Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Fy faen det her er dårlig ass
Hadde egnet seg best som en sjutommer med "Rock Your Body" og "Cry Me A River". Tenkte også mye på Michael Jackson mens jeg hørte på plata og da var det jo interessant å lese at mange av låtene faktisk var tiltenkt Michael Jackson.
This is a decent r&b album, but the fake Blaccent was a little distracting at times.
Sorry I just can't do it
Meh me a meh meh.
Couple of bangers (fellas...goodnight, ladies...good morning) but overall pretty insipid.
Moo moo ah mama. Some nice big hit tunes, but largely an absolute crock o’shoite.
It's just okay. There are of course some hit songs on this album but I have heard them so many times that I am over them. The music and vocals seem over produced to my ears. Even the name of the album seems lame. I'm sure that I will never listen to this one again and hopefully I won't be hearing the hit songs in passing again either.
This album firmly rests at two stars = I do not like it, but I'm not upset that I heard the album. I can ignore the experience now that it's over. I kept tuning out as I listened. None of the music captures my attention, and I have a hard time with songs that are dedicated to flirting with girls. Because of the lyrics, I would not sing along with any of the tracks, which limits how much I want to hear the album for the first time through or any subsequent exposure. The whispering / talking portions of some of the delivery make the flirtatious content even more unappealing. I'm not interested in this style of music. I'm happy to leave this album behind.
Ok 2/5
some bangers, lowkey performative
I'm not the target audience, and I'm glad about that. 1.0/5.0
very tepid album. its got great production and he has a good singing voice but the songs themselves are lacking. shave two minutes off of ever song and youve easily got a 3 star album but as it stands its way too long for what the songs have to offer.
Justin, girl, you know you can write a song, girl, without the word girl. Right, girl?l it's comical how many times he says girl, girl. Rock Your Body is the best song, girl. Girl does show off his singing prowess, I just don't care for what you sing, girl. I'd rather watch Love Guru, girl. 1
Listened
2/5
Felt quite uninspired. Not my vibe at all
Some big hits with good vibes. But then there's the filler... There's a few songs that sound like Stevie Wonder. 3/5
barely listened to this only a couple songs but i didn't go through that to not review = snooze fest of justin timberlake thinking that he's michael jackson, pharell producing was obvious but didnt help at all just trying to reheat his own nachos, if i was drunk out my mind i would probably dance to rock your body but reluctantly
My friend played the song "Rock Your Body" for me recently, and I liked it a fair amount, so I had somewhat high expectations for this album. It wasn't bad, but I was a little disappointed. Not many songs had the same funkiness as that one, but there were a few that stood out, like "Last Night" and "Take me Now." Many things I didn't like about this album could probably be applied to this subset of R&B as a whole: too sexual, superfluous subject matter, too slow, too sappy. My recent reviews have been making it seem like I only like high-tempo music, but I swear that's not the case. Musically, I did appreciate the energy this album brought with its focus on rhythm, groove, and catchiness (mostly on the energetic songs). Some of the production sounds dated, some of it is interesting. I like his singing, but not the Playboy heartthrob energy. Also this album is definitely too long. I'm glad to have gotten a new kind of album. Strong 5 to a light 6/10
I like The Neptunes/Pharrell/Timbaland as much as the next person, so having those guys probably helped ensure that this album had a good (or least not unpleasant) sound, but . . . these songs are too long. And the whole album is ... too long. And none of it particularly memorable or interesting. I know CDs made it easier to contain *more* music (than record albums), but there's something to be said in favor of keeping albums (even in the CD format) to around 40 minutes. Or, if you're gonna go way beyond that, to over an hour, then there ought to be a good (compelling) reason for do that. And I don't see a compelling reason for that here, where the songs drag on too long, and all sound kind of similar. So I kind of resent the hour+ I had to spend listening to these mildly pleasant, but unexceptional and instantly forgettable songs (that all started to sound kind of the same, after a while). Maybe, if they'd kept just the best 8 or 9 tracks (and/or made the songs more like 3 minutes instead of 5 minutes each), I might have been tempted to give this 3 stars, in acknowledgement of decent overall quality. As it is, though, I have to go with 2 stars, for too much of a not terrible, but not particularly good (and kind of forgettable and same-y) thing.
I feel compelled to give four stars here for a couple of overlapping reasons. 1. To counteract the old farts that turn up their noses at this and sing the praises of pop music from older decades. The production here is significantly better than it was in the 90's or 80's and the writing is of similar calibre 2. Frankly I enjoyed listening to this more than I have to any album generated here in a while. I attribute that mostly to the production by Timbaland and The Neptunes. The percussive elements are top notch and make most of the tracks fun and danceable. It's a bit too long, but there were maybe only a couple of tracks that I didn't like. I'm wondering if this album is more to my taste because I was alive at the time it came out; it seems like people tend to favor music from their youth (I didn't listen to this kind of thing growing up though). My appeal to objectivity would be that the production is better than anything that came before.
Confession here. I refuse to listen to this critter. I have heard enough of him, in fact too much, to convince me that I should pollute my system with his shitty musings. I feel ‘justified’ doing this as I do not want my Apple Music algorithm thinking that I might even remotely like this album yet alone Stat.Fm recording for posterity that I even played one track off the album. 1/5 10/8/26
yawn
I think this album is underrated. If JT's name wasnt on it, I think the boys could get into it and have a good time.
Removed
Saying "I hate this" is not adequate. This is, hands-down, one of the worst albums ever presented through this. This is bland bullshit whiny horny white boy cultivated into "safely" appealing to as many people in the mainstream as possible. There's nothing safe about how he treated Britney Spears. He's a piece of garbage, through and through, cultivated by other garbage individuals. Anything redeeming here is solely in the production.
God damn music fell hard in the 2000s. Calling this "soul" is an insult to the genre. Canned beats, fake instrument loops, and a child actor from The Mickey Mouse Club doing his best imitations of previous artists. This is pure garbage, manufactured by greedy media execs to line their pockets.
Мені цей альбом пам'ятався кращим, ніж він є. Тут звичайно є справжні поп-діаманти як Senorita, Like I Love You (топовий фіт з Clipse), Cry Me A River (цікаво скільки в цьому треці доріжок, бо Тімбеленд на фоні там щось накидує і накидує), і звичайно Rock Your Body, який мені завжди дуже сильно подобався. З іншої сторони тут є багато філерів та просто посередніх пісень. Той самий (Oh No) What You Got з Тімбом та Скотом Сторчем мені сильно не подобається. Також Нептюнз тут не завжди видають топ-рівень. Фарелл ці пісні пропонував Джексону і в принципі можна зрозуміти чому від них можна було відмовитися. Nothin Else звучить як Майкл на мінімалках. В другій половині прикольний фіток з Бубой Спракссс, але порівняно з першою, то без хіта. Що для поп-альбому з амбіціями - слабенько. Треба переслухати наступний та першу частину 20/20 досвіду.
Починається альбом дуже потужно, але після Rock Your Body сильно просідає. Загалом я поважаю Тімберлейка як музиканта, проте мені здається що джастіфайд трохи затягнутий і нерівний. Я на рум поставлю 3.5, а тут мабуть все ж 3.
