Justified

I can understand the appeal of this album as being a leap forward from the boy band sound, but I'm really not a fan of it. There's some energy here, for sure, but this is not something I would listen to again.

Man this was pretty brutal. An album that was far too long, full of pop with no substance. Every song is about the most seductive man on the planet saying he's going to get with the woman subject of the song. There isn't a lot to take away from this besides some ok R&B grooves. But reading the Apple Music description of the album made me laugh by stating JTs falsetto "MJ worthy" because I actually feel it's really forced sounding. This whole album just plays as fabricated. All that said, Take it from Here has some pretty cool backing music parts, notably in the bridge. Cry Me a River and Rock Your Body are not good enough songs to propel this album to enjoyable for me.

Didn’t hate this. A couple of songs I’d even say are good. But I agree with many that many of the tracks sound like a poser trying to emulate their favourite artists rather than forging their own path. 2.5/5

Not to say JT is a bad performer, but I think Timbaland and The Neptunes did a lot of the heavy lifting.

2.5/5

This is very of the times. It doesn't land as well today, but, I know it was a BOP when it came out

In the song "Take It From Here" there is a lyric that goes "I wanna be your mother" followed up by a derisive, joking, "...Wait." And I think that pretty much sums up the album for me. The lyricists, (I am going to assume timberlake did not work alone) in an attempt to portray this album as some modern r&b masterpiece by a young singer, makes a callback to Prince's "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and does away with it immediately by mocking the lyric it quotes... Effectively calling the level of intimacy and emotional connection that the original lyric alludes to, weird, ridiculous, not fitting in with the image of the sexually virile young man of 2002. There is not one ounce of originality or sincerity present in this entire album.

Started it for the third time this morning and... whatever. I was a teen when this dropped. I know a ton of folks who bought this album but don't know anyone who listened to anything but the singles. Bad R&B is atrocious and that's all there is to offer here.

Didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would. Actually some decent stuff on here

Early 2000s pop. 2 is being nice.

I don’t even know where to begin with this. First off, this thing is way too long for an album this bad, so, strike one right there. Strike two is the shitty lyrics that read as if they were written by a virgin acting like they’re a sex aficionado. His vocals become annoying very quickly. The backing track is flat and monotonous throughout the whole album. There are thoughts I’m leaving out, but that’s the gist of it, though. Fuck this shit. 2/5

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

Disco guay. Si que es verdad que tampoco me hizo ahí un mega flechazo, pero no tiene ninguna canción mala y algunas son bastante buenas. No se muy bien que más decir, pues lo escuché hace una semana y ya no me acuerdo de las canciones guays. 7.4/10->4/5

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

This was my first time listening to Justified all the way through. While I was already familiar with the big hits, I’d never given the full album a proper spin—and I was curious to see how it holds up. I’ve always had a soft spot for tracks like “Rock Your Body” and “Cry Me a River.” They’re undeniably catchy, still sounding fresh today, and serve as prime examples of early-2000s pop done right. Other highlights include “Señorita” and “Like I Love You,” which showcase Timberlake’s early promise as a solo artist breaking away from *NSYNC. Vocally, the Michael Jackson influence is unmistakable—especially in Timberlake’s falsetto and phrasing. The production, courtesy of The Neptunes and Timbaland, is a major asset, delivering tight, danceable beats with a slick, futuristic edge that defined the era. That said, the album loses steam after “Rock Your Body.” The second half is weighed down by forgettable ballads and filler that lack the energy and charisma of the first half. Tracks like “Still on My Brain” and “Right for Me” fall flat, and “Never Again” makes for a surprisingly dull closer to an album that starts off so strong. Overall, Justified is a solid pop debut with a stellar front half and some truly iconic singles. It just doesn’t quite sustain its momentum all the way through. Favourite track: “Rock Your Body” Least favourite: “Still on My Brain,” “Right for Me,” and “Never Again” Summary: Tracks 1–6 are great; the rest, unfortunately, feel like filler. Album artwork: A clean, iconic cover—perfectly suited to Timberlake’s solo breakout.

The production on Justin's debut album is star-studded with Timbaland, Pharrell, and Scott Storch. Pretty insane lineup. That said the end product feels pretty bloated. Not many bangers outside of Cry Me A River and Rock Your Body. Like I Love You was lowkey good too. There are just songs here that feel fake or inauthentic, like Senorita or Take It From Here, where Justin is trying to pull off this sensual singer vibe and it just doesn't land at all. I land at 2.5 stars but think there's enough quality to bump up to a low 3 despite the overall blandness and bloat of the album.

Obvious Neptunes production out of the gate on Senorita and Like I Love You. Senorita is a fine song in its own right. Can safely say I did not expect to hear Clipse on a feature here -- Like I Love You jams and the last little bit sounds like something Odd Future would produce. Sonically, this is fine, but 4 songs in I already feel like songs are individually longer than they really need to be, making it feel like its dragging a bit. Cry Me a River is a solid track with great production. Rock Your Body is also solid, featuring an extremely bright Neptunes beat. Definitely dragged for me through the back half... I'll say that this has some really bright points -- especially in the union of Neptunes and JT. Standouts for me were Like I Love You, Cry Me A River, and Rock Your Body. Outside of those bright points, I didn't find a ton to love. It was fine, but ultimately too drawn out for my tastes. I'd say this falls into low 3 territory.

Another late 90's/early 00's pop album that is an hour long for no reason. Maybe they were still on the high of changing from cassette to CDs? I've heard of blue-eyed soul. Is this blue-eyed R&B? Rhythm & Blue Eyes? Not bad, but didn't really enjoy it. Low 3? 2 feels a bit harsh.

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

Pretty boring tbh. Standouts were Cry Me a River and Rock Your Body, but literally every other track was a snoozefest for me. Nothing against his voice just meh

listening to this album fully sober feels a bit wrong

Solid

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

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

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

Blah, this was not only not great but also way too long!

fun

Not for me. Don’t view this one as a top 1,000 album.

I'm not the same person I was back when this album came out. I liked it then, now it seems like cotton candy with no substance. Also, Cry Me A River is vastly improved if you look at it as the song is actually about him, he just doesn't know it (don't act like he don't know it)

Tråkigt kommersiell pop utan tuggmotstånd. Fint spelat och sjunger. Gäsp! Tvåa

I wanted to like it way more than I did. “Like I love you” has always been an absolute BOP I can listen to on repeat. The rest of the album had the hits, but many didn’t stick as I’d hoped. Keeping it a 3 to return to this for another full run through.

Dick in a box is straight fire, son

Good if you like this sort of thing!

Production note: the shortest song here is 4:27—a choice! -1 for Freed Britney

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

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

the non-hits really did not hit

Eh. Not a big fan of his in general but I think 20/20 is better.

Definitely not my jam, but there are some certified bangers on here amongst the filler.

Ugh. There are some decent pop songs on here, but I am not sure why wannabe Michael Jackson made it onto this list. I dug a few of these songs after this album came out, but I’d hardly rank this as anything worth putting on a 1001 albums you need to listen to.

pretty much the most Total Ass music can be while still begrudgingly being "good", broadly. timbaland and the neptunes had a high floor at this point, tons of unstoppable grooves and flatly good ideas all over here, and theres not Nothing to justin's raw chops and ephemeral (tho fragile) charisma. but i think the 20/20 experience, an album i genuinely love, kinda spoiled me...not in terms of raw musical quality necessarily, but the layers of fantastical escapism. stuck in the relatively mundane world of the Suave And Sexy Reinvention Of A Teeny Bopper, its difficult to disconnect from justin's long-expired and easily popped bubble of mystique, and the hyper-misogynist pop culture that shielded him for so long. bumped down from a just barely positive score for the existence of cry me a river, one of those slices of pop culture psychological horror where all the undeniable chops and good creativity are put to the service of something built tonally around being as Mocking and Infantalizing as popular culture mandated as ammo for its continued crusade to abuse One Woman more than any other in history. some art functions just fine applying some amount of self-inflicted ignorance, and some art does not function at all without some amount of buy-in, and its hard for me to not see this at least partially as the latter. threw on to blackout immediately afterwards to save my soul!

