Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Levy on nostalginen ja täynnä bängereitä, yks tähti lähtee kun JT:stä tulee vähän ei niin freshit vibat nykysellään. Vaikutti kuuntelukokemukseen miedosti.
The Good: This album is Justified! The Bad: Don’t believe everything you’re told… The Ugly: The only good thing about this album is the silence after the last song… I hit skip… and skip…. though, I did try and listen to the first song… but I couldn’t. Somehow, I actually started getting aggressive towards anything pop related. Also, though the album hails from 2002, this is such a ‘90s shit-storm, it isn’t even funny…. or, my brain is just playing tricks on me. Poor Justin, he’s not getting a lot of love I guess. Off to listen to one of the other many albums I still left to rate—2 week business trips really don’t help trying to catch up… 1*
pop. Probably great but not my style
I’ve probably said it too many times to bear repeating but the list just misses my tastes again. They could have chosen Timberlake’s very solid sophomore effort, FutureSex/LoveSounds. Instead they choose his lackluster, uneven debut. Admittedly the actual quality of the production is on point. I haven’t looked it up but it sounds like Pharrell Williams and/or The Neptunes at their height of influence. The songs are mostly unremarkable and the last song (Never Again?) is unforgivably cheesy and has no place on this album at all. Try again list.
A collection of well produced tracks with JT singing over them. I don’t love JT’s voice, but he can sing well. I feel like this is more of a “party album” or something than any sort of contribution to the musical arts.
Listening in 2026, this sounds so dated. It's corny, tries too hard with thr "hello ladies" vibe and the Timbaland production is banal. "Rock Your Body" is okay, "Like I Love You" is catchy and "Cry Me A River" is passable pop (if a bit overplayed at this point), but the rest is nothing special. "Take It From Here" is an early nadir from which the album struggles to recover. This is not groundbreaking or even that good. JT's follow up album was far more revolutionary and easily deserves a spot on this list.
Buen album pero tiene skips. 7/10
huh. the call and response is certainly something. what else does Mr JD have for me? Well i like the way you move. some moments sparked joy. But overall, didnt feel particulary groovy nor tapped into his vibe. A one and done, with rare revisitation to the hits.
Unironically love this album and ironically love JT - what a man But boring in parts though, some of the songs are just kinda… there
It has no business being this long even if some is great. Pop albums are always better when they are in between 35-42 mins. You could easily cut a handful of songs at the end. Senorita is superb, like I love you is great. Cry Me A River is a classic. Rock Your Body is okay. Nothin' Else sounds like a stevie wonder copy
Pop, RnB, Rap, 2002 -> 3
There’s undeniably a couple bops in here. Not what I really fancy listening to a whole hour of though.
Just not a pop music person, not something I would actively seek out to listen to, some classic commercial hits for the supermarket aisle
Memorable JT
A lot of anger in reviews for this one, but it's pretty fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. I do agree that it's too long though--chop a few songs off and maybe it gets to 3.5
Influential on pop culture for sure, but we've got a severe case of listener/music mismatch going on when I have to white-knuckle my way through a 63 minute album over the course of three hours, taking breaks between every track. Absolutely, brutally, profoundly not to my tastes.
i do not believe the inclusion of this album was justified within this list. ugh, FINE, actual thoughts. this one hell of an early 2000s time capsule. the production from timbaland and the neptunes is good enough that if this were not justin timberlake i think this would be a decent-solid album. unfortunately we've got this goofy looking and sounding dude trying to pretend he has sex appeal. he looks and sounds like a guy i would not leave my drink unattended around you know what i mean? you're not michael jackson!!! it's unfortunate that "cry my a river" is such an incel anthem because honestly the beat on that track is shockingly good. "rock your body" likewise would go crazy hard if it was not timberlake singing this.
You are kidding me. This is a joke right. "Trolls" actor and Flop Era extraordinaire Justin Timberlake once allegedly said "Oh yeah. Fo-shiz Fo-shiz, Ginuwine. What's up, Homie?" and whilst that has never been actually confirmed, it is the exact kind of cringe channelled throughout Justin Timberlakes work. We do not need to critically reassess this man. I very nearly DNF'ed this album. If I have to give this album something its that I think Timbaland's production is pretty good here. Timbaland might nowadays is an AI grifter, but you can't say he wasn't without talent. I kinda forgot how weird Cry Me a River actually sounds. The Neptunes are also trying their hardest to make this album sound good evidenced most in "rock your body", which would be an actual great song had it not been Timberlake singing it. Idk I just don't see Justin Timberlake as cool or hot and all his music REALLY wants you to believe he is for it to work.
Tras superar los prejuicios que tenía reconozco que es un muy buen disco, toque de Neptunes brutal producción. Con el sello de pharrel
POP-tastic
This was so hard to rate for me. Some of these are bangers- cry me a river gets 10 stars. The second half of this album gets 2 stars, the first half gets 5 stars
Pop!
Some millennial bangers and some very forgettable songs. Some catchy beats and some boring ones. Didn't age all that well but nostalgia carries it a little
Ever since starting listening to this album I felt like I was listening to something important. Of course I knew the singles, but the album feels really cohesive and I really liked it.
Nope.
Not bad in places but not good either
I was dreading this but it was honestly alright. Too long like a lot of these 90s-00s early albums tend to be . 2.5
not even the neptunes can save this slimy comphet ass album. I'm glad we've left this era behind
Very meh, and unremarkable. Not necessarily bad, but very little that pulls me in. Typical of the time period.
JT is an integral part of 2000s pop and in his debut, Pharrell has him doing his best MJ impression. However, I think that FutureSex/LoveSounds should have been the JT album on the list.
I thought I knew Timberlake's work, and decided I didn't like it. Turns out I did not actually know a lot of his work. Now I can say with improved confidence that I don't like it at all. 2/10
Not for me.
Record feels flat and boring. Also pretty dark sounding. Lacking life.
113. ok
I'm right in line with everyone on this one. Great production, sounding like MJ but missing it badly, getting dull fast.
So I’m not like Kori and I definitely liked Adele better. Seniorita is a banger and I like a couple others but he’s kind of a whiny sounding singer and it got annoying.
I can't imagine anyone other than teenagers actually enjoying this music and I think people usually like JT's early albums like this because of nostalgia from their youth. I didn't grow up listening to this so for me it's just bad. He uses a lot of falsetto in a tone that I really don't enjoy and the lyrics make me cringe a bit. Overall, I just can't take this music seriously and one hour feels very long. The production of the album and backing tracks actually seem decent though. I don't have a problem with that aspect.
Not gunna lie. I liked this better than Adele. I think we should all start a “boy” band. Iain and James clearly have a lot of opinions about singing so they’re probably better at singing than me. So I’ll just bring vibes or something the rest of NSYNC brought to the group. Karen, Kerri and whoever else is still around can all play some sort of musical thing or work on a k-pop like narrative to sell to the masses. You guys in? I think the album could have been trimmed down a bit imo. But the Clipse feature on Like I love You is a cool find. If you haven’t listened to Clipse’s newest album Let God Sort Em Out (LGSEO). I highly recommend it, LGSEO showcases more of Pharrell’s production seen on this album. It should have won rap album of the year at the Grammy’s. But Bad Bunny won AOTY so Kendrick Lamar ended up with Rap AOTY but could have easily been AOTY making space for clipse to win the rap category. Either way without the award LGSEO is still a great album.
Timbaland pulls a lot of weight with the production, which is honestly top notch. Cry me a river and rock that body are nostalgia bombs for me, sure to get a wave of "ohhh shittt"s if you throw this on in a room full of millennial or early Gen Zs. Past that, nothing to write home about. JT is clearly inspired by MJ but just doesn't come close unfortunately. Definitely has some significance within the year and time though, and can sorta see why its on the list, although definitely one you could miss out on and be fine lol.