Removed Album #38 (List: https://pastebin.com/cSThNiK9) From the Vault #33 (March 21, 2026) Back with yet another pre-written review and a tragic removal from the list. I know who Justin Timberlake is, obviously, but there aren't any songs of his which immediately come to mind - I'm pretty sure his success was relegated to a brief window of the 2000s. I'm certain that his style is acoustic guitar music with contemporary pop songwriting and mastering, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Here goes. Turns out I've already heard a quarter of this album and it wasn't the acoustic pop rock music I was expecting. Go figure. The first half is decent, but the remainder of this album goes out to lunch. The vocal hooks aren't there and the minimal, contemporary approach to the instrumentation starts to wear out its welcome after a while. The boy band-y vocals aren't my thing, predictably, and the songs are generally longer than they needed to be. An hour runtime with an average track length of five minutes is brutal. Still, I suppose this wasn't all bad. It's certainly listenable with a few good choices of instrumentation thrown into the mix, especially on "Last Night". I've heard "Senorita" before, though I'm not sure if I'm familiar with the original or one of those radio mashups which blend a bunch of popular songs together. In any case, it's a good song. The vocal melody during the chorus is iconic as well as that outro. The R&B/soul instrumental is minimal, but decent. My beloved cowbell makes a prominent appearance, and the organ gives the song a decent level of kick. The song ends on a bit of an awkward note (I would have been perfectly content with the track fading out on the "it feels like something's heating up" segment), but for a five-minute tune the song carries itself surprisingly well. I've heard "Cry Me a River". It's an Eminem song. The instrumental. The vocal flow. Come on - it's nigh-indistinguishable. Anyways, decent tune. Not as strong as Senorita, but that aforementioned vocal flow is rock solid, both during the verses and chorus. I'm not entirely sure if it's an electronic synth or a backup singer doing the slur bombing, but it sounds like someone is saying nigger over and over again during parts of the chorus. That got a laugh out of me, I won't lie. Heard "Rock Your Body" before, too. Man, this thing is full of hits. My brother used to play this song all the time when he was showering. He probably still does. It's the weakest of the big singles, admittedly. Again, the vocal flow is decent and I like the harmony between Timberlake and that female backing singer, but there's just something flimsy about the music. I chalk it up to the instrumental. A tacky pop rock guitar loop, cymbal clashes, a wobbly bass and some contempop flourishes aren't enough to carry this song across the finish line. Time to figure out why this album was removed from the list. Included in the original 1001 lineup and pulled from the 2008 revision. The book entry says that Timberlake was previously a member of NSYNC. That makes too much sense - I felt compelled to comment on the fact that the vocals sounded like they came from a boy band. Timbaland and The Neptunes produced this album, which also makes sense when considering their other albums that I've listened to. "...[he had] pulled off one the biggest transformations in pop history by managing to keep his teen audience happy, winning support from urban clubs and radio stations, as well as being crowned the new king of pop." "The album's success was partly down to his collaborators' skills, and the poor judgment of the previous king of pop." The book relays the rumor that "Like I Love You" and "Rock Your Body" were originally offered to Michael Jackson, whom the book refers to as "Jacko". Like I said in my review of Thriller, do people actually call him that? Just say MJ. So, why was this album removed? Once again, it boils down to it being an easy target. This era of pop music was incredibly disposable and not very good, even if it did shape the foundation for where popular music would head in the following decades. Fortunately, I'm willing to stick my neck out for this album. Like I said in my review of Baby One More Time, I do think the era of late-90s boy bands and teen pop stars is historically significant, and the list has been pretty tasteful in the amount of representation that has been given thus far. I'm pretty sure it's just this album and Britney Spears' debut, both of which were tragically removed from the list. If it's any consolation, I've now brought back both of these albums from the dead. If this really is the best that late-90s boy bands have to offer, then I happily cosign this inclusion.
I think Justin Timberlake will always be my guilty pleasure of sorts. This album is great, but FutureSex/LoveSounds is the best of his, so I'll give it a 4.
The album as a whole strikes me as a bit lackluster—but then this is also not my genre of preference. However, there are a few elements on this first solo adventure from Timberlake that foreshadow his upcoming success: - Successfully transitioned to a "solo" artist, opening the door for him from teen idol into adult - Established strong collaboration roots with other artists - Further highlights his skills and gifts as a singer Also—at least in suburban USA—Rock Your Body probably hits as one of the top ten tracks of the decade.
This is probably fine for what it is (the production value seems good), but this is not my jam at all. I was glad when it was over even though it didn't strike me as objectively bad. I guess I'm really only a JT guy when he's working with The Lonely Island. 2.4
Number: 214 Familiarity: Aware (2) Rating: 2 Before: ======= Oh lordy! I've had a solid run of 2's and 3's lately. I see another 2 or 3 coming, but I'll try to keep an open mind. During: ======= Woops, looks like the opener is going to be a 2. Maybe even a 1. Yeah, it's a 1. So I had to skip through the first 3 and gave them all a 1. The 4th track Take It From Here is not too bad, it might be a 3. I actually listened to the whole thing. Awe, what the heck, 'll give it a 3 since I was so harsh on the preceding tracks. After : ======= I made it through most of the rest of the songs before skipping to the next. There were a few threes in there so it wasn't so bad. Overall, it balances out as 2.
Another billion play songs with "Rock Your Body", although at the time I was team Britney, it has later been revealed that Justin was right all along. I guess we shouldn't believe all women, especially the crazy ones. Extra star as an apology.
Yesterday I had Michael Jackson, and today it is an album full of songs that Jackson rejected
Some filler and overall forgettable songs here, but it also has some of my favorite production throughout Pharrell’s entire career and one of my favorite pop songs ever in rock your body. Works as a transition from boy band fame to a solo career, but I think JT just has better stuff later on down the line
Aggressively mediocre. The last song is utter garbage.
There are a couple great songs on here but every transitional album from a former boy band member has the same problem. You spent your early career doing nothing but safe love songs and so when you get the chance to spread your wings, you simply take that formula and run it through a "that's right, I can fuck now" filter to attempt to convey maturity. It creates a very limited range of emotional subject matter and gets very repetitive on this hour long album. Consequently, my favorite songs on the album are the ones that don't get bogged down in JT's constant need to assure you that he's good in bed. More "Cry Me a River" and less "Take Me Now," please.
DNF. I will throw down any day to “Rock Your Body,” a certifiable modern classic. The rest? All the production firepower of Timbaland and the Neptunes, plus Justin’s good voice, can’t elevate this Velveeta. The first four songs all focus on trying to fuck women at the club. Then he goes into sappy mode with slowed-down r’n’b love songs, whereupon I finally tapped out. I’m being generous with my 2
Couple of great tunes (Cry Me A River). Very well produced. Harmless 2000s pop
Bof… très monotone…
wasnt bad. not my taste but he's definitely talented.
This kind of music is like water to me... It just runs through my hands. It has no substance. I don't know if it is good or bad, it is just like vanilla ice cream. It's hard for me to focus on it while it is playing, and it's hard to remember much of it.
At first I thought it sounded alot like Michael Jackson. But the more I listened the less I liked it. I guess it might be good to dance to.
The singles are very nostalgic, wor Justin was everywhere back in the day. They are sort of decent songs I think though hard to be objective. Definitely phoned in for the album tracks I'd say, clear drop off in quality. Why are these mega pop albums always do long? Just put out a tight half hour and it's a much better album. So pretty poor.
Sounds very much of its time. Overproduced, and I have no idea what he's singing about. Senorita, Rock Your Body, and Cry Me A River are all pop classics though, so I can forgive the rest of the album being knock-off versions of all three hits. Nothin' Else is just a version of Rock Your Body. Also the album length is inexcusable.
This was terrible and has no right to be on the list. Recognised a fair few, but they are all crap. Final song is aptly called "never again".... never a truer word spoken Justin 1
I once liked this, but this is kind of rubbish actually
Timberlake was a super star on the 2000s radios. This album makes a bold argument why he gained all that popularity. It is a well-made pop studio album that serves its primary role as it should: it really entertains. Now, Justin's music is easy to approarch, it is catchy and generally good. Apart from the usual pop songs, it has those slow sad tracks which are generally of not such interest except for, I'd say, "Nothin' Else". "Cry Me a River" is by far the best on the album, and I personally remember it from the 00s fm broadcasts. This record is a worthwhile mood setting work with just minor drawbacks, hence a surely deserved B here.
