtless teenage boy saying “Hey baby girl, it’s okay baby, I love you more than there are grains of sand on all the beaches…?” This is the auditory equivalent of that. This album sounds like 2002, in a bad way. “Cry Me A River” is a good track, and the album is well produced, but the whole thing oozes with this awkward, performative “sexiness” that is hard to take seriously.

It was almost good. Almost catchy. Almost impressive. Sometimes it even was. But mostly, it was just... almost.

lol

Oh I am so not listening to this sonic garbage. Heard way too much of it in high school against my will when it was all the little Britney and Xtina clone wannabes were forcing on me through speakers in gym class, at dances, over loudspeakers in the hallways as “hurry up, get to class” muzak. So I can confidently say it is bonafide crap. Plus, I hate this smug, smarmy asshole for all his male privilege and toxic behaviour towards women. Jessica Biel, you gotta drop him like a sack of dirt, girl. Not gunna be giving this talentless little prick a royalty check in my watch.

Oh lord, it's a whole album of Justin Timberlake. The mouth clicking sounds on Cry Me A River are ewww. Rock Your Body is fine, but holy moses this is a slog.

A bit surprised by the negative reviews this has on here. Maybe it's nostalgia speaking on my part, but I thought this was a pretty great debut pop album. Great production from Pharell and Timbaland and some absolute classics on this thing.

It would be too high praise to call this album amazing. It is straight up noughties pop music at the end of the day, but it’s still damn catchy. I didn’t realise how many of JT’s bops came from this particular album. I remember all the gossip at the time when Cry Me A River was so blatantly about Britney. His falsetto is probably one of my favourite modern day pop voices. I’ll admit I enjoyed this album a fair bit.

Undeniably catchy for the most part. Not my style of music, but well done.

It’s 5 material but I give out 5’s lightly so it’s a 4

relaxing.... smooth.... rock your body sexy thing.....

I'm typically not a big fan of Pop music but I have a sweet spot for JT. Obviously Cry Me a River and Rock Your Body are the standouts on this album. There are some other hits too, namely Senorita and Like I Love You. While this album has some big highs, it also has some really skippable songs. The slow R&B love songs are the worst in my book.

A Timberlake Thanksgiving was well received. Also, I can tell he went through quite a breakup. I feel you, man. I've been there.

I will go 4 stars because there are 4 good songs on here. There are several skips but a few of the high quality songs have become iconic, so JT gets the bump from 3 to 4.

My husband vigorously defends this album, and while my first instinct was to be sceptical, I now concede that he presents the strongest argument for this record I've heard, which is that it's the greatest collection of songs from the two most powerful producers of the era: The Neptunes and Timbaland. Justin Timberlake, on the other hand, can come across as grating and insufferable. Even though he is a talented singer, his contributions are not at all what make this album enjoyable. My husband brought up the fact that this album would be even better if it was sung by someone less unctuous, like Usher for instance. But I responded that I can't see Usher being interested in the weirder sides of The Neptunes and Timbaland. And weird they were! Before Timbaland, did you think it was possible to take traditional Middle Eastern songs and create hooks that would be burned into your brain for literal decades? Before The Neptunes, did you think it was possible to have a synth sound like silk? The string arrangements are luscious, the acoustic guitar is crisp and sensual, the flute (?) is unexpected yet natural and proves the record deserves to be taken seriously. I can't say I've kept up with JT, but his interest in producing pastiche (even executed poorly) at least demonstrates a curiosity and musical appreciation uncommon of pop singers generally but certainly pop singers of the Bush era. The weaknesses, of course, are plentiful. It's front-loaded (typical of pop albums) and the blatant Michael Jackson rip-offs (and then a blatant Stevie Wonder rip-off!) are bland. My husband says that JT has absolutely no sincerity, that it's clear he doesn't believe in what he's singing. I don't know about that. I'd argue his conviction is very clear on the songs where he feels he is the wronged party. No one like JT can lean harder into sounding petty as hell. For what it's worth, I'm relieved that even as a young girl I found him annoying (I had a crush on JC Chasez instead). Still, I can see why this album is on this list. It's fair. B+

Not bad at all but a little boring

Sit down with my morning coffee to enjoy today’s album, then let out a massive sigh when I see Iv got to sit through an hour of Justin Timberlake.