Before listening, my immediate thought was "If we have to have Justin Timberlake on this list, can't we have the wildly superior 'Future Sex/Love Sounds'?" Instead, here we are with his debut, released while he was still a boy band teen idol. But in the spirit of this challenge, we need to keep an open mind. With this in mind, it was better than expected. Timberlake scores some unused Michael Jackson songs and excellent production by The Neptunes (as well as Timbaland on a handful of songs). There are some undeniably catchy songs here and they're clearing trying hard to emulate Jackson's best stuff. It hits a lot of the right marks and if you keep your focus selective, you can definitely understand why people would think of this as MJ for the new generation. "Rock Your Body" in particular is a stand out track, with "Cry Me a River" not far behind. Both will be in my head all day. The energy of the first half of the album dies out quickly though and the ballad-filled second half is fairly weak. While "Justified" clearly shows Timberlake maturing from his NSync background, there's still room for improvement in the music, and the very adolescent lyrics are best ignored. But when the album works, it definitely works. Whatever you may think of Justin Timberlake now, he did at least make a handful of great songs in this era. I was almost tempted to award 4 stars, but there's a bit too much filler on here for my taste.

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

I like this guy! In particular, his Wardrobe Malfunction, and his Dick in a Box! This album is just for dreamy little girls. That’s where the money is. Not for me.

I felt like this was a solid debut album! It felt like this was Timberlake’s way of trying to establish his own sound and voice after *NSYNC. Obviously there are some track standouts such as Cry Me a River and Rock Your Body. I enjoyed this album but many of the songs sounded similar and had a similar vibe so it’s hard to distinguish them from one another. Still a solid album listen!

Bah, whatever.

I don't know that I've ever heard an album more dedicated to women as this one.

This was bad.

Precision-engineered to make white people dance. Super production and a dollop of charisma almost save it.

Great production, but at end of the day it’s Justin Timberlake

Ouin... Justin... Je ne suis pas certain de celui-là... Est-ce que je vais être capable de me rendre jusqu’au bout ? C’est pour la science... ! Ou l’avancée de l’humanité... ? C’est tellement pas pour moi, mais je ne peux m’empêcher d’apprécier le son et les ambiances. Le petit Justin s’est bien entouré pour son album : les producteurs The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams et co. : la gang the N.E.R.D.) et Timbaland (plein d’affaires pop, dont trois chansons de Bjork (!?) sur son album Volta), du monde qui savent faire des chansons pop, donc. Mais, de la pop, c’est souvent pas assez stimulant pour moi. J’approche de la fin !!!! C’est genre... pas mauvais... ? Mais... pas trop trop bon, en même temps... !? Ouf !! Feni ! Enfin !

It wasn't kid rock, but I hurt my jaw gritting my teeth getting through this. I understand it sold well, but wow it felt tailor-made to be annoying.

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

Justified - Justin Timberlake ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I bet I would look pretty good on the dance floor shaking my butt to this music! JT has a great voice and a tight band. It's a fun album with a couple great songs on it but the whole album is more in that good maybe very good category rather than great. Not a thing really wrong with it. Would sound great at a club or wherever but it's not some masterpiece or anything like that. Not much to add really, it's just dance-y pop music & sometimes nothing sounds better at a club when you are wearing a cute/sexy new outfit nursing a cocktail and dancing/flirting the night away. As Thom Yorke says, 'Everything in Its Right Place' ... to the dancefloor!

Very boring, mostly filler and too long. The singles are decent enough but even then I think it's the Neptunes production for the most part carrying them

He’s a strange one in general. At one point he was the biggest star in music, then he was one of the biggest film draws but he’s left so little footprint. Album was ok but not one to revisit.

Yeah, that was fine.

Pretty good

Hard listen, and a hard pass. Production was good but messy. Please stop with the whiny sex voice.

Like. When they were done recording, did anyone think maybe to cut the shit songs and only put in what they knew would hit? This is a 2 star, lowered to a 1 on account of it being OVER AND HOUR LONG!

I mean, this sucked but it's also fine? I'm not a tween girl so I didn't care for most of the lyrical content. But it's the fuckin' Neptunes producing most of the album. It SOUNDS great! But it isn't great at the same time. I'm just not the target demographic for this music. I also fucking cannot stand Rock Your Body. Worst single J Timbers ever made. I guess I'll give this 3 stars.

This album made me feel like I was being groomed

This album is loaded with some of the best hits of the era. Great production.

Rather generic Pop album...at least some songs were acceptable.

Man känner igen flera låtar men det är ju så tråkigt. Ser hellre färg torka än lyssna på det här.

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

Respectfully, solo JT is just not for me. I'm good

Outside of the singles this doesn’t offer a great deal. In fact apart from the singles this is just a sub par MJ LP. Extra star because the singes are very good

The four singles are solid, iconic and nostalgic and have successfully worked their way back into my rotation. I am a big sucker for the production on Cry My A River, I just love it so much, those weird vocal layers in the background - so good. Everything outside these is filler bloat so they could actually release an "album". They all sound the same and cover the most banal and uninspired topics. Truly vapid stuff. It was honestly difficult to pick my least favourite. The production is decent across the board, some actual depth and character, but lyrically and vocally just absolute drivel. To be fair, this includes the four singles too, but they're actually more interesting and have stronger hooks and themes. The rest feels... remedial. Most: Cry Me A River Least: Take It From Here, Last Night, Still On My Brain - basically everything not a single Rating: 1, even with four Certified Banger singles that are a lovely blast from the past to listen to, the rest in between is unlistenable.

Eh I didn't like it when it came out and I dislike it more knowing the Britney side. But this was everywhere!

This was not my bag then, nor is it now. I do get how a couple of the tracks exploded on the pop/club scene. “Rock your Body” and “Like I Love You” have some beats, hooks, and structure. The rest of it was pretty painful to get through. The full album is average at best for the genre, IMO. Not really Justified to make this list, except for the fact that he and his music was everywhere in the decade of the 2000’s and a little beyond. 2.5/5

This is not a good album. Doesn’t really hold up 20+ years later. At some points I honestly thought I was listening to Flight of The Conchords doing a parody. And then I realized, no…this really was intended to be a serious album. Oof. Justifiably forgettable.

This was more challenging to get through than I thought it would be, and I was surprised how many songs on here I’ve never heard. Points for the songs on here that were undoubtedly successful, but didn’t really enjoy this.

Some primo JT dooooshbagness. But gosh darn it if my head doesn’t start to bob when cry me a river comes on. And my booty shakes with rock your body. The rest is very generic and meh. Didn’t really need a full album of this. 2.5 and rounding up for nostalgia.

Def sounds a bit cringe nearly 25 years since its release…but was a pretty fun blast from the past. Several certified hits and gotta love that early 2000’s Timbaland production that was everywhere at the time. Not a great album and lots of fluff, but still much better than many other albums we’ve had during this exercise. I’d take this over another Steely Dan any day of the week. Fight me. 3/5

Really bad. This particular era for this genre needs to be whited out from music history.

