Justified

Not bad for 2000s pop music. Gross at points for sure.

And just like that, I’m transported to the back of a jeepney at some disgusting hour

Ugh.... mediocre

If I would have not known that it was justin timberlake I might have more lenient. Good production, but it’s just poppy r&b

Everything after rock your body is album filler. Would be a three but runs too long.

i mean its alright? i feel like a few songs havent held up but the more recognisable songs here are still decent.

Not usually my bag, but JT is so dang charismatic it's hard to not enjoy listening to him.

It seems that with pop music from the 2000s the idea was to shun distinctiveness. The songs here are ordinary ... the same plain pop stuff that I've heard hundreds of times from other acts. Nothing sticks out.

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

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

I’ll admit this album wasn’t as bad as I expected. Pharrell Williams’ contributions definitely stand out and probably elevate the overall sound. However, I don’t think this album deserves a spot on a list of must-hear albums. It even makes me wonder what other albums got left off to include this one. And honestly, it felt a little too long for my liking.

Was awful in 2002. Every bit more I learn about the history of popular music makes it seem worse. I gave Michael Jackson 1 star. I wish there was a lower rating for derivative Michael Jackson. A cultural moment to be aware of for sure. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

Truly a horrible time in pop music, and in hindsight, maybe a tipping point. The last little bit of human spirit squeezed out, pure grey goop. When there are hit songs that are 100% AI Generated they’ll have the hits of the early 2000s to thank. This was a primer. Remember the follow up to this album, which people insisted was Groundbreaking? More grey goop, please! Yum yum yum!

One of my least favorite genres of music. But JT is cool, and the album and the sound is iconic. I can appreciate that. But its still middle school music to me = awkward prom vibes. I also might look like JT on this cover if I had more hair.

it was better than i expected/remember

Cry me a river is a good song. Too bad it destroyed another woman's career.

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

uninspired and uninspiring

Heard it enough then. Pass

Pop masterpiece

Not my type of music, Decade (Grew up in the 00s and didn't like the music then) or genre. But credits due where it is. He has a great voice and an impressive vocal range. some tracks reminds me of Stevie Wonder in tone. But it is very 00s and would be better if the cut the last half because it get very bland fast after the hits,

This is a difficult one- very 'pop R&B' sanitised but with a gritty feel behind it. I think there's a lot more going on here which makes this more worthwhile listening to.

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

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

It‘s really cool but also I don‘t dig all that Kindergarten dis-game that‘s so prominentes spread across hiphop in general

no thanks justin. why is it so long

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

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

I am not sure if I actually finished the album, but I don't think I'm a massive JT fan, sorry justin

I scoffed when I saw this album come up, but then I remembered the 4 pretty large bangers on it and was willing to give it a fair crack. Señorita remains a guilty pleasure of mine, and the production on Cry Me a River is cooler than I realised back in the day, but unfortunately nothing after track 6 is memorable - and some of it is downright poor. Also, I'm pretty sure some of the lyrics felt a bit creepy at the time, but they definitely do now.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would - Rock Your Body is a great track

Uuh, Justinin musasta tulee aikusuuden ensiaskeleet elävästi mieleen. Rock Your Body oli jumantsuikka semmonen bangeri "yökerhoissa", että oksat pois. Isoimmat radiohitit tuttuja ja huomaamatta jalka tamppaa mukana. Loput välillä ihan ok ja ok.

Ei mun kuppi teetä

Justin Timberlake me fait penser à un enfant déguisé en homme avec une fausse moustache. Il veut nous convaincre qu’il est suave et funky, mais je n’y adhère pas. Les rythmes sont vraiment contagieux et réussis par contre

слишком фальцет и рнб с нотками предаторства. лучшие куски это Тимбаленд + край ми э ривер навсегда моя любовь. даже не знаю…

Most songs don't go anywhere and overstay their welcome in all the time consuming trite 2000's cliche ways. Feels like squandered potential in these early stages. His next two albums are much better.

Some great hits mixed with some duds. His confidence and production shines more on FutureSex/LoveSounds, while this album feels like they are still experimenting with what direction to take him as a solo artist.

I love the singles from this album but man the filler is bad. Some of these lyrics are criminal. The production is too notch though so I see why this would make it. Just about.

7.5/10

I put this off for a long time because I suspected the back half was going to be full of mushy love songs and I was not wrong. Working with the Neptunes really brings the album the personality it has, but I'm happy I never have to hear Never Again again. 2.5

This has aged maybe the most poorly of anything we’ve had so far

lol

At least 70% of what makes this album good is that the songs were mostly written for Michael Jackson, and a lot of the final 30% is The Neptunes and Timbaland, because absolutely none of it is Justin Timberlake deciding to do a call-and-response or beatbox in the middle of a single track. "Cry Me A River" is probably a favorite, but in retrospect this is now a song where he continued to shade Britney Spears after, at minimum, neglecting to care about her image for and treatment by the press and this all came shortly before he left Janet Jackson to bear the brunt of their Superbowl halftime show. Sonically I could imagine giving it a 2 because so much of the music/beat work is good, but I'm tired and annoyed and it's getting a one.

lmao???? HUH?? so so funny that this is on here. weirdly thought i would enjoy this FAR more than i did, i love pop, i love early 2000s pop, i love pharrell, i remember the big hits from my childhood. but.... phew. i did not enjoy this. it was waaaaay too long, at least 20 minutes of this could have been cut. i think i would have enjoyed this more if it was just a pharrell album-- at least 50% of my lack of enjoyment boils down to justin timberlake being unbearably corny. cry me a river is good, unfortunately rock your body is also still really good, but that's genuinely about it.