I’ll give Justin Timberlake credit: he wasn’t belligerent like you’d expect a rich cis white man who grew up in the spotlight to be. He was respectful, though not pleased, when he was stopped and arrested by a cop. I felt that he was baiting the police officers by appreciating their work but a moment later whining about being pulled over for having just one martini, but if that’s the worst he behaved, he came out alright. I recognize the cops’ body cam footage was spliced together and I didn’t see the full picture. The woman he was with was way more ornery than him! Still, his actions that got him into this spot weren’t great. I hope he’s learned from this incident. And of course his comments about the world tour being ruined are iconic, which means this footage receives a 5 star rating.
In recent years, people have taken another look at Justin Timberlake and understandably demoted him from suave and sexy vocalist to a rather cringe asshole, for a multitude of valid reasons. But when this album came out, I remember the hold it had on popular music. His departure from NSYNC and solo pursuit was a big deal, for reasons not the least of which was his pursuit of R&B rather than boy band era pop. And this was even before his hold tightened with the release of his next album and the song "Sexyback". Honestly, Justin's attempt at being a white guy doing R&B is pretty decent here. It's clearly inspired by Michael Jackson; the vocals have a lot of solid vocals complete with falsetto "quirks", and the music feels intriguing and fresh. Songs like "Like I Love You", "Cry Me A River", and "Rock Your Body" in particular did really well among the general public and are still fun listens. And while the rest of the album does feel innovative too, it doesn't land in quite the same exciting way as those mentioned tracks. I probably would have this higher than 2.5 and less than 3, but I'll round it up.
I actually didn't know that I liked Justin Timberlake this much. The sappy R&B songs were a little much for me, but the pop songs were really fun. Also, I had no idea the guest stars on the album (Janet Jackson!) plus The Neptune, who not only perform on most of the songs but who produced the album.
Boy, did he have a lot to say on this album.
The production of this album is great. It tails off in the second half of the album but has some big hits to compensate. Realistically, Future Sex Lovesounds should be on this list instead, or even 20/20 Part 1
It’s slick, polished, and utterly drenched in Neptunes‑era production, but beneath the glossy beats it’s basically an hour of Justin trying—very hard—to seduce someone who apparently doesn’t need a name beyond “Girl.” The cumulative effect is… well, slightly grimy. Not in a fun rock‑and‑roll way—more in a please stop whispering in falsetto way. By the time the closing track rolls around, titled “Never Again,” I found myself nodding in complete solidarity. Yes, Justin. Never again indeed.
він мене лратуж і він проблематичний тож
Listening to Justified now is a real trip down memory lane, but also a bit cringe-worthy. The Neptunes and Timbaland still make some killer beats from that early 2000s era, but the whole album feels like he was trying to be the next Michael Jackson, you know? It did a good job breaking away from the boy band image, but it relied a lot on stuff that already existed. The singles are still bangers, but the lyrics and the whole vibe is kind of embarrassing now, such as the call and response part in "Senorita" and the beatboxing in "Rock Your Body" not to mention the connotations of the whole "get you naked by the end of this song" line and his appearance at the SuperBowl with Janet Jackson... Overall, the album hasn't aged well. It's got a bunch of filler and feels a bit empty, even though it's super polished. It was a big deal back then, but now it just feels stuck in 2002. It's more of a time capsule of radio friendly pop than something that's really special. It just feels like a product.
Nice debut, really. “Cry me a river” is a timeless one, my favourite is “Nothin else”. Gotta have respect for Justin, he’s very talented. A lot of the tracks are kinda repetitive tho. High 3
For me sounds sleezy. 3 stars only because Cry me a river
I tried.
Very mid Stand-outs - (Oh No) What You Got - Cry Me a River - Rock Your Body
Never listened to an album of his. Now I know why. So terribly, terribly boring music.
This sounds like a high priced project with top end producers of its time used to prop up a budding pop star with above average vocals. I guess it’s a quintessential 2000s pop album. Funny note: when they were making this, JT was listening to Earth, Wind and Fire with Pharrell and was like “they never heard a white boy sing like this before”😂😂 With that said, Cry Me A River will always be a pop staple, while Señorita, Like I Love You, Rock Your Body were all big hits at the time (another fun fact: Rock Your Body was originally for Michael Jackson, who turned it down). While there are some catchy songs, this album in general is lukewarm… Justin Timberlake’s singing and dancing always underwhelmed me.
Post boy band era. 2002. All the ‘talented ones’ start breaking out of the shell of synchronised danced moves and soft harmonies. Some jump from the nest and fall flat on their face and become a one hit wonder and thus begins the slow decent and their mental health and conservative press-proof façade. JT did well, we got a few good years out of him before his crash landing. Timberland offered a safety parachute and this album was one of the better ones- surprisingly religious which made me like it less.
2/3. Not at all what I was expecting (I’m not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this). Actually pretty good and kept my ear overall; he makes a pretty damn convincing copy of Stevie Wonder when he wants to. The lyrical content and 20-something “I’m sexy and wanna fuck” mannerisms do get a bit tiresome after a while, but that surprise Clipse feature was one of the highlights of this whole list to me so far, short as it was.
That would have been the best rockbuster if he didn't say river.
Thought I would like it more because of the nostalgia
While I can appreciate his talent, this is just not my cup of tea. I'd be interested in trying a more recent album to see if perhaps there are any stylistic changes I might like.
Tässä on jotain hassulla tavalla nostalgista vaikka en oikeestaan oo Timberlakea kuunnellut. Pari biisiä tältä levyltä on tosi tuttuja jostain yläasteajoilta ja niitä luukutin sillon paljon 😅 Ei kyl muuten oikeen toimi.
I think the songs I already knew were the highlights of the album - everything else didn't seem to have the same level of energy. This was a solid album. I would give it a 3.5, but 4 seems high.
To me it is a pop album which tries to be more than that in a lot of different directions, but failing in all of them as well. The end result therefore is an album with little to no direction. 2/5
Seems more appealing to teenagers
Was never a fan of the guy's music but I won't deny his talent. Still, this is an above-average 00s pop album at best.
When I was a kid I really loved this one, and senorita does slap I won’t lie, so does cry me a river even though I am obviously on Britney’s side. He is a bit smarmy but we can all enjoy this album
Ya know what, I actually enjoyed this way more than I thought I would! I’ve always found JT kinda weird and rancid, even before it all came out that he was a big ol creep, so the fact I actually enjoyed this on its own terms regardless is probably testament to how good it is as pop music! A very surprise 4 stars
This was very well produced and Justin is talented, but the n-sync that followed it was more enjoyable.
A moment to gripe: I've heard five albums by/with women in over fifty albums and this broccoli-headed, genre-robbing twerp lands a spot with Justified? Sigh. I don't really have beef with JT. The production is good, and I respect that he writes his own music. There are lots of reasons to include albums on this list. I suppose if you were feeling uninspired and trawling the Billboard Top 100 for ideas for your exceptionally long list, you might pick this for being slightly more interesting than other popular aughts albums. Timberlake is similar to Taylor Swift in that they both know how to write a popular song and be a star, but their commercial success is not a direct reflection of their musical abilities. Oh, to be a young, beautiful product supported by the machine.
This album is cheese. JT singing about banging for an hour doesn't do it for me. He's kinda whiny on this album and I dislike parts of tracks where he talks to the audience. I know this was a big album back in the 2000s, but I don't think it's aged particularly well, nor is it anything I really want to listen to again. Everyone knows "Cry Me a River" but everything else on this album has rightfully faded into obscurity. 2/5
Didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would but not my thing
I really liked his voice. Also was born in this generation so the album sounds good for me. Plus it’s a very good example of switching from being in a boy band to a solo artist?
i liked this more than i thought i would. Senorita, Cry Me a River, and Rock Your Body are bangers. i like his more neo-soul/funk songs, but i think his ballads kinda fall flat. they seem uninspired, like the producers gave him those songs because an album from 2002 "needed" them. it's pretty clear that JT vibes a lot more with the songs you can get up and dance to. probably a 3.5, but ill knock it down to a 3 for the slow songs really losing me
A fun throwback. Cry me a river is great but otherwise not too sure why it’s on the list but had a good time.
