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

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.

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.

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.

That was awful. Torture.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Generous 4 but the singles still bang

It was pretty clear from the beginning that I could die a happy man without hearing this album. Dying happy sounded good to me, so I acted accordingly.

lol

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.

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.

Only just because of "Rock Your Body" I give it the three stars. The rest of the album is almost forgettable. 2,5

Decent voice. Lots fo filler songs. A couple decent songs. Overall, I can’t believe this sold so many records.

Yikes, this really has not aged well. The singles are still absolute crackers but the rest not so much. It is very Michael Jackson. The attempts at ‘sexy’ are cringeworthy, I just don’t buy it from JT. And, yes, it is too long, their egos got carried away. 2.5 rounding up to 3

Starts off really strong. Nice, polished pop music. Sounds a lot like Michael Jackson, and I think a few of these tracks had been written with him in mind. It fades in the middle though and is just too long.

i have come up with a theory: people do not like Justin Timblerlake, but they like how his music sounds. yeah, he can sing, and dance, and arguably beatbox, but would people like his early music if it didn't have quality production from star makers like The Neptunes and Timbaland at his peak? it feels like he was one kind of mediocre producer/writer away from flopping musically like the rest of the *NSYNCers -- on track 9 and 11, we get a glimpse into a world where this happened. it sounds like middle-of-the-road 2000's R&B and therapist office adult contemporary, respectively. if i heard Justin Timberlake in this shadow world, i would be perfectly neutral on his career's existence, and if someone told me that a former *NSYNC member made it the schmoopy ass song playing on the radio, i would probably guess it was Justin after a few tries. then i would forget about it for the next three years until i was in the mall and it played in one of the stores, almost by accident. i see Justified as a sort of charcuterie board. you can put cheese on a cracker, or meat on it, or like, olives or something. at times, the cracker is dry, thick, and at times the topping is too mild to overpower its inexplicably greasy flavor. nobody goes to a charcuterie board for a cracker.

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

That was some cheesy 90s sounding R&B that I guess came out in 2002. I don't think I will ever catch a liking to this type of music, also don't think a 30s white male is the target demographic for it. Cry me a River is a banger though I can't lie. Not sure why it was a universal rule that 90s/early 00s pop and R&B albums all decided to be over an hour long, but that needed to not happen.

Overproduced, too busy. No room to breathe. A couple of decent tracks but mostly it doesn’t hold up.

I know a handful of these songs because they played on the radio ALL the time (my mom is a top hits radio gal). I wouldn't say they are particularly good though.

What's that I hear? Why, yes, that's the sound of cultural appropriation! It was fun reading various articles debating whether this is the case. A lot of articles say yes, a few say hate the game not the playa. R&B isn't really my thing, but I get why this was popular. Happy it was removed from the 1001, though. Nothing really resonated with me. Kinda liked the Pusha T rap in Like I Love You. Moving on.

I came into this knowing very little of Timberlake's music and nothing off this album. I expected I'd really like it — dude has staked a claim in the industry, I figured there was good reason for it. There were a couple of standout tracks — Cry Me A River and Nothin' Else were two I liked — but the majority of the album felt forced, from the production to the performances to the writing. I was going to give it a 3, but that felt too high for an album that just didn't satisfy the way JT promises he does. A 2 might be low, but I never got near as hot as an oven.

I just don't enjoy this kind of music. Maybe I don't know how to have fun. But it doesn't strike me as something I need to hear before I die. Frankly, it seems like any other album in this genre. But what do I know?

Well, I am an old man, so it’s no surprise that I didn’t care for this album at all…and it’s so LONG! I agree with those who suggested he’s like a poor man’s Michael Jackson, or that he wanted to be Michael Jackson, but someone beat him to it. Anyway, this one was work for me to listen to. Two stars.

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.

trash pop. Corporate swill. music for the deaf.

White boy disco hip hop. Empty calories like cheese puffs.

Yeah this wasn’t great. Justin feels like that frat boy that’s going to put something in your drink. It’s just the vibe he gave off this whole album. I can definitely hear the attempts to replicate Michael Jackson in this and unfortunately Justin just can’t pull that off.

I really dislike pop music done like this. For the masses and it shows. Not much artistry at all

What horrendous garbage.