12-year-old me, standing in the corner of the school disco grumpily watching all the popular kids bopping away to Rock Your Body and Like I Love You, would be VERY surprised to learn firstly that 24 years later I'm doing this project where I listen to over 1000 albums ("How?!" she would ask, "Do you have to buy all the CDs???") and secondly that on the day I got Justified I gave it 4 stars. The thing is I had a GREAT time revisiting this. It's a bit all over the place and very "Temu MJ" vibes but there are some great, great pop songs here. Also I found it kind of hilarious how LONG so many of them are, and I was weirdly forgiving of this - like, Rush will make a song that's a million hours and I'll be like omfg shut up Rush, but (And She Said) Take Me Now by Justin Timberlake can go on and on and on and I'm cool with it.
Ugh, multiple skips needed. One good track keeps this out of the very bottom, but I'm not even interested to look up the title of that track given the minefield the rest of the album is
not my favorite. dated production made it sound deeply of its time. mostly just made me want to listen to Britney Spears - specifically Blackout, lol. I think I listened to all or most of this album when it came out when I was 12 and have not felt the need to reappraise it since. For good reason, it turns out
señorita one of the best songs of all time ngl
I’m not a big fan of Timberlake overall but this is a decent pop album. Favorite track: Cry Me a River
Saying this is just an MJ imitation album is a lazy take. Of course it does. This is ac Pharrell & Timbaland album and they did in fact shop a good amount of these songs to MJ beforehand. They're also both inspired by Quincy Jones. I didn't want to give this a 5. I really didn't. Mainly because as stated, JT just kinda showed up and took direction from 2 of the greatest producers of the early 2000s. That doesn't diminish the fact that he excelled vocally with the direction he was given and he does deserve credit for that. And at the end of the day, P & Timbo are just that good. This really should be like a 4.7 but 5 it is. Highlights: Cry Me A River, Take It From Here
Few bangers with too much filler
half of this is really fun and good. half is syrupy and dull
This is terrible. He has zero gravitas here. Even his MJ aping hit falls flat. I’m 700 albums in. I really don’t want to drop this project now. But JT and Britney in the same week is making it hard to justify my continuing attention.
I am very surprised this album is in the book. It's not like critics liked it and I am not sure if any other artist was inspired by Justified. Individual songs on here inspired other artists, but not necessarily the album as a whole. In fact, this album is more inspired by other artists than it does the inspiring itself. It's not hard to tell many of these tracks were written for Michael Jackson, especially Rock Your Body, and you can feel his influence all over this. As early 2000's R&B goes, this isn't necessarily bad. The songs are longer than they should be and on songs like "Senorita" it seems like he's killing time. Most of the "legacy" reviews seem to say, "This is probably the best debut album by a former boy band member," which isn't really the highest of praise. Timberlake does choose good guest stars that fit the songs. Clipse fits perfectly on "Like I Love You," which also happens to be one of the songs that hangs around for about 40 seconds too long. In fact, I would guess almost every song on here has too much spoken word or repetition at the beginning or end of the song which makes it feel a bit cheesy and/or causes the song to stick around too long. Overall, it's not bad. It is good for a former boy band member. Justin Timberlake has done better work and work that has felt less self-conscious than Justified. You can almost hear him begging for the listener to know he's more than a boy band member. I guess it worked. I did listen to this album back in the early 2000's, but it did not age as well for me. Timbaland's production is great, as always. My favorite songs: Like I Love You (Oh No) What You Got Cry Me a River (still a great song with great keyboards) Last Night (And She Said) Take Me Now Never Again
I LOVED the first three songs of this album and was embracing my new reality as a massive JT fan and then… it kinda fell off for me. I still enjoyed listening to this - I love that glittery metallic 2000s sound as it reminds me of my childhood - this is a three from me !
Rock your body is good
There’s too many music snobs on here. JT has got some song-writing chops, and the majority of these tracks are fun and accessible. There’s also a LOT of hits on here. Plenty that I recognise and which have undeniable appeal. The production, also, is really good. Some of the songs are a bit blasé, but they’re still nothing less than fine. It’s not my kind of thing, but I respect the guy. This is an actual good album. 3.5 rounded down.
664/1001 2026.07.23 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
The singles are so so good - like some of the best pure pop music. And the album tracks are such lazy filler bullshit I think he improvised the lyrics or something. Cry Me A River is so weirdly complex and operatic for a boy band song and it’s so good it’s like prog rock. And Seniorita is great - very funny that the album starts with The Neptunes talking for like a minute and then Justin asking “should I start now?” it’s really just their album. And of course Timbaland is there doing whatever he does and it’s also great. Obviously can’t give JT 5 stars so I’m giving him 3 which is a 5 star album for JT.
Back when pop music was fun! I have a huge soft spot for this era and JT in particular. His partnership with Timbaland is super underrated in music lore. Cry Me a River is an all-time favorite pop song of mine and a great karaoke song as a bonus.
as an nsync fan i had much higher hopes for this album. did not hit the way it used it. a lot of the songs sounded the same. could have been 20 minutes shorter.
This was so silly
Slaps. But man, this era of production is really flat.
I'm honestly surprised by all the negative reviews of this album. Even though I was born a year after it was released, I remember Timberlake's songs being everywhere while I was growing up, so listening to this album brings back a wave of nostalgia. And honestly, I don't think you can deny just how catchy it is.
No.
I wish I was a cop. Specifically, the cop that pulled this cultural shitstain over for drunk driving, and genuinely didn't know who he was when he pulled his "I''m JusTiN tiMberLakE" crap. Truly blessed.
I used to say that I didn't like JT when I was in college when this came out, but I did like that the girls got into it and got everyone out on the dance floor. Now that I'm older this is just feel good music. You can hate on it all you want saying it's cracker jack pop music, but the fact is that it's just fun and gets people moving. Anything that does that is a good thing in my book.
he literally made music like he was a cartoon pop star teen sterotype, gotta respect it
I had no idea he was from Memphis :0
Love old JT- he began his career with a bang.
He better worship the ground TImerbland walks on because because he's what makes this half listenable. 3/10
There were quite a few top 40 hits on that.
2.5
Classic
Remember when you asked for the new Prince album for Christmas? And Nanna gave you this, "because the man in the shop said it was just as good"?
Overall a bit cringe, but moments of fun Fave track: Rock your body
God forbid a white man have a little motion. Turned out to be an absolute chud, he’s had a strange career trajectory. There are some hits on here, and they carry. 3.5/5
Lol my thoughts exactly. Wanna be MJ
Dude sounds like he’s trying to be a white version of Michael Jackson. But so was Michael Jackson after 1987.
Not my thing. Justice for Janet Jackson.
This was well produced and sounded good. It doesn’t do that much for me personally though.
More mellow than I expected. Has some bangers like Senorita, Cry Me a River, and Rock Your Body, which have some solid beats - the rest of the songs are kind of meh.
Absolutely terrible, can't believe this crap is on this list. Wish I could give it a minus score
Yikes. This is guy was huge a few decades ago? I find his voice whiny and annoying. The famous “cry me a river” song isn’t even very good either
Great pop. Cry me a river is good here but mixed into Oakenfolds Great Wall mix it goes to another level.
There's nothing wrong with it but why do I hate it so?
Really frontloaded and drags. His next two albums are much better.
Producer is like a dungeon master. If they create a beautiful platform, any type of player will find their groove. These lyrics are all-growed-up tween perspective of the world. The production is proper.
Los sencillos son los que resaltan no veo que sea malo pero son pocas las canciones que resaltan fuera de las conocidas lo mejor del álbum es Timbaland
not my type of music but i like cry me a river
Niin, tästähän ei saanut aikoinaan rockpuritaanina missään nimessä pitää enkä kyllä pitänytkään. No nyt ennakkoluulottomasti kuuntelemaan koko albumi Justinia ja kuinka ollakaan, tämähän on paljon parempi kuin ennakkoluuloni antoivat olettaa. Paras biisi ehdottomasti Rock your body. 3/5
I was surprised at how many songs I recognized. I didn't hate "Justified", but it does sound dated, and it should have been shorter by at least 3 songs and about 15 minutes.
lol. nope.