Muy buenos grooves. La producción de los temas se siente un poco ecléctica (la elección sonora entre temas varía mucho, como si fuesen un conjunto de singles metidos en un disco) pero el estilo se mantiene consistente, por lo cual no arruina la experiencia. La voz de Justin es muy buena para este estilo pop a la Michael Jackson. Sin embargo las letras son extremadamente genéricas y por momentos un tanto cringe.

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

I truly love this album. I don't listen to it enough, but when it comes on or I go out of my way, it's just so good and pure. Almost reminds me of MJ's Off The Wall album. This is a 4-star album for me.

Flawless prodticion. Wasn't too impressed by the singing. Would've been better if it was less than 40 minutes. So many filler songs. "Cry Me a River" is an undeniable banger. Rest are forgettable. The 2000s cheese does give it some charm.

whining a bit, but not so bad after all...

I don't know if his music has gotten more sophisticated or what, but this album was pretty cheesy and dated and I was happy when it was over. Another baffling choice for this list.

I am sure I actively avoided this music when it came out. It's hard to deny JT is a talented guy and from seeing him doing other things, like Saturday Night Live, he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously. So credit to him for that. This album was not a slog to get through, but I don't like this type of music.

Dread is what I felt when this showed up. I might be carrying a bit of prejudice against 2000's pop music so this will be a challenging listen. I am praying I at least can get through this, as this is at least from a period in time where JT was considered cool. Unlike today where a generational drop off has seen him completely fall off the map, relevancy wise. I fear the length of this thing. Going into this with low expectations and hoping I'll find something to enjoy here. Señorita Off to a bad start. Hate the intro. The triangle is extremely annoying. Cringe lyrics. His voice is very good. A varied and well paced performance. Some sections sound very busy. Drags. Hate the outro. His personality on this track is really cheesy and performative. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Like I Love You Uuuuuuuuuugh hate the whispery soft spoken intro. The drums sound like tin cans. Generic cringeworthy lyrics. Genuinely difficult to get through. Free me from falsetto hell. Dated beyond belief. Awful. 1/5 (Oh No) What You Got Annoying. Torturous flute. The synth is kinda cool. Almost decent chorus. At least it's mostly just boring, doesn't actually make me die inside. Even though some of the effects on the vocals sound terrible. Dislike. 2/5 Take It From Here Holy hell that's the corniest lyrics I've ever heard, makes me wanna shut this song off immediately. The whispering is not sexy, it's just weird, dude. Kinda getting into the vibe of the vocal melody on the chorus. Has it's moments, but the bad far outweighs the good. Way too long. Dislike. 2/5 Cry Me A River The production here is just waaaay too much. It sounds ridiculous. The chorus is admitably catchy. The bridge does break up the monotony a bit, but it also does suck, just sounds lifeless and flat. Overproduced and annoying, but mostly inoffensive. Dislike. 2/5 Rock Your Body Sterile disco inspired instrumental, lacks any real soul or smoothness. Don't mind the chorus, though it's a bit overproduced. The duet aspect of the song strangly works pretty well. "Nekkid" is a word that should never be said by anyone ever. The outro kills any energy or dancability the song has. Makes it peter out in an unsatisfying way. Average. 2.5/5 Nothin' Else 2 minutes went by before I noticed it was even playing. Slow, monotonous, boring. Awful synths. Annoying vocal ad-libs. There are sections in there where you can find some pretty harmonies I suppose. I guess the bass is kinda memorable. Dislike. 2/5 Last Night Busy. Don't really get what the instrumental is trying to do, just sounds messy. Irritating chorus. Also commits the great sin of being bland as hell. Generic track that way overstays it welcome. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Still On My Brain So incredibly inauthentic. Hate the wind chimes. Mostly inoffensive, but bland as hell. Would rather listen to elevator music. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 (And She Said) Take Me Now Doing my best not to zone out completely. Really don't like the drums. Cringeworthy, vapid lyrics again. The additional vocals just makes the song sound busy. Hate the grunting. Who in their right mind thought this song needed to be 5 minutes and 30 seconds long. The outro section adds exactly zero value. Awful. 1/5 Right For Me Help me. This is purgatory. The rap verse is a real downer, sounds completely phoned in. Otherwise generic and bland. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Let's Take A Ride What in hell was that intro. What the hell was that first verse. This concept just doesn't work. The looping instrumental gets really repetitive. Nothing chorus. I truly don't know if this track is particularly bad or if I'm just fed up with this album, but I felt such a relief when it was over. Awful. 1/5 Never Again ... will I listen to this album! Who cares. Boring as balls. The extremely basic, generic lyrics don't help. Sounds like they're made with a generator. Approaching parody. The performance feels manifactured. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 It's times like these where I appreciate the current era of music accesibility. I can go online and find pretty much anything, from experimental german noise rock, to today's trendiest pop-star's freshest album. Music streaming has been available for around two decades now and never in that time have I wanted to listen to Justin Timberlake. And why is that? Because his music is bland as hell. It's an absolute masterclass in pandering to the lowest common denominator to the point where it approaches self parody. There's so little interesting material on here that I'd genuinely find more enjoyment out of listening to TV-static, as I could at least see it having some meditative qualities. Here you're presented with an artist who absolutely CAN sing and a producer who definitely is capable of producing, but their combined effort feels so calculated, cold and manufactured that you're left with an inauthentic, soulless experience. Each track has about a minute of dead space, that just wastes your time on unecessary additions or tasteless repetition. This bloats the album to such an extent that it drags until I'm so bored I completely zone out. And I admit that the hits on this thing have moments where they're really catchy and memorable, but even they are marred with the same blandness, or even in some cases overproduction which makes the remaining sections od those tracks nigh unlistenable. Justin Timberlake is a talented guy, and apparently puts on a pretty good live show, but this album is just not it. Judging by his future work he at least gets somewhat better before falling off a cliff again. 1/5

A classic in the Neptunes production catalog

Lemppari: Nothin’ else Vähiten lempparit: señorita, never again

Not sure why this is on the list.

Some OK tunes. A LOT of crap.

Just in (see what I did there!) case you didn't know who it is, his name is in the lyrics of the first three tracks (the third Mr JT). Never been my cup of tea. 2002 was the time I was getting sober, I don't think I took much notice of anything else around that time, so Mr JT passed me by, sounds like a good thing. He did a ft thing on HoLy GrAiL with Jay-Z which I thought was ok at the time, but that is really dated. In fact, I think Mr JT is dated and he hasn't really stood the test of time.

7/10

Certified classic

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

Der er for mange bangers på til at ku give under 4

Well we know the answer to what Michael Jackson would have sounded like had he been white (oh wait) and in a boy band from the nineties. And a whole hour of this stuff. It's just very very formulaic.

I can’t get thru it yuck

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

This album would get 5/5 aside from the facts that I don't like JT, or RnB, and it's too long.

this sure is a snapshot of a very specific time. and for all his shitty behavior and terrible personality, his tenacity really shows on this album. the producers he got to do this album and the "lets just try anything and see what sticks" feel of this album proves he wanted to be famous at any cost. I guess he got what he wanted? the music is hokey and dated but isn't that what pop music is?

trash pop. Corporate swill. music for the deaf.

There’s magic in there somewhere

gonna be honest this was the first i didn’t completely finish but that’s because i started it late and was lazy. it was good though! i love justin timberlake (i think he makes peak party music). i knew a few of these from the radio but others like “senorita” were unheard of bangers. will finish last two songs later, though i’m sure they are fine at worst and good at best. 4/5.

Timba-lake was a Quincy jones Mj like duo. The world tour may be over but this record still bops.