We haven’t had an album that took me back to middle school like this one did. I can’t tell you how many times I heard the four big hits from this album on the radio, and I have a distinct memory of watching the Rock Your Body music video in the hotel room on my first overnight field trip in 6th grade because we were all singing the high part together and it sounded awful. This album does show off the talent that JT has and kicks off an incredible career, but it’s definitely frontloaded. This album is getting a four for nostalgia and it’s massive hits.
This album has a couple of slow jams on it that I recognize, but this really just isn't my genre. It makes it a little bit easier to say that I'm not the biggest JT fan nowadays. I can totally understand why people like his music. He's essentially the the Eminem of r&b.
A solid solo debut with great beats.
Fun. All over the place too but mostly r&b
The best songs reminded me of boring Michael Jackson songs.
Very helpful to not listen passively on moms car radio
Jest tu kilka hitów i ogólnie kiedyś bym się zachwycała, ale może po prostu odczuwam niechęć do tego artysty, a może ta płyta jest boleśnie przeciętna. Zwykły pop z kilkoma ciekawymi inspiracjami i odważnymi jak na tamte czasy tekstami. 6/10
Overall: 4/10 Despite a few catchy songs, I just found this to be way too corny for my tastes. Justin has nice voice and the production is good, but it's very 2000's. Fav Song: Rock Your Body
I did not need to hear this
Incredible 1-2 opening of Señorita and Like I Love You - production 100%, vocals on point. The Neptunes tunes are generally the strongest here, and I can totally see that a load of these were originally intended for Michael Jackson. A good pop album with some high highs, only a couple of duds, but a fair number of tunes that were merely ok.
Meh. But a lot of meh. Almost an overabundance of meh, but it doesn't even do that.
This was amazingly front-loaded. When I saw Justin pop up I figured I would be rating this low. However, the first twenty minutes or so took me down nostalgia alley, and I was even considering giving this four stars. Then it took a dramatic slide to slushy filler for the last 20-30 minutes, and so I'm going with two stars.
Yea it’s really good. Have no idea how Michael Jackson was going to sing over these beats lol
It's no Man of the Woods, but...
i read that he was gonna call this album The Justified and a little birdy told him to drop the The
Awful
Bye, bye byyyyye…. Oops wrong entity.
Not my jam. Ends with ... Never again!
Sweet
yeah good
The singles are awesome, but the rest of the album is meh.
Niezłe. 4
Sorry JT…
2.5/5
In 2004, I turned off the halftime show at the beginning because I thought it was boring. Ergo, I missed Janet Jackson’s boob. I still regret doing that. (SIDE NOTE: Janet got absolutely screwed there. That happening on “Gonna have you naked by the end of this song” shows that it was 100% intentional and 100% on Justin. The more you think about it, the more you realize how massive of a douchebag Justin Timberlake really is.) Slow, soulful R&B is worse when it’s sung by white people. Also loses a point because after about minute 40, this one is absolutely interminable. This does NOT need to be this long. Anything N*Sync > any JT solo material.
2.1 It's just pretty shite isn't it. It's not too offensive to my ears though, which is why it doesn't keep into the 1 territory. And Rock Your Body is a legit good song, good beat, although the last minute was very unnecessary. Let the song close out man. But the rest... Eesh. Cross between a rip off of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, with a Latin twist. There's nothing really endearing about it. Really don't think everyone must listen to it, maybe as a time capsule of early 2000s pop, but I swear we've had that in doses already (Britney, Christina etc.)
No voihan helvetti. Tämä on taas yksi niistä levyistä, joilla ei ole mitään asiaa tälle listalle. 63 minuuttia geneeristä poppia, jossa ei ole mitään omaperäistä tai erityisen mielenkiintoista. Justin on ihan kyvykäs laulaja, mutta tämän albumin kuuntelu oli aika työlästä. En tiedä antaisiko yhden tähden vai kaksi.
Boy band, solo breakout. Decent vioce for boy band sound. Some good songs. Known for his erratic behavior that’s hurt his career.
This score is justified. 2/5
Some nice moments but in the end not my stuff. Might be nice for people who like pop.
It's alright. Just your staple 2000's romance pop. Not anything I would personally go out of my way to listen to again. I felt like I was being rizzed by J.T. a little too much for my liking.
I don't want to listen to this, but I'm going to do it out of obligation. This is a tough listen. Modern pop-y Justin Timberlake is so much better than this. It's really cringy. The lyrics are like what high schoolers when I was growing up would think is sexy. It's really well produced, but if you shine shit, you just have shiny shit. I don't think this is shit, but it's not far off. Favorite Song(s): Still on My Brain
Cstchy as hell honestly
Good for what it was, good dance music of its time. Dated, but those songs kind of hold up. Rock Your Body is still catchy. The slow songs are bad and it would have been a better album half as long without them.
JT was able to gaslight us as a society into not realizing how much a lame dweeb he is for like 15 years and this album was a big part of that. There's a few really solid singles on this thing that certainly helped. But once again, the dreaded CD album length curse rears it's ugly head. An hour of this is a bit much.
One star purely for a couple of mild bangers…
An irredeemable , horny slog of an album. I can't believe this made the list. I wish I died first. 1.5/10
Timberlake is okay for pop, but that isn't saying much.
perilously close to a 5
I'm having kind of the opposite experience than what I had yesterday with TT's Private Dancer - the music is so good but he's just such a dork. It's like going to a great party but there's one asshole there and he's ALWAYS right beside you. There should be a remix where they use these beats and Tina Turner's Private Dancer vocals (and vice versa - that may somehow make both albums better.) He's the worst part of every song, even the one's where he's not creepy pseudo-sexy (Cry Me a River) he still does his best to kill the mood.... This album doesn't need to be this long. Every song allows for him to just repeat the name of the song over and over again for 2 minutes...
So gooddd
Justified (2002) is Justin Timberlake debut solo album recorded during a hiatus from NSYNC which became indefinite as his solo career took off. When Justified was released he was only 21 but had already released four albums with NSYNC. Justified is a contemporary R&B album, which isn’t a genre that I’m particularly into. Timberlake, who had started out as a child star on the Disney channel was keen pivot his career away from Disney / Boy Band sensibilities into a more mature R&B style. I understand why a 21 year old heartthrob would want to release an album focussed on themes of lust, love and heartbreak and I’m sure his audience lapped it up, but a lot of it is quite cringe. There are two standout singles ‘Cry Me a River’ and ‘Rock Your Body’ both of which reached number two in the UK singles chart. ‘Cry Me a River’ is a whiny, but very catchy song, reputed to be about his break-up with Britney Spears. ‘Rock Your Body’ is the highlight of the album - it’s a very funky R&B track that just makes you want to dance. The rest of the album doesn’t do much for me. In places he sounds like a Michael Jackson wannabe, in others like a watered down Stevie Wonder. Not an album I’d go out of my way to listen to again, but I will pop ‘Rock Your Body’ onto my five star songs playlist. I do feel a bit mean to Jeff Beck in retrospect for also rating his album Truth 2 out of 5. I guess I should explain that I am rating these albums as I experience them in the moment, not ranking them against each other. Disk 1: Señorita - 2/5 Like I Love You (featuring Clipse) - 3/5 (Oh No) What You Got - 2/5; Take It from Here - 1/5; Cry Me a River - 4/5 Rock Your Body - 5/5 Nothin’ Else - 1/5; Last Night - 1/5; Still on My Brain - 2/5 (And She Said) Take Me Now (featuring Janet Jackson) - 2/5 Right for Me (featuring Bubba Sparxxx) - 2/5; Let’s Take a Ride - 1/5; Never Again - 1/5
I prefer his 'Dick in a Box' phase. The last track on this collection of highly produced sounds is Never Again. I agree.
I'm still surprised by just how much I actually liked this. It really is a good pop album. While a lot of the lyrics are cheesy, stupid, and corny; and some of the sounds are very dated, it's undeniably catchy and danceable. Which I suppose is the whole point of an album like this. It shows it's age, but it isn't hard to see why it was/is so successful.
More fun than I expected! Sounds like he wants to be Mj though, which is ok.