Highlights: Take It From Here, Last Night. In a nutshell: written for MJ, made by JT et al. Yep. Many of these songs were written with Michael Jackson in mind. Jackson passed on all of them. Justin Timberlake and his collaborators rejigged some things and voila- first solo album. Heavy MJ influence remains (with some Stevie Wonder thrown in), but add more beats. Yet Timberlake doesn't quite go full Robbie Williams here as a post-boy-band-divorce album. This has more swagger and less ego. And better producers: Timbaland and The Neptunes (aka Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo). It shows its age, sure. As a companion piece, go straight to FutureSex/LoveSound. This is where Justin embodies the line "funny a few words turn into sex". Overall: 3/10
Jamais écouté avant. Commençons par une bonne surprise : contrairement à ce que je craignais, et malgré une longueur infinie et complètement injustifiée, l'album n'a pas si mal vieilli et les tubes restent des morceaux efficaces dans le genre pop/R&B massifié sous perfusion de Michael Jackson... Sorti de là, Justified est un album symptomatique de ce moment de la pop music où les artistes sont devenus des vecteurs de la vision commerciale de producteurs plus ou moins talentueux. Ici, on a le droit à une alternance entre les prods rhythm-first et les basses baveuses de Timbaland (deuxième album produit par le monsieur en quelques jours, d'ailleurs, après le Missy Elliott, pour un effet similaire : c'est globalement dégueulasse...) et les inspirations disco/soul rétro (et fatalement nettement plus intéressantes) de The Neptunes. C'est d'ailleurs la voix de Pharrell Williams, la moitié du duo, qui en ouvre le premier morceau, preuve s'il en fallait encore de la prise de contrôle des producteurs sur l'album. N'empêche que je n'y aurais pas cru si on m'avait dit, avant de commencer ce projet, que j'accorderai deux étoiles pour la "valeur historique" d'un album de Justin Timberlake... Top : Rock Your Body Flop : Right for Me
Great pop music of the 2000s. Bit of a golden era really even if we were too old to appreciate it fully at the time. I know he had issues later but this is pretty great. 4.5
Look here's my problem: these are not great records period. That they might have been hugely successful means nothing. Do they have something to say within the limitations of their genre? Do they transcend whether you like the style of music or not? The problem I have with these pop singer albums is they are completely unremarkable and it is just silly to to pretend otherwise. I vaguely know who he is, I think he was one of the folkies in Llewyn Davis, but other than that I've never heard him. Unremarkable.
By the time of his final album, Invincible in 2001, Michael Jackson had lost his way trying to recapture past glories. But there was still life left in the model, which Justin Timberlake was happy to step into the vacuum created by Jacko’s abandonment of the field. The singles are outstanding – Timberlake is a charismatic singer with a sexy confidence with some outstanding production from some of the best RnB producers of the day (Neptunes, Timbaland). The album is overlong, as was the fashion in the late 90s and early 2000s, and I would happily trim 20 minutes of filler. Time has not been kind to Justin’s public image, especially his apparent willingness to throw Britney Spears and Janet Jackson under the bus to further his own ambitions. And this album is Exhibit A in those crimes, which leaves a bit of a bad aftertaste. Cry Me A River and Rock Your Body are bangers, but it is difficult to listen to them without thinking about the reputational aftermath for Britney and Janet, two artists I greatly admire. So, this is really a better-than-most Michael Jackson album, released at a time when Michael’s musical output was irrelevant and his public persona unpalatable. Nothing wrong with that, although hard to hold up as particularly innovative (Neptunes’ production aside). There are some great songs pop here, but they do give me a bit of the ick. 3.5 stars, rounding down for the ick.
A couple of songs in and the dude's voice just gave me a visceral cringe feeling. I am not the audience for this, with all due respect. I guess he sells a lot, so that's something. I'm not making it through an hour of this.
Mixed feelings on this album after reading Britney’s memoir. It’s unfortunate that this album is so boring and the only good song is the one he wrote calling her a crybaby post-breakup. Rock Your Body is good, too.
Das ist jetzt nicht ernst gemeint, oder??
Didn’t like it then, don’t like it now. Ageless cringe. 2 stars because some of the beats are fun
There are like 3 songs that are legit good but overall it feels like Pharrell kinda just fuckin around
This has got to be the most Early 2000’s album in the history of Early 2000’s albums. What a fun little time capsule this was. It shows its age right from song 1, but it was everywhere upon release, so I get the inclusion in the book. It belongs here, love it or hate it. That being said, if a solo Justin Timberlake album ended up making the final cut, it’s surprising to me that the book has no inclusion for either *NSYNC or The Backstreet Boys. I’d have probably preferred either of them to just this. But sure, go ahead, include 6 Elvis Costello albums instead… Random stray, sorry about that, back to the actual review. Justified is fairly generic and by the books, but not entirely unpleasant. As to be expected for the time period. Every album kinda sounded like this at the time. Still good enough to get a 3 though, comfortably. The composition and overall production by Pharrell Williams is very much present on this album, which is cool. He’s great. To an extent, there’s some Timbaland as well that shines through, well before he became a complete and utter loser. Both of those are points in the albums favor. I do love Justin’s voice here, he really does have an impeccable singing voice that lends itself well to the cool beats here, and I’m a tad confused at the low rating this album has in general on the site. For the most part, I stay out of celebrity news for the sake of my mental health, so if he himself is in the spotlight for doing something bad, I’m not aware of it, but I hope he isn’t. Gonna do some research on that, as it’s the only reason I could see this album having the low rating it does. It’s really pretty good as a whole, even if it’s WAY too long and very of its time. Some traditional tropes about women that are very of the time probably wouldn’t slide today. That might be another reason for the low rating, I really don’t know. The inclusion of various samples, beats, tone shifts and other elements are shining elements of why Contemporary R&B can be so cool. While the album does a really good job of mixing it up song to song, it doesn’t need to be over an hour long. A ton of these songs are filler, most of which range from boring and forgettable all the way to absolute bangers. The ones that are bangers, notably “Rock Your Body”, are classics. I love that song. The only thing that could maybe make this album better would be the inclusion of “SexyBack”, which is probably his most successful song, and also his best in my opinion. “Rock Your Body” is a close second though, so I’m not complaining. Still love that song, it’s by far my favorite on this album. Overall, I was surprised by this one. It’s a great debut album and I was bopping pretty heavily to it. Would listen to it again.
Stop, white boy, stop! It's pretty commercial, though Rock Your Body absolutely bangs. Don't ask me why I thought Cry Me a River was going to be the other Cry Me a River, but I shudder to think what he'd do with that. Not very interesting but objectively good production, so probably a 3 overall. No nostalgia factor for me as I was born in 2004, I wonder how that will affect the tour.
Music for sleazy assholes but some decent enough pop at times, 3/10.
Justified is how Len Houmous described his treatment of Justin Timberlake in 1996. 2.4 8/13 Last Night
Unjustified.
Just awful
I can literally think of a 1001 things I would rather have been doing than listening to this before I die. 1*
This is a really nice album and I think I know all of the songs because at some points I had this app that would give me gift cards for completing tasks, and I got iTunes credits and purchased this whole album on iTunes. Overall, quite nice listening to it and yes, there are some songs that are a bit meh, but it's overall alright.
The pop selection on here are just crazy choices. Yeah that's a hot mess of an album, it goes nowhere and stays on its shitty line for way too long. Plus Justin is a terrible person so, there is that.
Hrikalega boring plata.
I agree it’s one you must listen to, but kind of depressing that this is the kind of thing turn of the millennium American pop culture was vaulting to the top.