Nee. Gewoon nee.

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

This is going to ruin the tour

Das Debut von Justin als Solo-Künstler. RnB Musik mit Pop/Dance-Einflüssen. Spannend zu hören. 4/5

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

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

This is the album Michael Jackson should have made in 2003

It's May, it's May, it's Justin Timberlake Day. This album is fine, for a white guy appropriating black cultural forms.

The production is well done, but I found the album boring as a whole. I am probably biased since I don't like him as a person, but did not enjoy this. Was also disappointed right away when I realized Senorita was not the song with Camilla Cabello. Favorite song was Rock Your Body. 3/10

I love the 20/20 experience and Futuresex/Lovesounds. I've never listened to this album in it's entirety. "Senorita" certainly is a JT song. He could have released this last year and I wouldn't know. Is that a bad thing? Maybe not, but he certainly hasn't strayed far from his wheelhouse. The audience involvement section at the end is genius, and I'm sure was fun at all the concerts. The beat swap at the end of "Like I Love You" goes hard. "(Oh No)" and "Take It From Here" are both kind of boring. "Cry Me a River" is iconic. This song is sick. The beat bangs, JT's vocals are dope. I used to regular play a youtube recording of Johnny Craig from Dance Gavin Dance covering this song in some attic. It's still up, I just checked. "Rock Your Body" is another amazing song. Awesome beat and vocals. If I've got a few drinks in me and this comes on, I WILL be dancing. The rest of the album was a little boring for me, and it was too long. The three songs I like get an 8 or 9, but the album as a whole is too much for me. 6/10

Solid, a lot of good tracks.

Ugh, it's over an hour... OK, has a few jams, plus Timbaland & the Neptune's production saves a good bit of this.

Man, early 2000s pop albums really didn’t know how to stop at 40 minutes, did they? The album is frontloaded with singles, but the last 7 songs feel interchangeable, once you get past "Rock Your Body," the album starts to blur into a polished but samey stream of filler. The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) and Timbaland sure know how to write a catchy pop tune, but the production sheen can’t save the weaker tracks, and the emotional range just isn’t there to sustain a full album listen.

Solid nineties dance pop and r&b balladry. Neptunes and Timbaland are really the stars here.

Not bad. Decent pop from the early 2000's. Too long tho. 3.5

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

Not my vibe

Par æradefinerende hits her. Dessverre er alt rundt veldig monotont og kjedelig.

Noen bangers, ellers så er det meste bare tamt og klissete.

Obviously, I have mixed feelings on the artist. But if we are judging this without taking that into account, "Senorita" is obviously amazing. What a great song. And to start the album off with it. A provocative choice that I support. Let’s see how the rest of the album goes. "Like I Love You" is next. Another absolute heater. I thought "Take It From Here" was weird. “Cry Me A River”, Brittany NOOOOOO. She deserved better. “Nothing Else” sounds like elevator Muzak. I think the only reason I like some of this album is because of Timbaland, I'm pretty sure he produced a lot of this. I like a few of the tracks but overall, I would rate this middle of the road, 3/5.

Seems like a typical pop album on the surface. There's a lot of R&B/Soul/Funk influence. It's very well produced and that's probably the highlight. Without The Neptunes and Timberland it definitely would not be as successful. Not bad, but nothing amazing.

Slickly produced, I will grant him that. Timberlake was dubbed "The Prince Of Pop" at one point in his career. You can tell where he gets that from, as so many of the songs have a Michael Jackson kinda feel to them. Heck, the producers even said their intentions were to create music that was similar to Jackson's work without "recycling them". The opening song... I hated the whole "I'm gonna do something right now..." banter. You do that on a live song, not a studio song. I think "Let's Take A Ride" would be better as the last song, it would show the potential JT could have. So it's not a bad album, but the majority of it is so derivative of artists like Michael Jackson and EWF, it's hard to be so into it. Top tracks: "Cry Me A River," "Nothin' Else"

This album is not much better than his ex-girlfriend Britney's debut album. He did get better producers, though I feel like Timbaland did a little better with his sophomore album. The hits are still super catchy - Like I Love You, Cry Me a River, Rock Your Body - so credit to JT and Timbaland and The Neptunes for that. But the other songs? Some of them are awful - Senorita (ugh that last 90s), Take it from Here (overdoing it, just like recent Bruno Mars stuff), Right for Me (what is with his voice?). What You Got (buzzy) and Never Again (sweet) are solid. The album also felt like it crawled along. I was at song 9 or 10 thinking alright, it's about over. And still 3-4 more songs to go, with a total album time over an hour. Too long for pop, or R&B if you want to go so far as to call it that. He showed he was the most talented of the N'Sync boys (strong vocals and range) but it was still tough to hang on for a whole album. A 2 seems too harsh. But not higher than a 3.

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

Canned.

5/10

Honestly… really good. Some of the songs were really cringe but overall the vibe was great. Cry me a river we did in college and a few others I was already familiar with. Rhythms were clean and the melodies were catchy. I’m curious if it was just as cringe back in the day or if it aged poorly. Not the album I would expect on this list but I was happy to have it.

I think he was trying to mimic Stevie Wonder, but the whole thing came across like a lot of pop at this time. Too over produced, too shiny, with the depth of a kiddie pool.

pop city, but fun...

Ugh.

3.5 - Super nostalgic.

Good God, please no.

This was very nostalgic, and I remember bopping to these songs hard in high school. Overall, I think its a pretty good pop album -mostly catchy songs, and Justin's voice sounds good. But its not as strong as FutureSex/LoveSounds.

Already heard

Probably my least favourite of JT's, but a killer solo debut regardless.

Can't...stand...listening..to..this.

There are three or four killer dance tracks on here. But the rest is just really boring filler. The rating is down to those toe-tapping ear worms.

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

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

It’s a very good pop album.

Pharrell and Timbo songs are great. The rest is just Michael Jackson imitation.

One particularly awful song was playing on this one and I thought to myself "fuck, I'm never listening to this album again". Funny enough, that song was called Never Again

This is a lot, and it's not good. It's big and ambitious and pandering for all the wrong reasons. It feels like JT wants to be Michael Jackson on this. It doesn't hit the mark, and feels super dated and corny.

Super uninterteresting standard electric modern r n b.

Oh, JT - our modern day MJ. If this record is on here, FutureSex/LoveSounds better be as well. Timberlake's voice is simply mesmeric and out of this world. His harmonies are so smooth, soulful and sultry. Neptunes mostly carry the production on this record, but additions by Timbaland, Scott Storch and Brian McKnight really add the flavor and variety. Timberlake is so hard-working and driven and it really shows in all of his work. This record is no different and demonstrates his professionalism as a solo artist, no less on his debut. It's fun, funky, upbeat and rhythmic. The production was so unique at the time and still carries itself to this day. Big fan of this one.

What a pleasure. Excellent pop album with great hip-hop beats and smooth R&B jams. Most of it is either produced by The Neptunes or Timbaland, so the music is top notch. Man, I love the beatboxing Timbaland mixes into his beats. So good. His songs in particular on this album are layered with loads of fun details. “Cry Me a River” is a song I’ve heard countless times but the backing vocals still surprised me and sounded fresh! Great song.