There's only been *three* reviewers giving a 5/5 grade to this LP. Not because *Justified* is an "artistic" failure for the sort of commercial music it attempted to sell to the masses during the early naughts. The album *isn't* an artistic failure, it does exactly what it intends to do, and this in every "objective", reasonable way you can assess the music on it. Justin's voice is excellent, even if it doesn't reach the Michael-Jackson-level heights it tries to reach in many songs. And the production values are state-of-the-art for the time period, thanks to experts such as Pharell Williams / The Neptunes, or Timbaland--experts whose imprint is unmistakable on certain tracks. Take those funk-rock rhythms played on acoustic guitar for The Neptunes, or those lush, bass-heavy r'n'b shenanigans for Timbaland. Besides, there are a lot of arrangements that make listening to the album at least once worthwhile. And finally, "Cry Me A River" is a stellar earworm worthy of the best torch songs / break-up songs out there... THAT SAID, let's repeat it: there's only been *three* reviewers giving a 5/5 grade to this LP. And there's a good reason for this. This is the sort of album that was never aimed at people interested in the *big picture* when it comes to modern music genres ("modern" taken in the largest sense of the word here). And this as open-minded as a lot of the people on this app try to be sometimes (me included). Because "Justified" is first and foremost a mass consumption product, and a "music album" later. Everything else is secondary. The fact that, overall, said album holds out far better today than, say, Britney Spears LPs, doesn't make it less dated or more artistically relevant than the latter. If only because Britney left a more impactful cultural imprint than Timberlake through her *singles*, at least--as lame and cheesy as her albums were as a whole... Let's face it: the vast majority of people who bought *Justified* in 2002 will never have a phase where they will try to find what the 1001 most essential albums of all time are. They just go from one trendy pop craze to the next. They're just consumers, not music buffs. "...music buffs like most of us on this app", I'm tempted to add. We all have very different tastes in here, obviously. But I believe that what unites us is that we take the album format very seriously. It can't just be a "product". It has to speak to our "soul" somehow. To be clear, saying this does not come from an elitist stance. I'm certainly not judging Justin Timberlake fans--all of us here are also consumers to an extent, it's part of the music business overall. I'm only trying to be realistic. As a consequence, I consider it's just plain weird or ridiculous to include *Justified* in a list like this. Because this inclusion doesn't really mean anything to *most* of those Timberlake fans, who would never use this app for instance (or probably give up after 20 or 30 albums...). This realism I'm trying to apply here is the one that music sites such as Pitchfork have consistently failed to apply since the mid-naughts, because of their readymady "poptimist" philosophy--a quite artificial, shallow posture *fully* pandering to the worst parts of the music industry (PR shenanigans, label business plans, the heavy and quick "formatting" of up-and-coming artists and performers not lucky enough to have the means or entourage to defend their initial artistic integrity--at least if they had one from the get-go). I'm 100% sure that the way such poptimist stance has led "the most trusted voice in music" to condone so many cheesefest records has already returned to bite them in the ass today. Absolutely no one believes Pitchfork is "the most trusted voice in music" today, lol. Of course, business is part of our music habits, as it is part of the life of *any* "professional" musician and artist. Even the staunchest fan of "independent music" and niche genres should be aware of this. But business also "pollutes" everything it touches. Just like it does for nature. Good music is an ecosystem, you see. And including *Justified* in this ecosystem does it more harm than good. I like "pop music", I really do. But good pop music in the album format has to elevate or challenge you, even if it does it very subtly or discreetly. And in retrospect, it's clear that *Justified* does none of that. It's just a goddamn product, as well-manufactured as it is. Just bought a Britney Spears greatest hits compilation for three euros online after listening to this Justin Timberlake record. If I have to be a consumer and a "manufactured product buyer", I'd rather give up the pretense of an interest for "genuine artistry" altogether, and bob my head quite mindlessly to the more memorable Britney singles with a half-ironic smile on my face. It won't prevent me to enjoy off-kilter-yet-100%-sincere-and-"authentic" acts such as Robert Wyatt, Daniel Blumberg, Big Thief or Crack Cloud on the side. I can enjoy a burger once in a while, even if I prefer more soulful food. But I will never pretend that a Burger King product is akin to the best "cuisine" out there. Everything in its right place, please. 2/5 for the purposes of this list of essential records. Which translates to a 7/10 grade for more general purposes (5+2 - not so bad after all, huh?). Next, please. Number of albums left to review: 319 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 304 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 167 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many other records are more important to me): 221 (including this one)