Awful dude appropriating black music in general and Michael Jackson in particular. What's worse, he doesn't succeed despite all the massive help he has. Awful record.
Favorite Track: Like I Love You
# An In-Depth Review of Justin Timberlake's *Justified* (2002) *Justified* is the album where Justin Timberlake stepped out of the boy-band shadow and into the spotlight as a serious R&B artist. Released in 2002, it was a calculated and largely successful gamble that traded the glossy pop of \*NSYNC for a more mature, groove-driven sound. ## The Music and Production: A Tale of Two Titans The album's sonic identity is defined by a split between two of the era's most influential production teams: The Neptunes and Timbaland. This created an album that, while cohesive in its R&B focus, showcased distinct and powerful styles. The tracks produced by The Neptunes, like "Like I Love You" and "Rock Your Body," are built on a funky, minimalist groove with an '80s soul feel. Their sound is lush and stylish, providing a perfect backdrop for Timberlake's falsetto. "Señorita," the album's opener, immediately grabs your attention with its live-performance vibe and call-and-response energy. The Timbaland-produced tracks, on the other hand, are more experimental and rhythmically complex. While some critics felt a few of these tracks bore Timbaland's signature style a bit too heavily, the partnership produced the album's undeniable masterpiece, "Cry Me a River". This track, a mix of electro-shuffle and symphonic drama, is the moment Timberlake truly grabs the reins and becomes an artist in his own right. Timbaland himself recalls that this was the track that solidified their creative partnership. ## Lyrics and Themes: Heartbreak and a Newfound Swagger Lyrically, *Justified* is obsessed with two things: the fallout of a high-profile breakup and the thrill of new, unencumbered romance. The split from Britney Spears hangs over the album like a specter. Tracks like "Never Again" are direct and maudlin, painting Timberlake as the wronged party in a relationship where he "wasn't loved enough". However, the album is at its best when he transitions from heartbreak to the stories of its aftermath. On tracks like "Señorita" and "Rock Your Body," he adopts the persona of a charming, 'stud on the loose'. This new-found swagger was a crucial part of his image shift, showing he could be suave, sly, and a little bit cocky, a stark contrast to his 'good boy' image. The album's theme of "justifying" his solo career and adult persona is woven throughout the music. ## Influence and Legacy *Justified* is a pivotal album for Timberlake, drawing heavily from his musical idols. The influence of Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder is palpable throughout, with many critics noting that the album achieved the sophisticated, modern R&B-pop hybrid that Jackson's own *Invincible* had failed to deliver. The album's use of '60s and '70s soul as inspiration was seen as a mature and refreshing move. Critically and commercially, the album was a success, selling over 10 million copies and winning a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. More importantly, it established Timberlake's solo career and created a blueprint for the pop-R&B sound of the next decade. --- ## Pros and Cons ### Pros - **Exceptional Production**: The album features some of the best work of the decade from The Neptunes and Timbaland. The grooves are tight, fresh, and timeless. - **The "Cry Me a River" Centerpiece**: This track is not just the album's highlight but a defining moment in early 2000s pop music—a stunner that is both sonically innovative and emotionally charged. - **Successful Artistic Reinvention**: Timberlake successfully shed his teen-pop image and established himself as a credible artist, paving the way for a massive solo career. - **Cohesion and Depth**: Despite being split between two major producers, the album feels cohesive. Its deep cuts showcase surprising versatility and a willingness to experiment beyond the hit singles. ### Cons - **A "Strangely Anonymous" Voice**: A major criticism is that Timberlake's vocal delivery, while technically skilled, can feel like a cipher, lacking the distinct character to compete with the dominant production. At times, he sounds more like a vessel for the producers' ideas than a fully formed personality. - **Ineffective and Awkward Lyrics**: When not striking gold with heartbreak, the lyrics can be painfully awkward. For a young man trying to sound like a seductor, lines like "I can think of a couple of positions for you" come off less like a suave pick-up and more like a kid trying too hard to prove he's mature. - **Predictable Ballads**: The two slower ballads, "Still On My Brain" and "Never Again," are often cited as the album's weakest points, feeling drab and uninspired compared to the dynamic pop-R&B that surrounds them. In the end, *Justified* is an album of remarkable highs and a few notable stumbles. It's an essential document of a pop star in transition, whose ambition was largely matched by the talent of his collaborators and his own drive to be taken seriously.
Tortyr. Gillar 2 låtar och de är extremt bra. Men resten är så dåligt att det var hemskt att inte kunna skippa. Känns som att om man tänker till tiden var det absolut ett bättre album, men långt ifrån 1001 bästa någonsin?
corny af but, I have to say - some songs had good background.
Probably should be a two! 🤷♂️
what lunatic thinks anyone needs to hear this
This album is boring af,like two good songs and the rest is filler. It's not bad but goddamn there's almost nothing of worth here
Soooooooo, Justified is the debut album of Justin Timberlake after his departure from N-sync. And the record is very all over the place with it's sound. Aside from a few songs in the beginning, this release is nothing special. Timberlake sounds good on some songs, but others he isn’t interesting enough for 5 minute songs.
一股qq飞车味呢
Not the worst out there, but doesn't catch me in any real way
I never know what to expect from this app lmao Señorita: good opening 2-3-4: good rythms throughout, wish it used the longer run times to develop the sound a little more, just feels the same throughout each song Cry me a river: oh that intro was fucking nasty. This song is doing what I just asked the previous songs to do lmao
Decent album.
Look I respect it, but I definitely don’t like it or this era of pop music. I like Timberlake as a person. He’s funny on SNL when he hosts. Not for me. Couple tracks. 2/5
uhh… i don’t like this guy
I recognise all the singles. Some of the cringiest lyrics i’ve ever heard.
Listened more than once during work, some hours later I cannot recall a single sound.
Why is this over an hour??? Timberlake is a much better actor than singer
Meh
What a waste of the neptunes
Although he did not yet have the courage to bring sexy back, you can hear the foundations of his dedication to that cause here.
It’s what his audience wants, but it’s laughable or cringey most of the time.
I appreciate it's cultural significance and some of the songs are kinda catchy. I was never really a huge fan though.
Pretty decent JT album for a debut.
So white dude sings like black chick. 😑 I guess some people like that, I’m just not one of them.
Un buen álbum para chicas hot, tiene flow
Not a tremendous fan of Justin or this white boy early noughties r &b. Cry Me a River and Rock Your Body are both decent songs, but that’s about it.
Very poppy and quite a Michael Jackson sound, this isn't my thing, but probably one of the best in brand.
sometimes I was nodding my ahead along with the music, I guess it's fine.
Have never heard an album by him before. Only his hit songs. Not bad, he does know how to craft a song.
I cannot comprehend how a Justin Timberlake album (any of them at all) made this list. You could've just listed any late 90s R&B album and it would've been both Better and More Fun to listen to. I don't want to listen to this babyface talk about wanting to fuck. Nobody wants that. Can't believe how much airtime so many of these songs got.
Came to this with an open mind but it really isn’t for me. Just a bit boring. Super produced. Bit clean. Cry me a river an interesting track. Got some corners in it. (I know what I mean, like something makes you want to listen a bit closer, zoom in, turn the corner to find out what it is. Nice layering of tracks. Yep it’s a hit so maybe there’s familiarity bias. I don’t think I’d purposefully put this on again. 2.5 feels harsh but true.
Justified suffers from 90s/early aughts album bloat in the back half, with the ballads and slower stuff. The top half represents some of the best that the era had to offer. Lots of great memorable tracks on here. Timberlake and Timbaland were at the peak of their game.
ok fine Mateen- this is kind of a bop.
not exactly a stunning/perfect album because towards the end some of the songs blend together, but overall a very solid album
There is nothing positive I get from this. Absolutely horrible for me. The whole time I kept thinking about "Debra" from Beck, and that just bumped it from a zero to a one.