This is a really great pop album with three standout tracks- "Senorita", "Cry Me a River", and "Rock Your Body". I love that it starts with "Senorita". I haven't heard this in a while and when I put it on I immediately thought "I bet this is Timbaland" and it is (plus Pharrell) ! Their production styles work super well for Justin's pop. I'm not exactly a daily listener of Justin Timberlake or anything but I think these are some of my more favorite tracks of his and I'm sure the influence from those two plays a part. "Rock Your Body" shows why Justin Timerblake is one of the biggest pop acts of our lifetime. It's such a great straightforward and a bit shallow pop song; there's no pretentiousness, it's just a catchy dance-y pop song done as good as one can be done. I'll have these songs stuck in my head for a few days now. Nice album cover, it's just a little bit corny to match the album title.

Surprises here in the jt woods or whatever he was trying to do a few years ago. Some good pop here. Not a huge fan of his voice and inflections but the music itself is solid. Though it does oddly remind me of a bunch of different songs at points. Like mayhe I head another pop song in the way a synth is done or a guitar riff sounds like a Zelda song very strange and maybe it's nothing and just a me thing but maybe this is just a victim of the preset era. Either way it's decently good. The hits are hits for a reason and the b sides are still decent. Crazy to give it a 3 but I'm gonna

Janet Jackson deserved better

There are a few tracks here I dig fine enough, and I think the production is solid overall, but I just don't love the style as a whole. 2/5

The production here is really great. But it's not at the heights of FutureSex, which to me is a 5/5 album. There's a couple really strong songs here, Cry Me A River, Rock Your Body, but it's mostly a mid pop album. Which makes sense since it's his first solo outing.

wish I could give this more stars but JT's bravado is more exhausting & cringey in hindsight than endearing

As a fan of his FutureSex/LoveSounds album, I was curious about this one. Unfortunately, on his solo debut it sounds like he is doing a shit-ass Michael Jackson impression the whole time. Having said that, despite some douche baggy lyrics I can’t deny a few of these songs are catchy. “Cry Me A River” and “Rock Your Body” get my hearty endorsement.

This here seems like a fella pretty convinced of his own sex appeal. Sadly I don’t buy it. Some painfully cheesy lines in every song, buoyed by quality Neptunes production (even though some of it is very dated). Cry Me a River sounds cool as hell if you ignore the lyrics. JT’s got a good voice but zero soul. I don’t care if you can hit the notes, do you feel anything about it? I didn’t hate anything but even high school me thought this was cheesy.

sexmaster, Justinin ajat popin "kultapoikana" alkavat virallisesti olla ohi. Viime kesäkuussa Justin hyväksyi syyteneuvottelun rattijuopumustapauksessaa. Justin yritti vakuuttaa häntä pidättävää poliisia, joka ei tunnistanut häntä, siitä, että pidätys tuhoaisi koko maailmankiertueen. Nolo hetki tallentui poliisin kameralle. miten kehtaa pidättää mun sexboy justin.. en tiiä en wibaillut butmsitakbum 2002 020200202 wooo,w we will never ducikng get old.. never get old guyz.. now drink beeeeeeeer ... beeeeeeer.. what you got

The fact that this album sucks so much is going to ruin the tour. The WORLD TOUR.

Some classics on here.. but also a good amount of the songs show their age. Overall average, with some bangers.

Everything that's wrong with modern music in a nutshell. In no way does it deserves its position on this list. It is shit, from start to finish.

Favorite Track: Rock Your Body

I was on the verge of throwing up, thanks for reminding me this creature exists.

Honestly? It's better than expected, at least at the start. But I absolutely despise every song being about the same thing. Justin repeating his name every song. This is an album wasted on being too pop, as Justin's voice's good, the music is enjoyable, even though it's too-ADHD, switching every few seconds at the start. Just a lot of wasted potential.

No thanks. 1/10

This sounds like the dreams of that guy in my calculus class when he’s the cool main character 😎 I haate the 2000s pop sounds even if this was produced by legends i just reaally dislike it. And Justin was cringe in eveery song maan

Enough good pop songs to keep the album moving along but sure there are hundreds of similar albums in the same genre and out at the same time to warrant inclusion in the 1001.

2.9 2x

Meh. I find his style annoying and voice grating,

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

Hate to admit how good this is.

I dunno, listening to this didn’t feel very justified to me.

Sorry, but I didn't like this kind of pop in 2002, and I don't really like it now. However, I will say that Pharrell is a great producer, and the songs were... the best of this kind of music. I'm going to rate this more kindly based on it not being actively hard to listen to and me even understanding why my ex loved it.

I'll be candid and just say that this is actually a splendid album. Artists who have been at a spotlight at an early age don't always manage to reshape their career into something worthwhile. A lot of teen-based pop projects are just a product of their time and feel dated. This doesn't imply that this album is flawless and that Mr Timberlake rose like a Phoenix from the ashes. There are issues with this album but I was surprised how absolutely engaging it was despite some of its juvenile content and incredible amount of cheese. This is mostly thanks to the excellent production and diverse styles, Pharrell and Hugo are pretty talented and I think that Justin was a great vehicle. Arguably the latter half of the album is somewhat forgettable but still solid. Justified has a great mix of Pop, RnB, Soul, Funk and Disco that mushes together well. Some of my favorites are Like I love you which has a addictive syncopated guitar riff playing with a great beat. The vocals go incredibly high and provide a great dynamic to an otherwise static track. However, the bridge brings in some really nice seventh chords which feel open and serene. Señorita is honestly another standout because it feels so laid back and always incorporates diverse instrumentations. I think it's a bit underrated because it's clear that great care was put into creating these tracks. Rock your Body is also quite stellar because it's a breath of fresh air with the prominent Disco influence. There is a bridge section which just consists of beatboxing and it's a bit awkward but man it's something unique alright. Now, if I had to trash this album then I would probably say that some of the lyrical content is just abysmal and juvenile. A lot of tracks feature Justin talking about some benign shit of girls and love, it's all a bit indulgent but it kind of works for this style. This album feels like a time capsule where actors just have a good time and don't take themselves to seriously (at least that's the vibe I get). One could be overly cynic and state that the album is clearly derivative of other great artists and arranged in a way to appeal to a larger demographic with the inclusion of obligatory rap parts and the use of popular pop tropes. Perhaps I have a soft spot for this album but I don't get the vibe that this record was constructed in a corporate fashion just to hit the billboards.

Well, I even was at one of the live shows at the time (actually great) and yes, Neptunes and Timbalanbd made many great records in the early 2000s. And JT isn't a bad singer. But apart from some of the hits, the album is a bit forgettable and their churning out tracks by the dozens hasn't made Neptunes and Timbaland production credits a guarantee for great music. So, for "Justified" is a mid-record with a huge hit-footprint, so basically a 3 star affair.

really good

Don't outright hate it. But not sure why it is on this list. Did absolutely nothing for me

I really like this, good memories however felt a bit of a slog towards the end

It was a good album, sounds a little forced now on some of the songs, Cry Me a River is still crazy

Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson all did it first and better. Its not unlistenable but not really list worthy

Thought he was over-rated in 2003. Just confirmed in 2025.

Surprised that I liked this.

Great beats too much high falsetto from JT. Lucky he had timbaland and pharrell

This cliched cheese isn't something I would ever choose to listen to, yet I knew four of the songs already as they were hammered on the radio back then. I remember writing this off as a Michael Jackson rip off, but listening now I can hear Pharrell all over it. I have to admit that the production on this is excellent. Normally I keep my reviews based purely on the music, but in this case I'm deducting a star for Justin throwing Janet Jackson under a bus. She is such a nice person and deserved a career more than this douche.

Neptunes and Timbaland production carry this one far on early 2000s nostalgia.

No iba a escucharlo directamente, pero le he dado una oportunidad. No está mal, aunque no es mi tipo de música. Hay momentos en que me ha recordado a Jamiroquai y eso ha sido lo más interesante.