Just so early 2000s pop. "Rock Your Body" is the only song on here I don't actively dislike, and even then it's kind of a "so bad it's enjoyable" vibe,
A waste of sound
It must have been hard to justify the inclusion of that album in the book
I really don't see the point of having this here, but hey it wouldn't be the first time either.
Another soundtrack for a early 2000s dance movie.
Some good some bad
I enjoyed it, something new. Fun fact I had this album as a kid, guilty pleasure, listening to it now was lovely. Is it a masterpiece, no, but is it catchy and fun, yes
Don’t mind some JT first half of album is bangers , love you like you do soon as it kicks in with that pharell Williams drum groove immediately funky and catchy , senorita. A clubbing classic , rock your body great hook and bass line but felt the other half fell short of the song quality quite a lot
Pretty cheesy to be honest 1 or 2 semi good songs but it does drag at you after a while
I listened to it. As talented and well-trained as they are, I'm not a fan of the boy/girl bands and their solo careers. However, I've had a bit of a soft spot for Justin Timberlake ever since I first saw him sing "Bring it on in to Omeletteville!" on SNL. Add to that his appearances with The Lonely Island guys for such bangers as "Dick in a Box," "Motherlovers," and "3-Way (The Golden Rule)," and it became very obvious to me that this dude did not take himself too seriously and had some pretty serious comedic talent. I didn't like this record, but it was ok. The Neptunes' music was solid, if a little forgettable, and I was a bit surprised to hear the guest spot from Clipse. The lyrics to the songs are often pretty dumb, too. And, of course, Timberlake can definitely sing and perform, but nothing here speaks to me. Still, I found this record pleasant enough to listen to for the entire hour, though it was hard to pay attention. Three stars for talent, but I'm just not interested.
This man is fucking corny, but he sure had some massive bops back in the day - 5 on this album alone. It drags at the end, the ballads are trash, and I'd just rather listen to FutureSex/LoveSounds. And yet... 3.5 stars.
There is something un-enduring about this record.
Wanted to hate it, then thought it was okay, then it got old quickly. Too long, and JT is pretty smooth on some tracks, but extremely annoying on others.
Just cry, not because it was good, but because it was terrible and I hope to never hear this album again.
It's good for the hits, but the rest is dated and unmemorable. Nothing worth going back to.
2/5
he's a suitable vessel for the genius of timbaland and pharrell. i do wish some of the songs were just sung by pharrell because i don't love his voice but it's mostly fine, lots of catchy songs for sure. Fav tracks: Cry Me A River, Rock Your Body, Right For Me
Elevator music
It was as bad as I expected.
Listening to white man mj, some bangers though
It's all a bit desperate and the album now sounds dated and like something that's more of a footnote than something that had any lasting impact. Even on its own terms it's not great. The constant aping Michael Jackson just highlights that he's not on the same level. As it goes on the album drags more and more. The songwriting isn't up to much (your out of this world, but you're not green is one of the worst lines I've heard).
What a try-hard
I liked this better this time.
I think it goes without saying that JT is a shithead. I love Britney's anecdote about the time he embarrassed himself trying to buddy up to Ginuwine, he's very petty about that whole relationship on this record (and elsewhere), and of course it's complete bullshit the way he skated away from the whole Janet Jackson thing while she got vilified for it. As for the music, this is a pretty solid pop record. It's got a handful of bangers and a whole lot that CD-era filler. Just because you know you have 75 minutes to play with doesn't mean you have to use every idea the Neptunes come up with for you. With a little editing, I could maaaaybe see pushing this up to four stars, but it ain't there.
That’s not more than a 2. Boring pop.
A classic! Justified is a great album, it encapsulated a time in 2000’s R&B where the Neptune's were ON IT. A precursor to the mid-200’s and 2010’s sad white boy r&b. The run from the opening track ‘Señorita’ to mid tracks like ‘Rock Your Body’ is quite enjoyable to listen to on the first listen. Will need to explore the other Backstreet Boys solo records next! (4/5)- GEMV (18.02.2026)
Surprisingly great. Porter approved.
Everything about this album being on this list makes me tired. It's another f'ing 2* that I'm too tired to replace. I'm too tired to rate another 2* - it's not terrible, it's not good, and it's not something anyone HAS to listen to before they die. So, it's a 2, and I'm done.
It's fine. Having this against a Michael Jackson album did no favors for my opinion of this one. Not hating but none of his good stuff is on this album.
62/100. I actually think this is pretty decent. The production, especially from Pharrell Williams, is really strong and gives the album a smooth, polished feel. The beats and grooves are easily the standout here.
ROCKURBODY
OK, it's a solid pop album. And?
Wasn’t a fan of this in 2002, and I’m still not in 2026
I don’t feel justified to enjoy this 2/5 because a few of the singles are solid
I don't know anything about '00s music, but my impression is that this style became possible thanks to new computer-based production technology. I would describe it as a fusion of elements from pop, rap, maybe R&B, with a modern-sounding (for 2002) digital polish. However, the shiny cool sound does not justify the absence of actual content. I cannot remember any of the melodies, and the vibe is so bland there is little difference between the love songs and the heartbreak songs.
I remember not liking Timberlake as a kid 20 years ago, let's see how he holds up.in 2026. Within 30 seconds, Justin is using his own name in 3rd person, that's a bad sign. First impression is that Senorita is an overproduced, dull affair. Has a few pop hooks but also sounds dated. Very basic melody wise, too. Like I Love you is a little better, I guess. I like the electronic melody near the end. The lyrics are still awful. Also the album doesn't flow, each song is like it's own presentation. This is more a collection of singles than an album. I just can't help but compare this to what bands like The Avalanches or Daft Punk were doing around the same time. Or other pop songs of the era Shakira, Beyonce etc. it just pales in comparison even to those. This sound is like...it sounds like an Idol contestant 3rd place getter. But JT also has a weak vocal performance. Even the big hits like Cry me a River are... passable at best. That one in particular is dull and a bit repetitive. Rock your Body is at least a bit more upbeat. Everything after that is garbage. Some of these songs are also just five whole fucking minutes of the same shitty beat. Never Again is how I feel after getting to the end of this tripe.
Better than I thought - quite nice easy music.
Well... No, thanks
Surprised how how badly written so many of these songs are, even for the time. It's not 1 star bad, but just generally disappointing. People really heard Senorita and were like yeah, give me 60 more minutes of this.
Generic, radio friendly pop music.
I know why it was here because at the time this album was raved about as a return to classic soul but it comes of like a white dude trying to mimic Stevie Wonder on a lot of the songs. There’s a reason they released the four songs as singles they did, because the rest are not nearly as good. This hasn’t aged well at all, just like Justin himself. I’d probably give it a 2.5 if I could because two seems too harsh but it definitely doesn’t merit a 3 star review, so be it.
Very diverse and fun album to listen to, lots of unique styles and instrumentation and vocals going on here
Contemporary R&B, as a genre, rarely resonates with me. It is entirely a matter of personal taste rather than a critique of the musicianship or production values, both of which are often excellent, but the genre simply fails to elicit a positive listening experience for me. Put simply, it does not thrill me. The few exceptions occur only when a track veers toward the pop end of the spectrum. Consequently, I find Justified to be a two-star album; it fails to leave a lasting impression and leaves me somewhat nonplussed. While there are a few bright moments, there is nothing here that compels me to revisit the record as a whole. Finally, as someone who grew up buying vinyl, I place a high value on album art. Given the importance of this release, Timberlake’s definitive breakout as a solo artist, is this really the best they could do? It is quite frankly appalling. 1 "Señorita" (2/5) 2 "Like I Love You" (featuring Clipse) (3/5) 3 "(Oh No) What You Got" (3/5) 4 "Take It from Here" (2/5) 5 "Cry Me a River" (3/5) 6 "Rock Your Body" (3/5) 7 "Nothin' Else" (2/5) 8 "Last Night" (3/5) 9 "Still on My Brain" (2/5) 10 "(And She Said) Take Me Now" (featuring Janet Jackson) (2/5) 11 "Right for Me" (featuring Bubba Sparxxx) (2/5) 12 "Let's Take a Ride" (2/5) 13 "Never Again" (2/5) Total - 31 Average - 2.38 239/1001 132/239 albums reviewed were new to me.