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

Early JT is just some damn good R&B, so it's a damn shame he got corporate after 20/20 Experience. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. Lots of bias from me on this one, unabashedly so, and yet I don’t care one bit. I have a soft spot for a lot of this album, and while I don’t think it’s as good as FutureSex/LoveSounds (rather criminally not on the list), I still like it regardless. There’s a couple of misses for me, namely “(And She Said) Take Me Now” & “Right For Me”, but beyond those, the other 11 tracks here are just guilty pleasures of mine, and I won’t take any slander. Obviously, it’s nowhere near perfect, and in terms of albums with this general style… yeah, I’ve heard better from the list. This is tremendously dated to 2002, and Justin Timberlake’s name recognition & star power coming off of both the breakup of N*SYNC & his breakup with Britney Spears is partially why this album was as big as it was. It’s largely known as the one with “Cry Me A River” & “Rock Your Body”, and I’d be a fool to not acknowledge they’re the two biggest tracks for a reason. “Rock Your Body” in particular might have the best 35 seconds of Justin Timberlake’s entire career; the buildup to the bridge of that track, and the bridge itself, will forever live in my brain. I will genuinely rewind that part so, so many times because it’s just perfect to my ears. As far as the rest of the tracks I like go, “Senorita” is a banger, and “Like I Love You” just scratches my brain really nicely with the opening guitar & Justin’s vocals gliding throughout. “(Oh No) What You Got” is good; a little long though, and it does stagnate about halfway in. “Take It From Here” is largely similar, but Justin’s vocals do a much better job of filling out the last half of that track. “Nothin’ Else” is deeply underrated to my ears; one of my favorites on the entire album, giving huge Stevie Wonder vibes. “Last Night” is just catchy to my ears, with a kind of Persona-esque vibe that’s right down my alley. “Still On My Brain” is cheesy as hell, but it reminds me a lot of the Mariah Carey-esque power ballads of the mid-90s (down to the stock explosion in the bridge), so I’m just a sucker for it. “Let’s Take a Ride” is legitimately a banger and I won’t hear otherwise; something about the vocal structure of that track just has a really nice groove to me. “Never Again” is a Brian McKnight track (quite literally), and Justin’s vocals ride the piano in a way that pulls out the same emotion as “Back at One” does. If you know, you know. All the credit in the world to Pharrell Williams & Hugo, as this album would be nowhere close to what it is without their production work taking center stage for a lot of the album. Yes, Timbaland is here on a few tracks, and his stuff is fine, but it sounds more like he’s trying to copy Pharrell’s homework instead of bringing his own philosophy, and it makes his tracks feel less compelling. That’s no fault on Timbaland though; he just wasn’t the primary producer here. He redeemed himself big time for FutureSex/LoveSounds. All in all, I understand why this has a 2.68 on the site; it’s not Justin’s best work, it’s dated by 23 years, it could’ve been trimmed down a bit from the 63 minute runtime, it’s cheesy as hell, and a lot of the emotional pull here entirely depends on a relationship between two pop stars that you may or may not give a shit about. However, for my Michael Jackson-influenced pop brain, this is a guilty pleasure album of mine. Obviously, the flaws are a bit more apparent on a re-listen years later with a more critical ear, but when I was in the groove with the tracks that I already like, I was just having a good time, and you can’t take that away from me. It’s a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5, and it was probably always going to be that for me. If someone else wants to give this a 3, I wouldn’t blame them one bit. I think it might be a little bit of a stretch to go for a 2, though, and a 1 just tells me you were never gonna like the album to begin with.

A classic in the Neptunes production catalog

Certified classic

Hate to admit how good this is.

JT + Timbaland + the Neptunes = Magic. The sound of the intro to Senorita, mixed with the opening of a LionsHead Pilsner, meant the night would go from good to GREAT!

Expected to hate listening to this as I'm not a huge Justin person but wow, quite the opposite. Soulful, sexy, sweet and catchy as hell! Right for Me and Señorita might be the sexiest songs ever?? A little light on substance but 100% there on the style. Can confirm I've been JUSTIFIED! (and also TBT to the Super Bowl in 2004, we all remember where we were!)