8/10

Too long but fine enough.

JT seems to like to sing about himself a lot. A couple of good songs with a lot of fillers.

Please stop adding the latest fad to the list

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

Why on earth is this album on the list but so many other (objectively better) albums are nowhere to be found..? This album isn't bad, but it's just a mediocre pop album by a mediocre pop boy. Nothing crazy and certainly not something you need to hear before you die.

March 5, 2025 (late nite) HL: "Señorita", 'Cry Me a River", "Rock Your Body", "Let's Take a Ride", "(Oh No) What You Got" 3.5 Caught between a 3 and a 4 with this one. There are some great cuts, and the Neptunes brought their A-game, but the second half was a bit disappointing compared to the first. I'm looking forward to listening to FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), as just based on my age, and when I started paying attention to pop, I'll probably vibe with that more

Other than two singles I remember from back in the day didn’t leave much of an impression.

The whole boy band era slipped by me as I had kids to raise. My previous exposure to JT consisted of his voice acting in Trolls. Being fair, a very nice voice and well produced as an album

In my younger days I got jiggy to this album quite a bit as they regularly banged a lot of the songs off it in the clubs…good times, simpler times. Sigh. Anyway, I think ‘Justified’ still sands up quite well 20+ years later. The late 70’s rnb inspired production courtesy of Pharell, Chad Hugo and Timbaland still sounds mostly fresh today. It suffers from being too long, like many rnb/pop albums from the late 90s and early 2000’s, but by and large, there’s a lot of good stuff on here to groove along to.

I want to hate it, but I just can't. It is a great album.

Señorita, Like I love you, Cry me a river and Rock your body are great songs. Rest of the album is bland. Except for the second track. That one is so bad it made me cringe. I would easily give this a 4 but I can't forgive him for what he did to Britney.

I feel like if I sang these songs to a girl now I'd get punched

Pop pop pop! Good stuff, has a nice voice, but not as good as his collaborative work with Andy Samburg. This is no "Dick in A Box" It's a 3 but not a bad 3.

It is so easy to look back at early 2000's pop and cringe. Cringe at the fashion of the day, the hair styles, cringe at the trends, the technology, the things we thought were funny back then. Funnily enough, one thing that hasn't really aged all that poorly is the music. In general, I find early 2000's music to have aged better than expected. That's probably because it's the music of my late childhood and early teen years, but still. I cringe at the rest of the stuff from back then, but not the music. Well except for this. From the title, to the production, to the whole club music aesthetic, to the idea that a white boy from a boy band was going to come out here and produce an R&B album. Let's look at those elements one at a time. The title. Yeah we get it. His name is Justin. It's called "Justified." Is that it? It's not more clever than that, is it? The production feels like the people in the studio thought they were showing restraint but still over did it in some places. All the vocal interjections from Timberlake, the excessive flourishes in the beats on some of the songs, and the parts of the songs where he just talks like he's talking directly to the listener. Pull it back, man. You don't need that much. The idea that a white boy was going to go from an all-white boy band and then produce a more mature R&B album has not aged well. I'm not saying he can't do it for cultural appropriation reasons (if I did, I'd have to levy the same criticism at Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eminem, etc.). I just mean that I don't think it's that easy to take him seriously with this album. He went from doing choreographed dances and singing "Bye, Bye, Bye" to something like this in less than a year. The longer he pursued his solo career, the more believable he became. But with this, I just don't think I can take him seriously. I also just don't like him, nor do I care for the genre much. He has a track record of being kind of a dick. Namely with how he took none of the blame or suffered any consequences after the Janet Jackson Super Bowl incident, while she took all the blame and suffered because of it. There's more than that (his treatment of Britney Spears, for instance) but his image has taken a dive in the last few years and I just don't want to like this. So here we are. I can acknowledge that, as a pop record, this is well-produced (for its time) and probably one of the better albums of the its decade. I can look at it and tell you that I know that. But I didn't like it as much, and so it's getting three stars. I wanted to give it two, but I think that would be underselling it a little in terms of its impact and how good it is for its time. Standout Tracks: Senorita, Rock Your Body, Let's Take a Ride

Starts out funky and strong, and the singles are singles for a reason, but like most pop/R 'n' B releases from the period, this is way too long. The contemporary MJ/Stevie Wonder imitations only work for a limited duration.

Timbaland’s production is great, Timberlake’s vocals are smooth as silk and the songwriting on songs like “Cry Me A River” is as good as pop gets. There’s way too few of songs like that to make the runtime make sense - I’m essentially lacking the higher level of creativity present on some of his later albums. It’s not really that bad, it being here is just not justified.

Two bangers and a bunch of absolute shit.

Timberlake's debut contains a couple of huge hits (mainly Cry Me a River and Rock My Body), the rest are less interesting r'n'b/pop songs, and it's quite a long album with over 60 minutes. My 3 stars go to the excellent production that was put into this album by Pharrell Williams and Timbaland. It makes the album fresh even more than 20 years after its release. Overall it is not something I'd revisit but I have to admit that it is 2000s r'n'b/pop at its best.

Here we go—early 2000s pop in full force. Justified feels more like a time capsule than a must-hear album. I’m honestly baffled as to why this made it onto any "albums to hear before you die" list unless it’s just to appreciate how far we've come. I’ll give it some credit: “Nothin’ Else” has a nice little 60s soul vibe that actually worked. But then you’ve got “Never Again,” which lives up to its name—because I genuinely hope I never have to hear it again. Ever.

Came in with low expectations but was surprised that it was actually pretty good. Not something I’ll revisit that much but a solid 3 stars

This type of R&B/pop is not my thing at all. The voice talent is there but nothing here grabbed me, I found it to be kind of flat and boring.

Songs: Rock Your Body

The album has some occasional good elements. None of them had anything to do with Justin though.

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

Could not get into it

I can't believe I use to love this. Pretty generic pop listening again, but some solid songs

First half of the album is undeniable but back couple songs taper. Still easy 4

The popular songs are good, the back half was a bit flat for me

This album is fun with great bangers of my youth

smells like axe body spray and the Neptunes. 4 really strong singles, the rest falls off. I'll be generous since we just saw him in December and had fun re-listening.

Okay in its category, but it's just a normal pop album

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

The Timbaland bits here stand out. The rest is a bit sappy. Modern R&B < original R&B.

Just not my shit. Refused to listen.

Nope. Unjustified!

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

Nope! Unjustified!

..

Cringe

Some good singles mixed into an overly long album that doesn't deserve to be on the list. The 20/20 Experience does but not this. Meh. "You're out of this world but you're not green" is one of the WORST lyrics I've ever heard jfc

Huh. I like Justin Timberlake as a celebrity and I know a few of his songs but was pretty "meh" about this album. I don't know? It was like kind of boring in a way. Not sure why or what made it that way, but it never grew legs for me. Some musicians that I really like can fall into this occasionally, where they either put out an album or a song now and then that is just... produced. Maybe that is it. I felt like this was a safe and well produced album made for the masses and not really heartfelt. I could be wrong. But it didn't feel that way while I listened.

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

Another terrible disc (and another "can't I give zero stars?"). Has someone hijacked this list in order to drive music lovers insane?

Lol why is this an hour long? Cry Me a River is the main reason to listen - a huge earworm. The rest is fine. A bit too much content about how all women want to have sex with JT. This is going to ruin the tour.

Ok pop music but pretty lightweight. He's a good entertainer but I don't need to hear him sing.