He’s fallen off in a big way now (but what about the tour?!) so it’s easy to forget just how brilliant JT’s first handful of solo albums were. This is so much better than anything he did with N*Sync it’s laughable, and the Neptunes and Timbaland production on this is top notch. It’s fun listening to the album versions of some of the singles, I’d totally forgotten Clipse had a feature on Like I Love You. Only giving this a 4 as it’s not as good as FutureSex/LoveSounds
Ah, Justin. I've never been a big fan of boy bands, so I never really paid much attention to Timberlake's solo career after NSYNC. Even so, I've probably heard most of the tracks off this, his first solo album, countless times over the years. It can't be denied that as an R&B artist, he's got some talent, and compared to the work he did with the band prior to this, it's definitely got a more mature edge. But it's also a bit commercial, a bit like a lot of other R&B from the period. But when you've got artists like Aaliyah, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Alicia Keys to contend with, you're going to have trouble standing out. Still, it's got Timbaland's touch on a few of the tracks, and that's not a bad thing. Maybe I should have a listen to some of Justin Timberlake's later albums, just to see where he went after this. Until then, I'm giving this a promising three and half stars.
I tried, I really did….skip skip skip, mid album bail…
I liked him better when he was working with the Lonely Island guys.
This is the radio pop music of my youth and fits that early 2000s pop sound - a lot stemming from the r&b realm. It’s competently made, but that’s about where my appreciation ends. Of course I know a handful of the popular singles which are still engrained deep in my head somewhere, but the non-singles really add nothing unless you’re a JT super fan. Just not something I have interest in and even my 2 year old was asking me to turn it off.
#845. All of these Y2K pop albums just didn't age well, did they? 2/5: meh
Lowkey calculated.
3.5 Here's the thing, this is wayy too long, pretty mid and also he's just(in) annoying, however... the early 2000's nostalgia......... That gap between the U in Justified and Justin bothers me greatly though to say the least.
Would probably be a 5 if I wasn't so tired. Mega hit album
I had this album in 02 lol.
‘Cry me a River’ and ‘Rock Your Body’ were the hits here, but many of the other tracks were quite awful. Overlong and a chore to make it through for me, didn’t really have the patience for this. I won’t say that JT has no talent and no business being as big a star as he is, but this album was lacking.
Great early 2000s pop album. I remember a lot of the songs and the time when this came out. It was truly peak when released and most of the songs still hold on and are great today.
Amazing first half with iconic production from the Neptunes and Timbaland. Everything aged surprisingly well as well on these tracks. The second half is absolutely nothing, could be thrown away. Still the quality of the first half can't be fully ignored
The album's as bland as I expected. Half of the songs were clones of each other. The closer tries to differentiate itself from the rest of "Justified" with a piano accompaniment. Whose idea was it for Justin Timberlake to rap (badly) in "Right for Me"? "Cry Me a River" was the only great song from the album. 2 stars for "Justified".
Didn’t like this. It almost sounded like a Michael Jackson parody (who I don’t really like). Not very enjoyable.
Former Mouseketeer desperately wants to be taken seriously, so his music is now aimed at teens instead of preteens. This album is competently made, but there's just no soul or feeling. It's white boy R&B made in a lab to be popular. The copy of the book I own is the 2018 edition, which does not include this album, so I can't even try and glean insight as to why this record is included. My best guess is that since it's JT's first solo project, critics found it notable. Unfortunately, there is nothing here that is new interesting if you already listen to other R&B acts of the time. Bush era pop music is a special kind of shallow hell. It's all style over substance and this album is no different.
More mature than I expected. Some bangers
Altså, jo bare hit på hit. Selvom jeg aldrig har været full blown Justin-pige, er det sgu da ret godt.
timbaland vs chad hugo, i love never again
Overall Rating - 2.46/5 (4.92/10). Forgettable, White-Boy Rap, mostly.
Ok so true story: at my high school prom the DJ played "Rock Your Body" and all the kids booed him so badly that he was bullied into changing the song
Basically over produced, soulless pop music. Has a couple of catchy songs but for the most part it felt like a $ grab
The singles were mostly the bops I remember, though I wonder how many would land without nostalgia. Cry Me a River is the standout. The filler is... just too much Timberlake. No, thank you.
Loved the singles. The rest is meh
moest ik alle albums op deze lijst zo snel doorspoelen als deze, dan kan ik morgen sterven
god forbid a white guy has a bit of swag too. i don't think that everyone on the 1001 albums platform is into pop music, like probably the poppiest music you can get, but with catchy lyrics and impeccable production by several known names... this album is worth the listen and i don't care what anyone says.
I grew up with few of these tracks on the radio. Good album, but I don't like all of it. Song I like: Senorita, Cry me a river, Rock your body
This is the most Justin Timberlake album i've ever heard
So I watched a lot of Glee once upon a time, and I feel in my soul that the idea of Will Schuester is basically just Matthew Morrison playing Justin Timberlake as a high school choir teacher. This is "god forbid a white boy get a lil motion", the album. In a good way! Crazy to hear early Pusha T on "Like I Love You". Also, the six degrees of Kevin Bacon for the music industry goes crazy on this album: Babyface, Pharrell, Damon Thomas (Kim K's first husband), Harvey Mason Jr. (current CEO of the Grammys), Pusha T, Janet Jackson, Nathan East, Raphael Saadiq, even Timbaland contributed to this. It's crazy! "Rock Your Body" is a total banger and always will be. Otherwise, I'm not hearing much that is grabbing me and that is the best track on the album by far. Wikipedia is saying that a lot of these ideas were originally made for Michael Jackson and I can hear it but I can also see why he maybe passed on most of them.
SI. love old pop.
Justin Timberlake released The 20/20 Experience when I was in my junior year of high school, a time in my life when I thought very highly of my ill-informed opinions about music. one of those opinions was that pop music was below me, and not worth consideration compared to the progressive metal and jazz albums I held in such high esteem. see, when you're a teenage straight cis boy raised on Internet forums like I was, you're predisposed to hate on shit, mainly as a poorly-defined defense mechanism. once I started realizing I wasn't straight, cis, or male, the house of cards started to collapse. it was around this time that The 20/20 Experience was there to tell me how much of a stick I had up my ass regarding my beliefs on pop music. even if I'm not huge on every chart-topping artist that's come and gone in my lifetime, I like to think that I have enough room in my cold, dead heart to enjoy it here and there. I say all this because I've been hearing some of the singles on Justified, Timberlake's debut as a solo artist following *NSYNC going on hiatus, for nearly my entire life. this album came out when I was 5 years old, and I'm pretty sure "Cry Me a River" was one of the first then-new pop songs I remember hearing on the radio. I think, somewhere deep down, I knew I liked this stuff all along. maybe my teenage self just didn't want to be perceived a certain way for liking it. but, at a certain point, you have to stop caring what other people think so much! plus, there are some undeniably amazing songs on Justified, pop or no. the bulk of the material on here was produced by legendary hit-making duo The Neptunes, including several songs that were originally offered to Michael Jackson. if MJ was offered "Like I Love You" (featuring Clipse!) or "Rock Your Body", he's insane for having turned them down. along with the aforementioned "Cry Me a River", one of four songs on the album produced by Timbaland, you're looking at three of the finest pop singles of their era! catchy melodies, great lead and backing vocals from Timberlake, and some fantastic session musician performances all abound. those drum pockets! can I also just say I appreciate the use of distinct bridge sections on a lot of the tracks here? Neptunes-produced records like "Take It From Here" or "Let's Take a Ride" must be why Tyler, The Creator's always going on about bridges, those special moments in songs that only happen once. unfortunately, not every song is a major hitter, and the B-side definitely shows that. after "Rock Your Body", the bag becomes much more mixed. however, I'd like to give special mention to the closing ballad "Never Again", a Brian McKnight production with some electrifying, dramatic chord changes that deserves a reevaluation. strong 6/10.