This album really is all over the places with a lot of different sounds, instruments, influences. But despite variety of elements and vocal range, the album is severely lacking in any kind of soul or any aspects that make it actually interesting.

Justn't

One of the more difficult listens to get through on this list. Take It From Here was sickening. 🤢🤮 This is some kind of cruel joke. This album is meant to be on the other list: 1001 Records to Listen to That Will Make You Die.

Pound Shop Jacko with embarrassing lyrics. This sounds like a cash-in album cobbled together from discarded Jacko rehearsal tapes & I couldn't wait for it to end.

Is this the smallest man that ever lived? 🤔🤔🤔🤔 album did not age that well.

Hahahahaha This list is literally taking the piss out of me now. 2nd Christina Aguilera album in 4 days yesterday, and this today. Can I have a normal record please? Immaculately produced pop music without an ounce of originality. There's not really any point having this record in the book when Michael Jackson is already in it twice, Janet Jackson is in it once, and Chic is in it thrice (if you count Sister Sledge, which you should). Oh a Stevie Wonder knock off has just come on so add him to the list. Second Stevie track now. Jesus this is really something. What's the point in this record? Well yeah, $$$$, but besides that, nothing. Cry me a river made me feel a bit queasy for some reason. Rock Your Body is the best song, though it's basically an identikit Chic style song and I think it reawakened the Rogers Kraken to take over pop along with Mark Ronson for the next 15 years. The song Never Again is absolutely sickening, lyrically and musically, and is a fitting message to end the album with. Christina won me over with her inventive second entry. This did not, because it's shit. It's also incredibly irritating.

Er… no

For all the great production, you absolutely cannot polish a turd. Laugh out loud awful ('I wanna be your lighthouse when you get lost, I'll light a bright and shiny path to help you get across'). This is a new low for this list, henceforth to be known as Greg's 8 million albums of death club.

Justin Timberlake struggles to piece together the ashes of his life after his daughter is murdered and presented to the king as an amuse bouche. This tragic tale descends into madness as the singer screeches in pain and tries to sellotape his mind together with memories of his grandmother's large breasts. The climax of the record finds Timberlake smacked off his tits on energy drinks trying to persuade a young boy to frolic with him on the shallow grave of his offspring. It's a sad story with a happy ending. 4 stars.

Fun fact: Justin Timberlake is allergic to music.

Generic, bland early aughts pop drivel

I was in high school when this released and bought it a few months after it came out. I literally never listen to it anymore but after listening to it today, I should change that. I forgot how many great songs are on this album. I enjoyed this nostalgia today.

Ilove this a;bu,m/. Every track just has thet sick party vibe. Rock Your Boby is an instant classic.

Have always been a bit of a JT enjoyer of the main hits - the production values are always great. Listening to the album in full though, I can see why it was so huge. There’s so many cool little ideas on this record, and so many good hooks!