I think I’ve given 2 stars to every pop album from this era, but maybe this one will surprise me and deserve less. All the best parts of this album feel like things that didn't quite make it onto N.E.R.D.'s debut record, "In Search Of..." so The Neptunes just used them here. Actually, THAT record should be on this list if we want to give The Neptunes some love. They were really cooking in 2002, and the only reason this album has any residual value. If there's an instrumental-only version of this record, I'd like to listen to that. Fitting that this album ends with "Never Again", as that's exactly how I feel about it.
Drivel
a classic OG JT album, dad used to listen to songs from this album a lot, wouldn't re-listen to every songs but there are some great ones
This list is heavily skewed towards male artists, and a significant chunk of the female artists are basically just singers, manufactured pop stars. The real cure to this would be to have more interesting and experimental female artists, but in some ways it is nice to redress the balance by featuring this album on the list, an album of 100% pure manufactured trash, without any artistic qualities or even pretensions, from a male artist. That's right, editors, show that men can be just as crap and worthless, then you can pat yourselves on the back for the next twenty white guys you put on this list who are in a forgotten proto- or post-punk band, or who were really big in Manchester around 1997, or who have guitars and something to say. Justin has no guitar and nothing to say, but so far he is unique on this list for me with this collection of trite, repetitive and artless garbage.
Well. I'm not the target audience for this. I'm an overweight 60 something male but to be honest it was OK. Production very inventive, songs slight but unoffensive. Probably 20 minutes over long.
Cry me a River is s good track. The rest of this album is super lazy.
There was a moment, closer to its release, when I would have rated this pretty highly. Timberlake's voice is very charismatic. The Neptunes and Timbaland's production is infectious. In 2002, this felt like a fireball to pop music in the best way, and those SNL stints bought him a lot of goodwill from people who rolled their eyes at whatever N Sync was. It's not aging well, partly because it sounds so 2002, and partly because Timberlake is undermining his charisma and goodwill at every chance he gets. But the honest reason I'm rating this low is that it comes the day after I was served John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," and this is no "A Love Supreme." And when I say it's no "A Love Supreme," I don't mean it in the Abe-D'Catfish-in-Bojack-Horseman-"because-they-already-made-Casablanca-and-this-is-a-different-movie" kind of way.
Justin is great. I like all of his music!
Wow this is not for me, just hated this album and I hated the delivery/production so much. It’s not the worst album I’ve heard so far. But it’s definitely in the running. I can concede that “rock your body” is WILDLY catchy. I just hate it, I really wanted to give it a chance, and I feel like I did, but this album is exactly what I hated in grade school/middle school, and that just hasn’t changed. One catchy song can’t stop an album from being this shallow. Also I was sort of irritated with JT, here’s why, I didn’t like it at first, but when the song “right for me” got to the rap near the end, I was sort of woken up over by that rapper, but THERE IS NO FEATURE. Like how is the best part of your song not getting credited with a feature? I can also concede that despite hating the production style, the vast majority of the songs are painfully catchy instrumentally, like the song”let’s take a ride” super catchy little beat in that song. Honestly I think this whole album could’ve been great if there was more variety in vocals, or frankly, just no JT. I might really like it more that way. So the album as a whole did nothing for me but the one track I did save was “let’s take a ride”, make of that what you will.
Nope. Didn't care for this one bit.
An incredible pop/rnb album. So many different styles with obvious hits and a few filler songs. The instrumentals are timeless and I guess that Justin's voice is an acquired taste, but I like it with this music very much. It's not perfect, but it's a great album, nontheless. 4/5
2000s dance pop. Debut. Timbaland production is outstanding.
Couple bangers, the rest I could leave
Never gave this album a second thought when it was released. But after seeing him on SNL and in movies, I began to appreciate his talents. Good voice. Solid production. Decent pop album.
I just don't enjoy Justin Timberlake and find him to be a culture vulture
Fuck off
This is a pop/R&B album with that early 2000s flavor. It was kind of boring to me because the beat was pretty much the same throughout. The only exception was "Like I Love You". That one sounds the most unique and I recognize it as a radio hit, and it's a decent song.
I actually quite like Justin Timberlake’s music, but I find this album a bit monotonous. Two stars...
Took me back to highschool, outside the singles that are bangers, this is entirely forgettable.
I can't handle vocals that try too hard. And this is basically a Michael Jackson album. Rock Your Body is a good song though.
I enjoyed the album.
other than the two bangers, im okay not knowing the rest of this album Would I listen again: no Deserves to be on this list: maybe? JT is big but eh 2.5
It is perfectly fine and that is not to its discredit. There are some fun songs and of course some classics from my early 2000s childhood. However, it is just a very middle-of-the-road R&B album which I cannot say I will be desperate to listen to again to in the near future.
Dance! Dance! Dance!
Before Justin Bieber, there was Justin Timberlake. I would award this album 3 stars, however I’m deducting one for what he did to Britney.
Listened to this the day after watching Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping so may be a little jaded but didn't enjoy this. So many of the songs felt like an endless bridge in search of a melody
Can't really stomach this. Disney artists don't count Will I listen to again: 0%
A fun throwback worth listening to simply because this is what 2002 and 2003 sounded like.
Justified - Justin Timberlake (2002) Well, that was actually better than I thought it would be. Or maybe I'm more sensitive to this kind of musicality now than I was 15 years ago. No track really stands out to me, apart from the extremely famous hits on it. It's also a bit repetitive and somehow could have been shorter. Overall a pretty decent listening and an okay R&B album. ⭐⭐⭐ 5.75/10 [This album was listened to and reviewed on October the 4th, 2026.]
es muy bueno el JT
Mir gefällt das nicht, nicht mein Style
I swear the people on this list hate fun, this is a banger of an album
Really enjoyied this. Very unexpectedly.
idk i just am not really a JT girl. he kinda freaks me out......
Absolutely horrible. Sounded like if Stevie Wonder was deaf not blind, and also white and completely shit
Baby Justin! A lot of water under the bridge since then and frankly a lot of this record sounds fairly dated. Still a solid pop record for the time and a trajectory setting one for JT.
JT plays the character of scorned fuckboy on this album that brings together the biggest pop/R&B producers and writers of the era. There are some good tracks but Justin's performance feels gross to me.
Not even nostalgia could save how dated this sounds
Perhaps it was the influence of older sisters, but I've always enjoyed Nsync and Justin Timberlake since I was a kid.
I thought I would enjoy this more but it felt like the same one over and over.
I remember when this came out, and how it sounded fresh. Maybe due to the latin vibes it still sounds fresh in many ways, although production is very 00's. Ok pop, but no songs that would resonate to me. That's why only 2 stars.
Tää ei taaskaan ollut mun juttu. Kuuntelin läpi, mutta ei tästä jäänyt mitään käteen.
A few good tracks but the rest just sounds like filler from a mediocre Michael Jackson album
Achei que seria melhor, mas é meio paia.
3.75 Just a few days ago I literally had the thought, randomly, “I wonder if FutureSex/Lovesounds is on this list?” And lo and behold, a few days later……well, it’s an album that’s not as good as FutureSex/Lovesounds, but is still pretty okay. I’ll be disappointed if it isn’t on the list too, because this is basically a dry run for that masterpiece of a pop album. And yes, I know it’s Timberlake, whose reputation is currently in the bin and has spent the past decade putting it there himself, but man. What a moment in time it was when he was making GOOD pop music. There’s some great stuff on this album! You hear the first sparks of his collaborations with Timbaland. It’s cheesy, it’s goofy, a lot of it sounds a little tryhard, but it also takes me back to a moment in MY life when I was young and pure and everything was okay! That’s music, man! Living nostalgia!
R & B , heavily MJ influeced Like i love you Cry me a river
Best Track - "Rock Your Body"
Just stick a screwdriver in my ear please! Nothing worse than a rich white kid trying to sound like he grew up in the inner city.