Album #1,021 Some harmless, danceable pop music with good beats. There were some super cringe moments, notably in Never Again and Take it From Here. Oh, and what is with that laugh at the end of Senorita after he says "Ladies, good morning?" We get it, you slept with them, so you see them the next morning. Why did you have to make it creepy and weird? I recognized that one song that got him and Janet Jackson in trouble at the Super Bowl.
You put THIS ALBUM and not “FutureSex/LoveSound”?? The album that literally shaped sound of last half of a decade, and inspired direction for pop/rnb in 10s? The album that have 6 huge Top40 singles, 3 of em that known and loved even to this day? I mean… it’s a choice, it’s a choice.
Nothing against JT, only a couple songs from this album really caught my attention. I do still like Cry me a River though
nei
“Bet I’ll have you naked by the end of this song.” Well, what’s the over/under? Do you take DraftKings credits? I’m a little too young to remember the true Timberlake heyday, but I’m old enough to remember when he was almost universally well-liked. That goodwill has seemingly run out and this era of R&B is not usually my cup of tea, so I really had to level my expectations and open my mind before getting into this. The production is absurdly polished and lush, and I’ll concede that Timberlake has a smooth, flexible voice. It’s all pretty good and sturdy. It’s also a victim to the common time period pitfall of simply being too damn long.
also classic 10/10
This is so torturous to listen to I think the FBI could use it in some enhanced interrogation techniques. So boring and way too long
MJ vibes off the top. Singalong section in the first track, interesting choice. Clipse? Niver heard of them, but sounds like Mase to my late 90s ears. Cry me a river, banger. Overall too long though.
not my cuppa
Hadn't noticed the Another One Bites the Dust drumming around midway through Rock Your Body. Nothin' Else: I like the ominous tune of the verses; they also made me think of Paint It Black. "You're out of this world except you're not green" is hilarous too. Nothing too standout aside from the famous ones and Last Night, which has a really cute hook...okay just got to the end of the song...he manages to ruin it in the last five minutes with that cringe haha. Actually a lot of them have good hooks, but the tunes all end up being very similar to eachother. Unexpected sweet, slow, piano, violin last one though! Really nice.
listened to again it's a great debut with some hits, but something about it i can't wholeheartedly love
Soooo dated (and shite)
2+/5 There is some great early 00s nostalgia on here, but outside the singles, the album is pretty empty.
Blech
This is going to ruin the tour
hey sometimes i guess you just gotta listen to some shitty 2000s musics man. everyone look away y’all ain’t catching me vibing to this. okay i really enjoyed that more than i thought i would LOL.
Justin, stop trying to make MJ happen. It's not going to happen! Ok, see this is interesting because this one of the few albums I've gotten so far that came out when I was in high school. So looking back at it now in 2026...ugh. It's so cringey. The little breakdown in Senorita ('fellas, sing this part, ladies this part")....I'm cringing so hard. Time has not been good to Justin Timberlake. Cry Me A River has a catchy beat but feels icky after reading about what went down between him and Britney. It sounds very dated in a bad way. And what's with all the talking on this record? Like he's trying to sound sexy whispering over the music a lot and it's stupid. Plus, this album did NOT need to be 63 minutes long.
tried to figure out where my true feelings lie and how much is clouded by nostalgia but i settled on 4 because no male pop artist has replicated the hype this produced since this came out
so FUCKING HAPPY LMAO. i love this album and i loved solo justin's music all the way until his weird trolls stint. terrible man but wow his music!! but isn't that the story for almost all male artists? anyway this woke me up this am! i'm happy! last night was and still is my fave song on here that isn't a popular track!!!!!
I used to love this album as a teen, it was my cleaning album actually. For those reasons, I can't rate this lower than a 4. However, upon re-listen, it's really rather cringe isn't it? This album is also a tale of two halves. The first half is full of unforgettable smash hits which shaped the early 00s, whereas the second half was horrific.... how many sad girls walking around does JT happen upon?! Ok I changed my mind, 4.5/5 Standout tracks: - All the singles are of course 5/5 My personal faves: - Take it from here (4.5/5) - (Oh no) What you got (4.5/5) - Worthy of (4.5/5) - this isn't on the general release but I love it sm and I wish it was on spotify
Nei
Does anyone else find the Neptunes’ production just so repetitive and boring?? These overproduced albums with JT squawking away like he wants to be MJ just does nothing much for me. Even the ‘hits’ (Cry Me A River, Rock Your Body) are pretty dull in my eyes. The man is clearly talented, but just not my cup of tea
definitely a nostalgic album. the singles go hard but it really does feel overly long. i feel like a few of these songs should have been shelved for a future b-sides album.
Die Klassiker sind richtig toll, Balladen bisl meh und vieles irgendwie nervig es fehlen immer die Mitten. Aber die Klassiker richtig toll. Album Brauch ich nicht aber die Singles sind top. Trotzdem nur 2/5 weil Singles Yes Rest no
Not my style of music at all. In-one-ear-and-out-the-other white 2000s Michael Jackson mockery. Michael Jackson was already white by then. However, bumped up a star from 1/5 because, plastered at a dark club with my shoes sticking to every step, this type of music may enhance the experience.
Sí, claro... El idiota de Justin Timberlake. Ni de coña escucho esto.
I know he’s talented, but this isn’t my thing.
3/10 - Meh, bland 2000’s pop.
Had this album when it came out. Have to say I think it’s very self indulgent - some of the songs just go on for too long 😂 but it was fun and Cry Me a River is a banger
Neptunes, clipse. Facebook is about to launch. FOUR!
peak JT 🔥 kinda mid still
a bit rapey for my liking.
The album starts off pretty hot, first 6 songs made me think 4 stars was almost a given but the final 7 songs are underwhelming and made me forget about the hot start. Solo pop artists are interesting if they don’t specifically have one of the best voices. They need a great beat behind their vocals for the song to be any good. Feels like a “rich get richer” where once you become a top pop star, you work with the best producers. You can unmistakably hear the Pharrell and Timbaland songs in the album, which is personally the part I enjoyed. You take away the elite level producers, I’m not sure this album can be any higher than a 2 and most likely 1, but they are on the album so I’m going with a 3.
100% agree with everything Dakota said. First half bangs, feels like thats mostly the production. Timberlake is clearly a star but with Pharrell and Timbaland, it feels like their identity is the dominant musical force. Mostly enjoyable 2000s R&B, wish I could go 3.5
Classic JT
- Oh hooray, another Zio. - It’s that overproduced, sterile sound that I can’t get behind with his nothing voice over it all... - Yeah, this was so forgettable that I forgot I was listening to it. Nothing caught my attention, and I just wished I was listening to something good instead. And, this after getting Michael Jackson the day before didn’t help.
This is #day521 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this kind of pop and R&B was absolutely everywhere in the early '00s, when TV and radio were kings. You definitely don't have to hear this record before you die (no wonder it eventually got dropped from the list), unless your childhood years fell in the '00s and you feel like crying yourself a river over being old. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day522.
Peak peak peak peak peak peak peak
justin is definitely not doing any heavy lifting on this album like the songs are not bad but they don't fit him at all. i guess it's the effect of the 20 years that have passed since the release the songs are sooooo long too i was bored by the end
Justin has a lot of talent and a good voice. This just personally isn't an album I would ever turn to. I think he does best with the poppier hits vs. the slower ballads. 4.5/10 (2.25/5)
i'm only here for timbaland 🤷♀️ justin's corny tho
3.5
3.0
Why is this album so frickin long at least it was better than terrible. An hour of white girl music made by a white boy doesn't get you very far in my book.
Some undeniable bangers on here, but not my fav JT album. I don’t think Latin music is his style.
Classic early 2000 pop banger. Great production from Timberland as well.