The music is catchy. The vocals are good. The production is slick.

Альбом - веха в поп музыке. Что тут сказать, круто

Solid album. My loves JT. I bought her tickets to see him last November. Happy wife happy life. 5 stars.

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.

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.

Sinceramente, no iba a escuchar este álbum, ya que no me mola mucho Justin Timberlake y lo tenía como artista de tienda de ropa, pero dije, venga, le voy a dar un try. La verdad que no me arrepiento. La primera canción, Señorita, me sorprendió un montón, me mola todos los recursos que usa. "Like I love" you es un poco sin más. "(Oh no) What you got" me gustó mucho la flauta junto al sintetizador que le dio un aura bastante chula pero en si la canción para mí fue bastante meh. "Take it from here" literalmente canción de tienda de ropa, con unos violines bastante ambientales que molan cantidubi pero casi me duermo en sus 6 minutos de canción. "Cry me a river" para mí, la mejor canción del álbum, todos sus recursos tanto del pop, hiphop y orquestral con sintetizadores, violines haciendo armonías y también la melodía de la canción en momentos muy concretos lo que queda muy chulo, la percusión en stereo suena increíble, awesome, amazing Spiderman. "Rock your body" aunque sea una canción mítica de Justin Timberlake, es una canción sin más, mola pero no tiene cosas muy especiales que digas wow. "Nothin' else" otra canción muy tienda de ropa para mí, muy tranquila y nada movida, algo para tener de fondo. "Last night" otra canción del palo tienda de ropa pero bastante molona por los violines, guitarra, piano y una especie de xilófono (?), que lo hacen muy guay. "Still on my brain" una canción que empieza de una forma muy mágica y recuerda a jazz o a lo-fi cantado, muy tranquila, muy para escuchar de fondo, pero bastante agradable. "(And she said) Take me now" otra del palo, está bien, sin más con una parte electrónica que no me mola con un sonido muy pedo. "Right for me" suena muy guay, utiliza un montón de recursos, sintetizadores, flautas, sonidos pedo, guaguagua, muy guay. "Lets take a ride" una canción muy muy Justin Timberlake con sintetizadores y guitarras muy tranquilas y con aura. "Never again" la última canción del álbum, muy muy tranquila, pero también muy ambiental y suena muy triste, con esos pianos, violines, guitarras puntuales, un muy buen final para el álbum, una canción increíble. Este álbum ha estado muy muy bien, no tan movido, que es lo que normalmente suelo escuchar, pero para salir de esa zona de confort y escuchar algo más tranqui, Justin Timberlake en este álbum lo hace genial. Hay muchas canciones que no son muy allá pero en general están muy bien, recomiendo escucharla. 7/10 Creo que me he pasao de texto jeje

Iba con 0 expectativas la vdd y me encantó, no es lo q suelo escuchar pero ns están todas las canciones bien hechas y cada una tiene algo q la distingue de las demás, lo cual se agradece. La d cry me river es genial, aunq el canto gregoriano del principio me desconcertó un poco. La d rock your body es un temazo y literalmente me puso de buen humor. No sé si será un buen álbum o no objetivamente, pero a mí me gustó mucho y lo disfruté más de lo q me esperaba. Eso sí, lo d q se ponga a gemir y a seducirte en el medio de la canción me corta bastante el rollo, eso le quita puntos y se me hizo un poco cansino q todas las canciones durasen 4+ minutos en algún punto.