Personally, the book should have had FutureSex/LoveSounds in their next reissue. But this debut is still stellar. So many interesting beats with JT doing his best neo soul impression. I love it. Very catchy album and sort of a sign to come for his next album which was somehow even bigger and better than this one

Quell surprise! A perfect record end to end by Justin Timberlake - who would have thought? It’s soulful, bluesy and catchy but with a confident cool. Yes now in hindsight Timberlake become a mega celebrity and this was his reinvention - but it’s a truly good good record.

JT, My Beloved, your world tour could never be ruined 💛💛💛

Groovy

Underestimated.

good old school

Just a great pop album with so many bangers

LOVE

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Senorita, Like I love you, Cry me a river, Rock your body, Nothin’ else, Last night

It's a banger of an album. Nearly beginning to end is pop perfection with great beats, synths, and obviously the production of Timberland. Maybe the best pop album of the 00s.

Good

Из овог жанра кида, 9/10

Omg yes! This album makes me feel so good. Very upbeat & fun. Has you singing & dancing

Immediate 5. Justin Timberlake's vocals are phenomenal. paired with the two best producers of all time... this album has no choice but to be amazing.

Pop masterpiece

What's not to love?! Great voice and harmonies. And a few of the songs are super great!

I'm going to give this four stars and chalk that up to Justin being a bit of a guilty pleasure... I just enjoy listening to him, he's got an interesting style and feel, and a good voice. It's not challenging listening by any standard LOL but it's quite a bit better than most of the dreck that passes for music these days.

7.5/10

Quite a strong debut album for a solo career, at least in my opinion. Probably a frustrating listen if you don't like pop as many modern tropes show in full force here. 4.5

<3

I mean, it’s JT. strong debut album. ‘Nothin’ Else’ the melody in how he’s singing reminds me of ‘Paint it, Black’ by the Rolling stones and ‘Last Night’ has the chorus beat of ‘The Hustle’ by Van McCoy. wonder if those were inspired by or just coincidental.

Bops are solid but the rest is filler

This album fucks. Cry Me a River and Rock your Body may not even be the best two songs. A guilty pleasure.

It's funny to listen to all this now after not having listened to it at all when I was younger, except when it played on the radio. A lot of good rhythms and arrangements, and his voice is very good, even if I don't really enjoy the lyrics

Aye finally some R&B after a run of rock records. I know it says pop but to me this is R&B. Of course I know all of the hits on this album so I was really looking forward to hearing all of the B-Sides. I thought they were really good R&B records, I love early 2000s Timbaland production anyways & this was a clinic. I always thought that when executed perfectly, there’s nothing better than a great R&B record. That shit will make you feel good!! Negatively though every record starts to sound the same and it’s almost too pop at times like he was trying to break away from that sound that made him famous. But it’s not too egregious like the other reviews I’ve seen, so I didn’t hate it 🤷🏾‍♂️

first time listening have heard señorita like i love you cry me a river rock your body

this is gonna ruin the 1001 albums generator

Smooth talent. MJ vibes.

You know this is a good album. Doesn’t do the thing pop records in the late 90s/early 2000s where they have 18 songs. Everyone is too hard on this guy. I get he doesn’t do himself any favours but he is talented

Definitely resemblances to MJ here but overall thought it was a really good 2000s pop album with a few big hits in "Cry Me A River" and "Rock Your Body". I will say the album is a bit too long as all the songs after a while start to sound a little too similar. 7/10.

Anyone who has seen my ratings knows that I've been harsh on the album releases that came out in the first decade of the 21st century. So, it might come as a surprise that I think this is one of the few standout Pop albums from that first decade. One of the those albums where it is clear that performer and their producers were all forging together in the same direction and the result is an album that honors the Michael Jackson influence that is so obviously present with everyone associated with this album.

Pretty decent pop record, if it had been released 20 years prior I think it would have a higher general rating here

Feel a little silly for whatever reason, but I actually really enjoyed this one all the way through. However, gotta dock a point for that cover.