2.5
Actually I didn't mind this as much as I thought I would though I still don't really care for it. Music like this used to kind of irritate me a bit back when it was big nowadays aught pop is a bit wallpaper to me. Which is why this kind of hits me in that middle spot. Honestly the first half of the album was not that bad it wasn't anything I wanted to write home about but for Millennial pop it was pretty decent. I will have to say that "Rock Your Body" is a total bop, and nothing else was actually kind of a nice little musical nod to Stevie Wonder. It kind of reminded me of some of his productions in the late seventies or early 80s. And there was an interesting little nod to the 70s dance hit "The Hustle" on "Last Night" (even though I didn't care for it much) But I think what really brings this album down below my thumb sideways is the last four songs three of which were just to me were just awful tracks. And then you get to the final track which I'm guessing at the time showed his sensitive side but given the reassessment of the Britney and Justin relationship of late it's rather freaking cringy. I'm sorry I just could not stand behind that one at all. (5.85) ★★½
Much better than I expected, I am not really into pop, but this was kind of a bop. 3.5 stars
The first half of this album is pretty cool, and there's some really cool production courtesy of the Neptunes and Timbaland. I think the hip-hop style production mixed with JT's pop style created something even the biggest pop skeptics could dig. However, I think it gets a little tired on the back half and there's just not enough quality material here for an hour long album. Still, the singles from this pretty much rule -- "Senorita", "Like I Love You", "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body" are all great pop songs. 3.5 stars.
3.5
Justin TimberGREAT. A lotta bone fide blockbuster early 20th century pop singles in the first half that still sound really just great. Perfectly straddles pop, RnB, hip hop, latin and disco. Good blend of landmark Neptunes and Timbaland productions although the Neptunes ones definitely come out tops with Rock With You… I mean Rock Your Body the one true king of the bops with Like I Love You and Senorita sneaking in 2nd and 3rd. The first half is so top form that second half does seem like super weak, plain ex-boy band smush in comparison but the singles on this really are undeniable.
Top notch production. The Neptunes were really operating on another level in the 2000s. It’s weird that Cry Me a River was the big hit from this one, that song was unavoidable when it came out. I never liked it, there’s way better songs on here, Rock your Body was another single that did well but I remember River was the big one. Production aside there’s some cool songs on here and some major duds. I feel like it’s a high 2, low 3 but I’ll give it a 3 cause I’m in a good mood today.
Not my genre
Has some really big pop songs of it’s time but there is some filler
Good album Just not for me
Has undeniable bangers, you can really tell he wanted to be the next Michael Jackson but uffff ALL the songs could have been 40 seconds shorter... They all trail off and repeat the same thing for FAR too long, also "Right for me" is atrocious.
My partner bought this when it came out and I asked her to only play when I wasn’t in! It’s not that bad but not really my bag. I think Trousersnake is a better actor than popstar!
Two really fun songs surrounded by a lot of forgettable and underbaked filler. Has a touch of maturity that is fun to hear, but a lot of the tracks feel like they needed extra production or innovation to stand out more. Not a coincidence that the pop-ier songs stand above the rest. Top tracks: Cry Me a River, Rock Your Body
I think Justin Timberlake is a very talented and diversified artist, but I think his music is derivative and not that interesting. That said, this was a pleasant enough listen. Just not my kind of music.
Justin probably is the most talented solo artist and entertainer out of the NSYNC/Backstreet Boys bunch. There are also a few really enjoyable songs on the album - I will never forget the cool ending of Rock your Body. Overall a little too long, slow and similar sounding.
Hadn't realised be was inspired by Michael Jackson, but upon listening it's clear.
There are soft drink jingles with the sincerity and artistic impact of this album
It gave me some nostalgia to the 2000s but not a huge pop fan
Ho hum. This is definitely what Pharrell sounded like when Chad was still helping and that is better than what came after , but that is not enough to overcome Timberlake's MJ and Usher impressions.
No matter how hard it tries, this album cannot convince me that JT is either cool or sexy
I think we've extended far too much grace to Pharell Williams based on his Random Access Memories appearances, and by we I mean me specifically because this is probably not a widespread problem. at any rate he needs to be stopped the reviews on this site for this album are so smug and pretentious I kind of want to bump it up a point it is not a good sign when Rock Your Body is the best song on a CD and wow it gets even whinier and shittier than Cry Me A River I know everybody waited until Man of the Woods to clown on this dude but we waited too long
There are some great pop songs in here, but there's also some nauseating r&b and a good amount of filler too
Another I had to break down track by track to evaluate: Señorita 1 Like I Love You 4 (Oh No) What You Got 2 Take It from Here 3 Cry Me a River 4 Rock Your Body 4 Nothin’ Else 1 Last Night 2 Still on My Brain 2 (And She Said) Take Me Now 1 Right for Me 1 Let’s Take a Ride 2 Never Again 2 Avg 2.23 Overall a pretty inconsistent album with a weak end. Several bops toward the beginning which were great and I loved the Clipse feature, but not Justin's strongest work (though he made it in 6 weeks which is crazy). 2.2/5 -> 2/5
Decent
As shallow R&B infused pop it’s fine, but it gives me the feeling of a teenager trying just a bit too hard to exude sex appeal and just coming across as desperate.
Gutes Popalbum, bei dem es wenig zu meckern gibt. "Cry Me A River" und "Rock Your Body" auch heute noch absolute Banger.
Ein paar Banger auf dem Album, allerdings auch einige Filler. Zudem musikalisch nicht übermäßig gut gealtert.
Sehr frontloaded mit den Hits am Anfang. In der zweiten Hälfte kommt nicht mehr viel Spannendes, vor allem zu viele Balladen (hätte niemals gedacht, dass die alle von den Neptunes produziert wurden, so kraftlos, wie die zum Teil klingen). Gerade die Timbaland-Produktionen reißen hier einiges raus, auch wenn mir nicht alle Songs gefallen. Er hat einfach so herrlich weirde Einfälle, auf die kein anderer Mainstream-Produzent kommen würde. Aufgrund der ersten Hälfte gibt's aber trotzdem 3 Sterne. Die Hits klingen immer noch zeitlos, das Clipse-Feature auf "Like I Love You" ballert (früher nie zu schätzen gelernt) und "Cry Me a River" ist ein Alltime-Pop-Classic. Aber in der Liste ist das Teil fehl am Platz. Da muss der Nachfolger hin.
Warum?
Passt mir persönlich überhaupt gar nicht. Als Album geht es noch halbwegs innerhalb des Stils. Aber ist auch schlecht gealtert.
Sorry, aber nein. Einfach nein.
Das Album ist als Pop Album halt richtig gut produziert und hat auch seine großen Hits. Aber es ist auch ein Kind seiner Zeit und heute würde man die Hälfte der Songs vermutlich auf die Hälfte der Zeit stutzen und das täte vielen Songs vermutlich auch gut. Aber ja, da ginge mehr, aber schlecht ist es deshalb nicht. Vorallem für die Produktion geb ich hier 3 Sterne
6/10
Time hasn’t done Justified any favors. I was mildly taken with it in 2002. Not in an I’m-in-love-with-that sort-of thing. But in a hey-that’s-some-respectable-R&B sort-of way. But I haven’t returned to the album in years. Why? There are tracks full of silly voice/boilerplate that just aren’t any fun to listen to over and over again. And there are tracks where Timberlake seems to be channeling some other singer/voice. In 2002, that might’ve seemed like variety. But now I’m pretty sure Timberlake just didn’t know who he was. Does he now? For the record, “Cry Me a River” is still awfully good.
Of all the artists that have come up, I was the most surprised to see Justin Timberlake. The album was produced by the Neptunes with songs originally for Michael Jackson and you can really tell. That being said Justin Timberlake fucking sucks. Boring album with lifeless singing over the top. Made my train journey feel twice as long as it was. Dreadful stuff.
Liked this, despite myself
during this challenge, there have been albums that once i see who the artist is, i knew it would be a task to get through the album. i had forgotten what an absolute douche this guy was, and boy did this remind me. overproduced pop drivel from an era when there seemed to be an endless supply of it. he seems to be trying to channel michael jackson throughout the duration of this album, with absurd amounts of falsetto… you know, “for the ladies”, but it just comes across as lame. in fact, there are only two white acts that i can think of that had the ability to get away with it without their music becoming a joke… queen and the beegees. the ego on this guy. many referred to him during this time (he was pretty popular for a hot minute, for some reason) as “JT”. there is only one true “JT” in the history of pop music, and that of course is james taylor. so in short, fuck this guy and the horse he rode in on. he has always been an egotistical prick who thinks that his shit doesn’t stink and has an extremely punchable face.