Solid

These days I don't think it's particularly easy to stand up for Justin Timberlake. Any popularity he might've had from being a member of *NSYNC, and any coolness he might've gained from this and the follow-up FUTUESEX/LOVESOUND, have all but evaporated in the face of TROLLS movies, being written as the villain in the stories of Britney Spears and Janet Jackson, and his music generally just not being as good as it used to be. Seriously, if I get any enjoyment out of "Filthy" from MAN OF THE WOODS, it comes with an asterisk and the heavy acknowledgement that it **is** a very bad song. And to be honest, it's not like I have great defenses for this album either, which, from the looks of things, mostly rode his *NSYNC membership and breakup with Britney to being as big as it was. But after an initial, if I'm being completely honest here... I'unno, I think it's just fun. Blame the part of my brain that got reminded of Michael Jackson more often than not, I guess, but that don't change the fact that I still got a kick out of this thing. "Señorita", "Rock Your Body", "Like I Love You"... Those are all singles I just named, yeah, but regardless, those are all great songs. And to the MJ comparison, lemme just say that while I **did** pick up on a lot of spots where it sounds Michael **could** have sang it, on the whole the record has such a unique personality to it that, really, only Justin and The Neptunes could've made it. And you could argue that there's maybe a bit too much of Justin's personality in some songs, alongside how you can generally specifically date it to the early 2000's... But that's part of the charm, I feel like, y'know? I mean, I often give a pass to "dated music" because, dang it, sometimes I just like hearing the specific sound of a bygone time, and this is some damn 2000's R&B. (I will say, if there's any spot the personality **does** kinda get to me a little, it's on "Cry Me A River". Now, that's an iconic as hell song, and honestly maybe the best from this album, but it is, like, so clearly and specifically inspired by JT's break-up with Britney... And I think it's most just because I can use the time since release to mostly separate it from its subject matter that this public break-up tabloid drama doesn't bother me more than it would... 'Coz seriously, there's some killer production on this thing, goodness.) N' if I'm getting into spots that bothered me, if there's any one thing that kinda really got at me during this album, it was its length. Which, y'know, in terms of JT albums, I've heard **far** worse — I **like** THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE a lot (the first one, anyway), but goodness me, I don't know why the songs on that thing hadda be so long... But I'unno, you can't tell me there weren't a few spots on this album where it coulda been trimmed and tightened up a little, particularly in the back half. I'd be lying if I said my attention wasn't waning a bit by that point... I mean, I guess it **is** something it has in common with Michael's 2000s album. Still, though, I wouldn't say that by itself is enough to damage my opinion of the album overall. The good stuff's a real good time, and the lesser stuff holds up just well enough. I wouldn't say I think it's entirely "justified" in being on this list (harr-harr — but no seriously, maybe the follow-up would be more worthy), but I'm happy I heard it. I'll probably work a few of these songs into my regular rotation... And, I mean, like a 4 outta 5 will ruin the tour anyway. Y'know? Yeah.

I have a strong hatred for JT, but I will give it to him...I think this album is p p p good. The collaborations with Timbaland and Pharrell shine through. It's a rambling somewhat breakup album, with bangers and soul that still hold up.

I really don’t remember there being skips on this album, but…..there are several. In saying that, many bangers that are important to my core being.

Firmly established Justin Timberlake as a solo artist outside of his role in NSYNC, which is something other members of the group were never able to achieve. It also marked the transition from pop to R&B, and established the template for his future albums. The production is top notch, and came at a time when The Neptunes were at the peak of their powers. While in hindsight there are some problematic aspects of how the album and singles were marketed - grossly dragging Britney Spear's reputation through the mud, this album could be viewed as auditory revenge-porn, but that is a separate discussion - the songs themselves are stellar.

Don't like this album? Cry me a river!

Yeah, that was fine.

Pretty good

JT's debut album after N'Sync. It's got some bangers on it, especially Rock Your Body and Cry Me a River. This album showed us the potential of JT, but it wasn't until later albums that he matured and really expressed his range. Take this album at face value. Not a masterpiece, but a catalyst to an amazing music career. I'm sure the progressive rock guys will HATE this. I love it. 3.5/5 = 4 stars.

A very well-made, if excessively filligreed, pop confection, with his enthusiasm and sheer joy at performing shining through with nearly every beat. "Senorita" gets off to a fun and funky and surprisingly engaging start. One confesses that this is much better than one expected, and certainly more Michael Jackson-esque, too. he's a capable singer and clearly wants to show what he's got, which he largely pulls off, without being embarrassingly hungry from stardom. The R&B heart of the record is strong. "Take It From Here" is legit pop sweetness – showing why simplicity works. "Cry Me a River" also solid. Even if overdone and too long, the record's quality is mostly sustained. There have been many, many inferior pop records that have sold more. And it may have been just this sort of record that K Sanneh had in mind when he wrote his "rockist" essay and initiated the era of "pop-friendly" or "poptimist" criticism.