Love getting artists that I just never expected to see on here! We all know Mister Timberlake, most recently for his mugshot that the world has been memeing. The second debut album from a white boy with an unusual amount of soul in about a week (the first was Mr. Elvis Presley). It's pretty damn strong for a debut, love the presence of Pharrell and Clipse, and of course production from the Neptunes and Timbaland. A lot of JT's best work is with Timbaland, we'd see that as the years went on. "Cry Me a River," for example, obviously THE big hit on here, that's Timbaland. But then you've also got "Rock Your Body," which frankly I didn't know was the Neptunes. Kudos to the goats. Anyway, great album. JT has a few really strong albums in his catalog, even if the most recent few are weak as hell. Favorite tracks: Cry Me a River, Rock Your Body, Senorita, Still on my Brain, Let's Take a Ride. Album art: Just a portrait shot of JT, nothing fancy. It's memorable I suppose, but really not very creative. Definitely emblematic of the era. 4/5

Not my vibe

GORG

Justin Timberlake has had an unparalleled career: childhood star to 'Nsync, a solo music career, and then successful acting and producing projects. Justified is his first solo album, and it was a remarkable commercial and critical success. Justin Timberlake makes a danceable version of soulful R&B. His strong voice carries these songs, but the harmonies and textured orchestrations do provide significant support. This is a great collection of tracks showing Timberlake's significant range, and his abilities both as a signer and a songwriter.

who knew a pop star and the neptunes could make something good? (sarcasm)

SO MANY BANGERS ! this thing is STUFFED FULL of them. so impressive

JT and timerland come through on this one. Some excellent R&B Pop.

I was in college when this album came out. As someone who had been reared on alternative and punk music, I just absolutely hated groups like N’Sync and The Backstreet Boys. They stood against everything I believed popular music should be. It required no actual creativity on the part of the “artist” and never got deeper than a puddle in its content. I’ve softened on pop music in general and I fully recognize that (though he has taken quite a bit of deserved heat lately), JT is the real deal. This is not an album that I would put on if I were alone in the car, but I’ll be damned if I’m not heading out on the dance floor when “Rock Your Body” gets played at a wedding.

Some great pop tunes on here! Yes, it’s a little too long and a few too many ballads. But there are 3 or 4 absolutely banging singles. Cool production - a little before The Neptunes homogenised the charts a couple of years later. Sure it’s a Michael Jackson rip off but it’s done well and adds a “modern” spin to it. It’s just good pop.

What a classic.

Cheerfully groovy in a decent Stevie tribute style. Strong writing and great production.

Pretty good.

Day112 - really talented, a good debut album with at least 3 classic early 2000’s pop hits. i’m sure they would go back and tone down some of the pharrell slickness if they could

A few classics but he is a tough hang for an album that isn’t thriller

I now understand why there was such a comparison to Michael Jackson. So much of this album is derivative of MJ.

listen it’s good but i think i’m not usually in the mood for 2000’s nostalgia rn… but its good like i know for a fact if it was summer time i’d be going crazy over this, but right nowwww no thanks

4/4 dance w me

Fun album, Timbaland nails it as a producer.

i grew up wiht this playing on MTV and the singles getting a lot of radio play. this was my first time listening thought the album. and honestly Its not for me. Timberland has a big influence and that cuts though the sugery sweet artificial flavour of the bubblegum pop this album was set up for. but you can feel the tonal change in the album compared to the pop music of a few years earlier. the feel is darker even in more light hearted songs. you can truely feel the change away from the happy pop of N'sync and the backstreet boys or even Britney spears and Cristina Agrilaria that I consider the peers of this album, even though they were before 11/09/2001 that event changed the world around it to a point where it could be felt on this album. more minor keys in the music, less majour keys slower tempo. Over all this album is less happy than you would expect of a pop album and more sober feeling. yes its not for me but taking teh album into acocunt for its time and you can almost see it as leading the charge in pop music to be less bubblegum and more serious.

Overly long album with overly long songs with overly long outros. And that's what Timberlake was all about in 2002, and I'm pretty sure still is a bit now. Did I mention I like the tunes?

Thank you for bringing sexy back