First I'll say that this album was a fun and welcome change from our usual candidates. Sometimes you just need some fun pop to dance to. Havign said that, this was the wrong JT album to pick. Futuresexx/lovesounds or 20/20 experience part 1 would be better choices. While this album starts with a bunch of strong Neptunes production and catchy melodies (Senorita, Like I Love You, and Rock Your body are all bangers.), the album really drags in the middle, and the back half is really boring. Shocking that Janet Jackson is featured on here given what would happen between them shortly after at the Superbowl. High 3.

Nostalgia. Cry Me a River and Rock Your Body were classics. (Oh No) What You Got is also a very fun little song.

Bra skiva, lite ojämn kanske, inte riktigt min grej överlag men Rock your body är ju onekligen en jävla banger. 3/5

Kanske min mest cancellable åsikt men Justin Timberlakes låtar gör ingenting för mig öht.

The singles are great. The album tracks are fillers

The sound of this album is consistent throughout, seems well produced. I don't think I'd care to listen to it a lot but it had some moments I enjoyed a lot. Solid 3.5

why is the minecraft villager noise on the first couple songs

It's better than expected, but still not great. Outstanding production doesn't make a great album, and beyond this taking home the prize of "producer and singer most trying to be the next Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson" I'm not entirely sure what to make of this. But yes, all questionable nastiness from Timberlake towards Spears aside, Cry Me A River is a great pop song.

Boys in boy bands need to grow up. When they’re ready to do that, they venture on to a solo career, and when it’s time for their reintroduction, the public needs to make sure they are ✨grown men✨ ready to do exactly what you think they want to do, and every young girl between the ages of 11 and 19 needs to know, too. It is this manufactured maturity of the pop boy who is too sheltered to ever actually grow up that turns off the 30-something year old men who used to dominate music criticism. I have always been a staunch poptimist, though, and that has led me to defend 99% of these boys. From Justin Bieber to Nick Jonas to Harry Styles, I have defended men, despite the fact that I pretty much never listen to male pop stars, and have always been more drawn to girl groups my whole life. I will not be defending Justin Timberlake today. I will, however, defend the attempt. I’ll defend The Neptunes, I’ll defend Timberland. The production on here– sure, it’s of its time, but it’s good and interesting and classic. I’ll defend the guest spots, because as strange as it may be to hear The Clipse on a JT track or be forced to remember who Bubba Sparxxx was, they work. I’ll especially defend Janet Jackson, not only for her contributions on Justified, but for everything that happened to her for simply being associated with Justin Timberlake at any point in time. And while I obviously won’t defend Justin the man, I’ll defend his talents, which were enough to make this work in theory. Most of all, I’ll defend the A&R, because on paper, Justified works. It has just enough edge with just enough of the zeitgeist’s flavor du jour plus just enough star power to make it click. And look, at the time, it clicked; you have to remember, most of the solo careers of ‘90s boy band retirees went absolutely nowhere. But JT was everywhere. Now, obviously, this was most obvious with FutureSex/LoveSounds, an album I don’t personally love but one that I think does belong in the book regardless, and it’s clear that the editors made the wrong choice. 
 But they made the wrong choice not only based on impact. They made the wrong choice because most of the music here is not worth your time. Sure, the scaffolding holding JT up is pristine. There is nothing wrong with the songs. I like the beats, the guests, the flow, the vibe. I even like some of the songs! I stand by “Rock Your Body” being a bop just like I did when I was 10, and I stand by some of the ballads, which I think fit JT’s vocals really well. But the problem with 80% of this record is that Justin does not sell it. Yes, there’s the ✨white boi who loves hip hop✨ problem that sinks Justified like a stone, but there’s a bigger problem. I don’t believe Justin Timberlake is the man he says he is. And I mean that literally– I don’t believe that he is a fully grown adult who can do any of the theoretically things he claims he can do to a woman. He definitely can’t make love to them, or even be an adequate fuck, he can’t support them, he can’t care for them, he can make them feel sexy, he can’t be the best you ever had. None of it. He sounds like a baby, both based on the lyrical content and based on the fact that his literal voice sounds like a child is singing. I was concerned that his voice was going to crack the whole time, or worse, drop on wax. Justified is the album of a literal child. The fact that he made this when he was 21 is mind-blowing, because he sounds so young, to a fault. On top of all this, it’s bloated, and while it has good bones, none of those bones stand out. If you want good Neptunes production, just listen to The Clipse. If you want good Timbo, listen to Aaliyah. If you want better Justin, listen to FutureSex/LoveSoundss. Hell, Nelly Furtado’s record with Timberland deserves more praise than Justified. The tour should’ve been ruined decades ago. Really not worth the time.

I don't think we understood Justin's full potential as an artist until the world saw the Trolls movie (2016). The film showcases the talents of a wonderful cast, and is filled with bright colors and a few fart jokes. Those are my favorite aspects of film.

Justin Timberlake has always been a dweeb that thinks he’s way cooler than he really is, but the fact remains that he hoodwinked some very talented people (The Neptunes, Timbaland, Clipse, Janet Jackson (yikes)) into helping legitimize his cosplay, and the hits stand as a reminder that sometimes great pop music can come from inauthentic places.

Much like Destiny’s Child, which I had recently, when this album was released my 18 year old ears couldn’t stand it. But today, 23 years later, I find it listenable and even enjoyable. Quite a few recognizable, radio-friendly hits. I enjoyed Like I Love You which I don’t recall hearing before, I liked how it was mostly made up of a single chord.

The look of a guy about to do a wardrobe malfunction

Hahahahaha fuck off. This list has become a joke. Maybe one good album a week and the rest are utter dross. Life’s too short. Ol’ JT is the straw that’s broken this music loving camels back. Peace, out ✌🏻.

Was fun. I didn’t remember so much of this album being filler though. Couple great songs but otherwise just fine.

Its pretty awful

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

Tää oli musta tosi tylsä. Ja vähän limainen noiden viettely-yritystensä kanssa… eli en tykännyt sanoituksista. Cry me a river on toki tosi hyvä.

Hänen estetiikkansa/tyylinsä/konseptinsa ei puhuttele lainkaan. Ainoa ongelma on se, että jotkut näistä biiseistä yksinkertaisesti porautuvat päähän. Ihan ok biittejä myös.

Every song sounds the same. The same generic lyrics where Justin talks about seducing whatever girl he sees. Boring. I’ll give it one extra star for it’s decent production.

…Does all pop music age poorly? The only songs I enjoyed were the ones I have nostalgia for.

A couple of decent hits from the time but overall a load of wank from an absolute cunt of a man.

First half of this is great, second half is wick

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

Impeccable production. This album has 4 truly great pop compositions and the rest are pretty mediocre early 2000's filler that are elevated slightly over other pop filler by Pharrell and Timbaland.

You can really hear the Pharrell all over this, it’s kind of wild how distinct that sound is. Anyway, I don’t now that I needed to hear this before I died. Cry Me A River was the only song that stood out and even that was ehhh

So he wants to be MJ. There's a cringey "singalong" in the first song. He didn't need to do it. The song was boring already, if I wasn't falling asleep i would have laughed. Now he's doing his "sexy" impersonation. Very wrong when you consider his prime audience was early teen girls. Now he's putting on his jacket and somehow that's sexy. This is tremendously awful shit.

Pretty good pop album. Definitely has some notes of MJ and there was a song that sounded very Wonder-esque. 3.5/5

One more reason to hate CDs: they hold more garbage.

haha nostalgia. but have I ever listened to it? IDK. way more fun than I remembered. 4s. It's pretty generous, sure, but I was feeling it.

incredibly awful absolutely garbage I loved it

This was really a good mix of music.