Not my thing.
Aight
Conocía un par de canciones que fueron hits, pero mentiría si dijera que este álbum no se me hizo pesadísimo. Canción tras canción, esto fue convirtiéndose en una tortura que se sintió como mil eternidades. No era fan de Timberlake, pero ya escuchando un disco suyo completo, confirmo que su vocecita aguda me crispa los nervios. Eso sí, buena producción del álbum.
I like Justin Timberlake and accept that he’s an exceptional performer. That said, the music on this album is mostly forgettable and boring, and him performing it vastly exceeds the experience of just listening to and/or receiving it. Its inclusion here did trigger a thought project for me about what pivot he could have made to improve what is already an established career and legacy. I mean, his DWI didn’t help, but I think he was on a downward trajectory anyway because he has not done anything interested in a long time. I wonder if mining the experience of being a father would have been productive. (Maybe he did, I don’t listen closely to his stuff.) Fatherhood has its own range of emotions, none of which are present here or on any of his other stuff I’ve heard. I don’t know.
Banger
Every time I hear Senorita, I think of a skit I saw pointing out that the intro sounds like Pharrell Williams is stalling for time because he's forgotten Justin Timberlake's name. Anyway, I think at the time this album benefited from being a lot better than anyone expected from that bloke out of NSYNC (see also Timberlake's acting career). When you include it on a list of 1001 Albums to Hear Before You Die though, that maybe raises those expectations too high for what is a decent but patchy pop album. Rock Your Body is still a banger though.
Much like Christina Aguilera's Stripped and Amy Winehouse's Frank, this album was only on the book's first edition and immediately replaced by the artist's follow-up in the second edition. So I wouldn't say the inclusion is very... ahem... Justified. Musically, this is pretty standard, maybe slightly above-average, early 00's R&B-influenced pop. Lots of the kinds of beats Timbaland and The Neptunes pioneered, both even have production credits on some of the songs here, while the former would become Timberlake's main collaboration on his next, and much better, three albums. Key tracks: Señorita Like I Love You Cry Me a River Rock Your Body (the McDonald's song "I'm Lovin' It" was also a single at the time but is not on here.)
С нептунсами связка имхо нерабочая. А вот с тимбелендом сочные трэки, и следующий альбом это подтверждает.
Most of the lyrics are cringy. I feel like a creep listening to it. Pharrell Williams salvages this album from being a one. I can’t give it more than a 2 when it makes me feels embarrassed to listen to it.
Famous pop album, but I didn't find anything particularly special about it.
It was okay.
Great pop album. Real sexy vibe at times, sultry at others
i can’t call this good and i can’t call this bad
Believe it or not I used to be quite the Timberlake fan, especially this particular album and really it’s that like you song last four minutes of that song has this weird breakdown that I’ve always loved even tried to remix it when I was 16… drums! Anyway, my thoughts on Mr. Timberlake have changed after I listened to Britney Spears‘s audiobook. Her version of Justin leaves the sour taste in my mouth. Amazing pop songwriter lotta good stuff under his belt, but I’m personally not putting on Da Lake anytime soon this album was pretty epic back in the day though
meh
This rating is justified. Part of it is nostalgia, and a bigger part of it is the top tier production, but the first half is classic solo care Justin Timberlake. The back half is, unfortunately, more Backstreet Boys. Favorite Track: "Rock Your Body".
Some great r&b hits and hidden gems, as well as some corny ones. Woulda got 4 stars if they had cut the 3-4 worst songs.
Maybe one good dance track. Not enough for a full album and definitely not something that needs to be heard.
As a self-professed music fan, as crazy as it may sound, I've never deliberately listened to a Justin Timberlake song. Turns out he's not very good. One big parallel can be drawn with Frank Ocean: both artists have a jumble of musical elements that *should* be cause for great music, but then they just... don't sound good. I thought, hoped, that Señorita would be the only offender and it's all uphill from there. Like I Love You is certainly better, featuring a repetitive but nifty acoustic guitar lick and an extremely 2000s-typical vocal delivery. It's nostalgic, it's fun, it mostly uses octave-harmonising (lazy, but passable. A product of the time). Later, Cry Me a River boasts a strong melody and a fun delivery that doesn't kiss MJ's ass quite as much as other tracks. Rock Your Body, the biggest hit here, reads like an off-brand Another One Bites The Dust, but it's also pretty catchy. Never Again looks underappreciated – it's the only track with good piano, yet it has the least streams – so I've giving it a shoutout too. I'm skeptical of a white artist making heavy use of AAVE. It rubs me the wrong way. Some of this music definitely hasn't aged well – just like Eminem's delivery and lyrics from the same period. Though Timberlake is far less egregious than Eminem in the lyrical department. The material on Justified is written and delivered a lot like MJ's 80s material, but unfortunately this guy's clearly not up to the task. Take Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad... and then Justified. Blech. I mean, it's not actively bad – so there isn't reason for a 1-star rating – but it's so inferior to the music it's trying to emulate that its rating has to suffer by principle. Oh, yeah, and it's about 20 minutes too long. Albums average 40 minutes in length for a reason. 2/5 Key tracks: Like I Love You, Cry Me a River, Never Again
Certified go to sex album. sex/10
Respectfully, as an elder millennial, I was not expecting this album (the songs of my people) on this list. Having only known the hits and whatever I downloaded off of bit torrents at the time, I never listened to the full album, which was fairly good for a pop album. Guess I shouldn’t question Timberland’s genius. Calling his mom “babe” on “Let’s Take a Ride” was weird though.
Man, the 2000s were a trip. This still has a bunch of bops but you need to separate the man from the art...
It was certainly listenable, but not the type of music I’d want to listen to often. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Timbaland-produced tracks, but the rest was okay for 2000s pop music, I guess. I’m not the best judge of pop music from this century, though I will admit that “Rock Your Body” Is a banger.
I’ll admit I groaned when I saw this was my album for the day. And I wanted to hate it, so I went in with a bias and hate in my heart, but JT, or more likely Timbaland and the Neptunes, won me over in the end. I wasn’t a boyband fan, as maybe you might have guessed. It was my most loathed music, besides nu metal, once I realized nu metal was cringe. So when Timberlake went solo, I celebrated, not because I had faith in him, but because it meant whichever boy band he was in was over. MTV was still a thing back then, so I saw the videos from this album, like the one in which he put Britney on blast for being a cheater. I didn’t really think that was fair, but whatever. When I saw that Timbaland was his producing partner, I thought, “He might be on to something.” Timbaland is brilliant and beyond producing fat beats, as the kids say, I love his voice. It was so different from other rappers at the time. When Timbaland pops up in the mix, it gives me a boost of nostalgia, and at 51, sometimes nostalgia is all you got. I’m bopping along, coming out of my hate for JT, grooving at the desk, then he starts talking sexy. I’m back to hating. I hate talking during songs. I think it started with Bret Michaels, then Shania Twain. I hate it. I also hate it when an artist uses their name as part of an album title. It seems a little much, but that’s just me. Later on, JT and Tim get me back grooving and then I think the song Nothin’ Else sounds a bit like Reach Out I’ll Be There. Then I start hearing The Hustle in another song. Did JT and his producers take well-known songs and interpolate them into new songs? I hate the word interpolate. It basically means you took a good song and just re-recorded it with minor changes, and you now sound like a genius, rather than a thief. Yeah, I’m talking to you, Kid Rock. All Summer Long is trash, but Werewolves of London and Sweet Home Alabama are really great songs. I digress. As I finish up the album, I can say that I enjoyed it more than I expected I would, but I’m a sucker for a good pop song, of which there are many on this album. Other than it being JT’s debut album, I’m not sure it’s anything groundbreaking. I’d say, maybe you should listen to it before you die, but many of you probably already have, as this was a monster in 2002-2004.
Sounded surprisingly fresh. Holds up well.
It has two solid bangers and the rest are all over the place