3 Genuinely better than I was expecting and the best 5/6 songs were pretty good. Unfortunately there were another 4/5 that were just mediocre and a couple that were outright awful. Someone also needs to tell him that songs can be shorter than 5 minutes
2002 review....I really like it, makes me want to get up and dance. He is so cute and Brittney did him wrong. He has a great voice and the production is awesome. 4/5 2026 review....ummm its catchy, Pharrell really knows how to write a catchy dance song and produce an album. Did Brittney really do him wrong or were they just young kids and he exploited her in a time when everyone thought he could do no wrong? Because your track record of being an advocate for females (justice for Janet) isn't great and would lead me to think you just figured out how to make yourself a bigger star. You are a bomb dancer but so were the other four guys you rose to fame with. Beyond the radio hits, I was bored 2.5/5 2002 Justin didn't know better and was living in a world that helped him thrive and he might not have known it. 2026 Justin is still living in a world that helps him thrive but now he knows it but acts like he (and he alone) are the reasons he is famous. The title of the albums seems to say it all....Justified, he feels Justified and I am not sure he should
The hits on here are a pretty good time. The rest of the album is too R&B-y for my taste, but it's very well produced and cool to see his evolution from bubble gum boy pop to a more mature sound.
I may have to listen to the rest of this from another room. He's a fucking boy band singer FFS. The existence of this album on the list discredits the rest of the list.
I got tired of this album 3/4 of the way through it. Not horrible but monotonous. Two stars.
I tried. But soooo dull, soooo long.
4/5
Too meaningless
Musical junk food but it has a few good songs and a dance beat.
Just seems like a playboy boy, without much depth, and without the ability to transcend like Michael had.
I mean, it's OK...just not a fan of fluffy pop music.
Rather anticlimactic to celebrate listening to a years worth of albums. Wasn’t the worst thing I could have gotten though I guess. Timberlake has a nice voice
Solid commercial pop, including some good singles, some forgettable filler, and some total stinkers, and overall the production rescues the MJ-lite vocals..
Timbaland and the Neptunes do such inspired work here that it made this dude seem cool for like a decade and a half.
The hits are quite nostalgic from university student union nights. Really good pop production values and it’s good at what it’s trying to do. I just don’t really like what it’s trying to do.
Great voice and production, but, like all the 00s pop on this list, it’s about 2 or 3 songs too long. So much filler.
firi firi
Better than Coldplay
Some excellent 2000s r&b production and songwriting (shoutout to the Neptunes in their glory days!) that is sadly often tarnished by Justin Timbersnake-erm-lake’s corny culture vulture ass.
3 average
I never listen to him on my own, but Rock Your Body is still fire over 20 years later. Overall pretty good album.
interesting to hear where JT began to some degree. makes me wonder how much is him and how much is timbaland and/or neptunes. still, pretty good. 💥cry me a river 💥rock your body
this was definitely cooler back in 2002, not so much these days
Listened to this album twice, which shows it's got something going for it. Perfectly okay, high quality pop music. JT is channeling Michael Jackson to the very best of his abilities.
Again, shitty old straigh white male music.
So boring.
I could listen to just the backing tracks, they were fantastic. JTs voice is fine but fairly generic. There are some great songs on here though.
Ewwww
Was expecting to loathe this album, but it ended up fine
Easy listening, not really for me. Bit of background music, did not feel engaged with the music. And was kinda hoping for the album to be over sooner.
Not for me
You know what. I was looking forward to this one but it really doesn't hold up well. Very dated.
A mixed bag- no denying that Timberlake is a talented singer. But the attitude and subject matter of the songs is both superficial and one night. The hits are definitely hits though. Overall- decent enough. 2.5 to 3 / 5
The inclusion of this on this list has aged like milk. Don't get me wrong I like pop through the ages - a good pop single fine, cry me a river and rock your body are ok. But an album, 60 minutes of this, messed up my morning. My thoughts have all been said in the reviews already; M Jackson obsession, popular white boy, competent production. Fairly vapid, paper thin if well made pop, too long to maintain any quality. And as I'm not a fan of Jacksons brand of pop, no, I didn't need to hear this. Edit the book and take it out. 2 Star
frickin pop gold. I had such a good time listening to this, the production is just so good all around and I love the direction JT took his career. great debut and there was even better t9 come. My only gripe was that the singles do most of the heavy lifting, but it still made for a great nostalgic listen.
Rock solid pop album. The hits are massive with Cry Me a River basically being the best break up song ever. The rest of the album holds up really well. Mr JT clearly loves certain styles of music and artists as there are clear references to folks like Stevie Wonder all over. Production by The Neptunes and Timbaland sounded so fresh and fun when this album dropped. It’s nice to revisit it as it holds up. The album is a little long which knocks a star off but overall it sets the stage nicely for Justin’s successful solo career.
I need every user on here to apologize to all the weird experimental music and German shit that is the lowest rated on here and apologize. This album is the dribbling shits. Worst thing I’ve listened to
Wow - ok. So “JT” is super cringe. I want to give him a negative rating. It’s not just the boy band aroma that sticks to him like bad cologne, it’s the MJ impersonation, the lyrics, everything really. But then there is the production. I just can’t fault it. It’s good. And the collaborations that make Timberlake seem like a rotten center in a well done dessert. The Michael Jackson influence is legitimate, it isn’t simply Timberlake’s acting persona. So how do I rate this? Crazy, but I think I’m actually giving it a 3. The production is that good. I really really dislike Justin himself. But I guess if you have a machine behind you… Boolean rating: yes, I suppose it was good to hear this. It was of a moment, that’s for sure. And it does prove that a well oiled studio machine can make manic even with a terrible front man.
Purely a four, for the nostalgia of being young and foolish.
Truly God awful
Ok. Not looking forward to this one. Not digging the first track. I’m not sure why. Rhythmically I like what’s happening. It’s something with the overall sound. I’m only on track four and I’m bored with this album. It’s not doing anything for me. Was this album a big seller? It’s really boring for me. I don’t know if I’ve been happier for an album to be over. This just shows that there is something for everyone and not everyone likes everything. I know people love it. It’s just not for me. At all.
Mid
Fine
i just(in) hate him
The mixing/production overall is pretty good, and is definitely the main positive of the album. The backing has some real punch, "Right For Me" and "Senorita" being key examples. Musically, the main interest for me comes from the fact that several tracks make heavy use of beatbox/a capella style for pretty much all of the backing. I actually find it quite cringe inducing, personally, but I didn't even particularly notice it when this album actually came out, so that's obviously a modern reflection on the music. Lyrically, it's pretty terrible. The album goes on for way too long. It's boring. Pretty unimaginative. As far as singer/songwriter albums go, it's pretty crap - Justin's voice isn't terrible, but there's only 1 song ("Never Again") where it really felt like it was properly showcased. Production scores some points, but not enough to save it from a 2.
He's clearly inspired by Michael Jackson and controversial take but I kinda think he achieves it and even manages to feel distinct. However, that opinion probably comes from the fact that I don't particularly think Michael Jackson music is all that impressive. Mid 3
Hitsen fortfarande ganska kul
Hade nog bara hört hitsen innan men nä, det här hade jag inte behövt lyssna på.
Tråkig vibe, provocerande melodilöst, tråkiga beats. Noll existensberättigande.
Jackson wannabe
Hade höga förväntningar på denna efter att ha sett några av låttitlarna, men resten imponerade inte tyvärr.
⭐️⭐️
Ok I know im gona hate this album but atleast its a pop record so its not gona be long rigth ? 1h of my time has just been wasted on listening to Justin fucking Timberlake and I wanna die. -0/5
5/5/26. Never heard the full album outside the singles. My favorite songs still hold up well, and the rest of the album is enjoyable. A little bland, but JT displayed some twists and turns.
No thanks, I'm good.