Mid

No real standout tracks but consistent throughout

- JT habe ich hier eher nicht erwartet, aber seine Mukke ist (jedenfalls teilweise) etwas Guilty Pleasure für mich - "Cry Me A River" ist einfach ein Banger, "Rock Your Body" finde ich etwas überbewertet - insgesamt ist das Album in Ordnung, aber keine Offenbarung, gerade zum Ende hin baut es ab und wird etwas zäh - Das Album "FutureSex/LoveSounds" finde ich persönlich besser, das ist aber ehrlich gesagt auch das einzige Album, das ich bisher bewusst von ihm gepumpt habe - finds richtig schwer da eine Bewertung zu finden, denke aber es wäre irgendwas bei 2,75/5

I've never really cared for Justin Timberlake, and that's not going to change today.

Early 2000s club music. Not my jam.

Not in my edition of the book! 2002. 1 star. Bland, soulless, white "R&B" that desperately wants to be Michael Jackson but without the tunes. Who the fuck decided this was essential listening?

(written like an angry Facebook post) Album title very misleading! We let this guy get away with too much, and the passage of time lets me say that with certainty. I think the biggest gripe I have with this album is that some fantastic Pharrell and Timbaland production is wasted on some just ok JT falsetto singing. My second biggest gripe with this album is that I’m not sure how seriously JT wants us to take him. Making a song like “Cry Me A River” and then proceeding to cry himself a river on the closing “Never Again”, all the while peppering the track list with various “hey girl I like your body” type of tracks. Mixed messaging, which I suppose I could look past if I was a JT stan…but I am not. And I think that’s where the barrier of entry lies with this Justified - if you are invested in the man then this is an album do substance for you. Otherwise, all this album is good for is a poorly-aged single about a Britney Spears breakup. And some solid pop production. Both Timbaland and Pharrell are so good at making sounds that sparkle and add flavor to a track. I have lots of good to say about the production, not much to say about the man behind the microphone. Sadly, “Cry Me a River” is my only worthwhile highlight, the album takes a noticeable nosedive from “Right For Me” and beyond. More mature than his boyband days? Sure, but not by much.

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

justin timberlake's best album due to a fortunate combination of rly talented producers & timing. makes it extremely funny how bad his latest stuff is lol

Hated it, baby girl.

More inoffensive hair salon mousketeer Muzak. I prefer Dick in a Box.

Artiste connu de nom uniquement. Aucun intérêt musical, très répétitif et inintéressant. Et beaucoup trop long, je ne suis pas allé au bout. =>1/5

Sometimes you get a debut album and marvel at how the act was able to hit the bullseye right out of the gate. Boston. Coldplay. Cyndi Lauper. Not Timberlake.

What it's the turn of the 21st Century and you want to hit the club? I have just the thing for you. What, you also want a few tracks to get a little...wink wink? This baby has all that too? What you want it to come in at a nice 45 minutes or so? No can do. It stretches a little too long at the end. By then you'll be too tired for the club, and the...uh...wink wink? You'll be done with that as well. But this album will keep going. It's fine though for that time and for what it is. A good departure from the clean cut boy band sound.

Not for me. Some interesting notes of cultural influence but it is all used in vain to create generic 2000s pop. Cry me a river is an iconic banger tho.

Første halvdel har nogle gigantiske bangers, anden del bliver virkelig kedelig. Neptunes beats gode

Kæft der er nogen bangers på den her, men kæft der er også meget filler. Neptunes og Timbaland er at their prime her, produktionen holder virkelig godt på de numre der ikke er pissekedelige.

Strong start.. Quickly faded into shitty ballads..

This album embodies everything that is wrong with Pop music in this millenium. 2/5

The singles are brilliant pop hits. They really are! The rest of the album is a bit "meh", felt very much like "let's try and make a new MJ". Again though that's off to the singles, they really are bangers.

Meh, not my thing.

Some nostalgic songs on here but mostly the songs don't seem to hit as much. Standout tracks: Rock Your Body, Cry Me a River, Nothin' Else

This is just a fun mindless pop record. It retains enough of that NSync vibe to be boy band-esque, but there certainly a little more maturity to be found in this album. There’s a distinct R&B sound that shines through, and it’s hard to complain about it. It’s nothing groundbreaking, nor is it particularly novel, but it is very well produced. The prince of pop killed it with “cry me a river”. It’s easy to nitpick and find faults with this album, but in this particular case, I don’t think there’s any reason to. It was made for the mainstream pop charts, and it succeeded in an excellent way. 4*

If I had to give aliens one album to understand what early 2000s American pop music was like, this would be a strong candidate. It’s not the best early 2000s pop album by any means, but it’s a good cross section. There’s a couple bangers (the songs you already know coming into the album), a few awkward forays into sanitized R&B, a track or two that are just weird (“Nothin’ Else” ????), and a good amount of filler. The production on this album is glitzy and clever and maintains a pretty high standard of quality throughout, but lyrically and emotionally there is very little to offer. The effect is kind of like a movie set on a studio lot: the façade is eye-catching, but if you peek behind it, there is nothing there. I’d give this 2.5 ⭐️ if I could, but it’s not an unenjoyable listen and the bangers really do be bangin’ so I’ll go 3 ⭐️.

Decent. Makes me feel like I’m at a mall around 20 years ago. I generally enjoy JT when they show up in tv/movies/whatnot, but I do not specifically seek out their music.

Merry day after Christmas. Here’s some crappy music by a crappy person.

When I used to work retail, Cry Me a River would play on the PA. It was one of the few songs I could tolerate and I still think of it fondly. I enjoyed listening to it this time too. I almost gave this album a 2 just for that song, but I disliked the other HOUR of music enough that that one good song couldn’t save it.

I have no idea how this is on the list. Yes it’s better than kid rock but that’s not difficult. This has no musical or cultural significance

Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 📸🌩️👨 Production: 🤯🙂👌 Music: ✨💃🕺🎚️🔥🧼 Rating: 💃🕺(💃)/5

Nah this sucks

Decent

Très surévalué selon moi. Quelques bonnes chansons ici et là, mais l'album aurait pu facilement être coupé de moitié. La production est généralement très bonne, mais la voix de Justin est trop souvent caricaturale et les paroles sont souvent vraiment gênantes. Un exemple d'un album qui a mal vieilli, mais je me demande si au départ il n'y avait pas un gros biais des critiques. 4/10

Känner mig lite smutsig efter att ha haft Justins suggestiva viskningar i mitt öra under en dryg timme. De gör det inte riktigt för mig. Hela albumet präglat av den jobbiga, kåta stämningen. Väldigt corny och rätt ofräscht tbh ("Bet I'll have you NEKKID by the end of this song"). De flesta album brukar jag ge minst två lyssningar, men här känner jag inget sug att återvända efter första. Det är också, som Gessle skulle sagt, för långa låååtarrrrr! 13 låtar alla över 4 minuter, albumet hade tjänat på lite variation på den fronten. Trist när saker är som man förväntar sig. Jag hade älskat att bli överraskad och golvad av Timberlake, men så blev det inte. Dunderhiten Cry Me a River är ändå bra, det måste jag säga. Det är också kul att tänka att han sjunger om en fiktiv flod på Krimhalvön. Bästa låt: Cry Me a River.

This was just not my thing. There was a cohesive vibe throughout the album. I didn’t love the vocals. Found them a little whiny. Cry me a River was my favorite song

Pretty listenable album with the classics "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body", 3.5/5

Entertaining. Over produced. Very much of its time. Cry me a river is worth some stars pf it's own.

I liked the first half but nothing from the back half grabbed me. Rating: 3.4