I will say this: this album made me miss a time when you had to have knockout singing ability to be a pop star. I also admit that I really like quite a few Justin Timberlake songs. None of them are on this album, though. I don’t hate this, but I don’t think it needs to be on here when JT has at least two albums that are much better.
I hate to be the kind of guy who listens to a pop or R&B album and goes "lol this isnt REAL COCK MUSIC, 1 star". But when an album spends a full hour and 3 minutes sounding identical and bouncing completely off of me, I don't think I can really give it any higher.
There’s a lot of 90s and early 2000s music that I just don’t think society needs anymore and this is some of it. Overall not terrible though, but it’s time to move on.
Look, if Pharrell's on production, I'm sat the fuck down. ...... Is what I thought at first; unfortunately I don't think this album holds up all that well. It released near the cutoff date for the book's first edition, and perhaps at that time, this would indeed seem like a revolutionary record that would help shape the sound of the 2000s. Listening today though, it mostly sounds like a collection of oddly dated club jams (and not in a "fun throwback banger" kind of way). Shoutout to that one reviewer and their dancing wife though, because just as I was starting to get dismissive about the album, my own gf came into the room and started really vibing along. That's an angle we don't consider enough in these reviews: would your partner dance along to it? JT might indeed be one for the ladies. Standouts: (Oh No) What You Got • Take It From Here • Cry Me A River • Nothin' Else
Justin Timberlake has a serious ego problem. He drops an album every five to seven years or so and they are always over an hour long, when in reality he produces about an hour of enjoyable music per decade. The first chunk of this album is fantastic, but it starts to lose steam somewhere between Nothin' Else and Take Me Now, and the back part is a real slog.
Rating solely based on nostalgia factor. Some of these are soooo cringe, looking back. We thought they were so cooll lolllll
No thank you
Missed opportunity for him to call this album “justinified”
Could easily cut 5 songs from this album and raise it a whole star. Definitely some fun pop music on here that I jam to 20 years later but problems with curation, music in those early days of the timberland domination of pop music.
I’m not listening to an hour of this as my 100th album
Dude, fuck off.
It is on sight with this mf, but unfortunately this album is so of its time its charming. Pure nostalgia, which we all know means nothing. If I can't conjure up anything more to say than this reminds me of family cookouts and is easy to listen to, it can't be *that* vital to a list like this. It made me think back to when all these white artists were obsessed with dipping their toes (well, I guess more like cannonballing) into the R&B pool in the early 2000s...something must've been in the air. Because really, what the hell? Shoo. Get. Settling on a 3.5, rounded down to 3. It certainly made its mark, has classics millennials will get misty-eyed over, and isn't English rock dreck.
Incredible first half with a second half that falls flat. Sitting the difference in the score.
All the nostalgia from my childhood comes around. Butnlistening to this, now, can't really like this. Lyrics too, how okay today, really?
I tried, I really tried.
I really don't think this album belong to this 1001 albums list. + Pharrel and Timbaland are clear step up from Max Martin (and *nsync) for me + Senorita, Rock your body and Like I love you are good singles and first 2 were on heavy rotation in nightclubs back in the day. - Other than those few songs, I don't think this is really that good album
Was catchy but gave me the ick big time
it’s this kind of music that made 13 y/o me incredibly snobby about “only listening to classical music.” far too heterosexual
I like JT and the album is nice overall, especially its contributions from Janet Jackson and Timbaland, but there's a lot of filler here. I think any one of his next three records probably would have been better inclusions.
Just sort of corny tbh 4.1/10
Esto es mi adolescencia básicamente. Lo recordaba mucho mejor de lo que me parece ahora. Pero tiene canciones top
I'm so glad Britney smoked him with toxic.
Rock your body and cry me a river and a bunch of crap
A debut solo album that foretold what the decade of pop music would sound like. The hits still are bangers, "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body.". Some of the songs show the patina of the Mickey Mouse Club dancer trying to grow up to be Prince, "Let's Take a Ride". Or Michael Jackson, "Last Night". Overall, an impressive opening act that stands up almost 25 years later.
man this is uneven
Pop. Not my thing.
Cry Me A River is a banger. There are also a couple of other good songs on the album. The production is stellar. However, there is just too much filler to justify the 1 hour plus running time. And Still on My Brain might be in my bottom 10 songs ever
maybe I’m biased because I lowk hate this guy though
Tres annee 2000 comme j’aime, tres r&b nouvelle vague avec des sons tres lover, rupture amoureuse et sensuel
Meeh
Под настроение очень хорошо должно быть
Justin Timberlake is definitely an... interesting figure in pop culture. Though he first entered the public consciousness as a part of NSYNC, Mr. Timberlake quickly made a name for himself with his solo career, starting in 2002 with this very album, Justified. Since then, he's made a ton of sales off of his music, earned a bunch of awards, and starred in movies. He should be a well-respected figure, right? Uhh, no. The man has become a bit of a joke over the years, and not always a funny one. From things as inconsequential as poor reception to albums to things that actually reflect poorly on Justin's character like the Janet Jackson stuff, it's hard to say that Justin Timberlake's legacy is as strong as it seemed it would be in the 2000s. But we're not here to talk about that stuff. We're here to see where it all started. The world tour may have been ruined by that fuckin' DWI, but was my day ruined by this album? No, but I didn't love this. Yeah, Justified isn't a great album, but it's not all bad. I think the production on here is actually pretty good. Much of it was handled by the Neptunes, and those guys usually know what they're doing, right? The writing is kinda cringe at some times, but it could be much worse. Justin's voice is okay here. He's definitely trying a little too hard to be Michael Jackson, but if you're going to take cues from any artist, you might as well take them from one of the best to ever do it, you know? I mean, there are some iconic singles on here. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a little bit of nostalgia for "Cry Me A River" and "Rock Your Body," but I also think there are some decisions made on those songs that aren't the best. I don't like it when Justin does weird things with his mouth, okay? Overall, Justified is okay, but it leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps FutureSex/LoveSounds would've made for a better inclusion on this list. Low 3/5.
It is what it is
R&B. Is it Justin Timberlake or is it Michael Jackson? Apparently the producers of just over half of the tracks on this album used songs that were rejected by Michael Jackson. Sounds like any of the other many R&B albums from this period, not bad, but nothing exciting.
Sibling unnecessarily and repetitive, find something else to sing about matey.
Ok, it wasn't all bad. But Jesus Christ that "sexy" voice he does makes my skin want to jump off of my body. This was hard to listen to at times, I'm sure it's just dated, but quit calling me "mami" Justin
8/1001 Justified - Justin Timberlake (2002) The definition of a front-loaded album. The singles really carry this from being just below average to just above, and something worth listening to. After "Rock Your Body" I was mostly... bored. That said, the six track run from the opener was something I enjoyed far more than I expected, even if some tracks veer on the side of tacky. Rather than enjoying this as a Justin Timberlake album, I felt like I was mostly just enjoying The Neptunes and Timbaland. Somehow pleasantly surprised overall. ★★★
Even though this isn't my kind of music, I listened with an open mind, but it's just forgettable, weak, and derivative sounding. The algorithm suggested some decent tunes of a broadly similar genre after the album finished, such as Outkast, TLC, and No Diggity, all of which are far superior to anything on this album. Rounded down from 1.5 to 1 stars as he's a twat.
Timberlake or Timbaland? Justified earns a 3 out of 5 for me. It’s an album with flashes of personality, but it never fully steps out of the shadow of its early‑2000s influences. The production—while polished—leans so heavily on the Neptunes and Timbaland formulas of the era that the record feels more like a stylistic collage than a cohesive artistic statement. Timberlake’s vocals are competent but rarely compelling, and several tracks blur together without leaving much of an impression. There are a couple of catchy moments, but overall the album feels more like a promising sketch than a fully realized debut.
Tässä oli tuttuja tanzzi-hittejä, en ollut koko levyä koskaan kuunnellut. Ihan okei.