Listening to this now, knowing what we know about his and Britney's relationship, makes segments of this almost sickeningly narcissistic. There's still a couple bops - hard not to with the Neptunes and Timbaland so heavily involved. Also, Bubba Sparxxx is here.

Señorita was actually kind of a bop in all fairness I mean the rest of it was one hour of pure cock and ball torture but that first song was alright at least

What horrendous garbage.

The Neptunes and Timbaland put in the work, this didn't stand a chance without them. Justin could easily be replaced on this. His voice is weaker than I remembered on these singles. Why is this an hour long!?

Still a solid album. A few tracks here can still be just forgotten about entirely, but those big hits really still hit hard.

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

Has some good songs, but as a whole very mediocre

Pharrell and Mr. JT on a quest to deliver the slickest 60 minutes of the new millennium.

<3

Ok, ok, hes not Michael Jackson and Pharrell isnt Quincy Jones. But not many people are. This is decent, of its time, pop music that borrows heavily from previous generations to make something fun. All art is theft remember? Some really good tracks here, and some absolute filler as well.

Some bangers but diluted in the length.

2.5 but rounding it down

1. zenorita - 1 2. like - 1 3. got - 1.5 4. here - 1 5. river - 1.5 6. body - 1 7. elze - 1 8. night - 1 9. brain - 0 10. nouu - 0 11. right - 0 12. ride - 0 13. never - 0

This was really quite bland and too long.

Lowkey enjoyed this, still an awful early 2000’s pop album

This was not for me. I did not enjoy listening to this at all.

Crap

This is a few songs too long, which the hits don’t quite make up for.

What an utter waste of time

Classic 2000s pop. There's some bangers that take me back to college on this album. I could do without the ballads tho.

This is 63 minutes of excruciating pap.

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

66% Best: Rock Your Body Must-Hear? No

There are a few bangers here, “(oh no) what you got” and definitely “cry me a river” - but the album is polluted with D+. Soul and RnB. The times he sounds Stevie wonder-esque are the worst. He even tries his hand at a Missy Elliott cadence. I won’t be sad to hear “cry me a river” in my bi-annual cadence, but I won’t be coming back to this album.

What were they smoking to put this on the list. Some absolute bangers but a lot of waffle

I only lived through a little bit of Justin's heyday, so I don't have much of a connection to songs on this album. It honestly feels like he's trying be a bad boy white Michael Jackson on this album. Outside of the hits, most songs are serviceable. I'm not going to be listening to them, but I didn't hate most of them. Best Songs: Senorita, Cry Me a River, Rock Your Body, Worst Songs: (And She Said) Take Me Now, Let's Take A Ride

Bops are solid but the rest is filler

A loooot of total crap, he's lucky Cry me a river and Rock your body are on this

What an asshole

meh.

JT is a gross person and his music is mediocre.

I’m so glad Timberland got a weird problematic white dude to write dumb love songs for 12 year olds. Neato!

Aaah, je m’ennuyais de la musique de centre d’achat

Oh no. Is it, pun intended, Justified that this one is on the list? I don't think so. This is pure torture and was one of the hardest to go through with so far. Oof. 2/5 only because of Cry me a River and Rock your Body which are great pop songs imho.

2002 was a big year for music. I was 11, but as I relisten to this album with adult ears, I think the biggest impact of this album is how unavoidable it was at the time. And even now, the milquetoast singles are permanent CVS fodder. it doesn't seem offensive enough to merit further griping.

I don't even want to listen to him

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

In the immortal words of the Arctic Monkeys, the bands are f**king w*nk and I'm not having a nice time. What a poor run I'm on at the minute, and JT's self-satisfied pop stylings aren't helping. Like so many pop albums, it was clear that most songs here are a total 'this'll do' effort to prop up the handful of committee-produced big shiny hits. Also, every song is waaaaay too long. Come on my beloved Project. Give me something.

It's not my type of music. For many years I had a very negative image of Justin Timberlake because for me he represents the epitome of this disgusting celebrity culture that exists today (from the 2000s to now). But I'd be lying if I said this album was bad. I'd be lying if I said that at certain moments I wasn't grooving to the songs. At certain moments, Justin's voice (which for me is the highest point of the album's sound) tries to imitate the vocal mannerisms of the late Michael Jackson, of course, with due proportions, this is just a mere influence, and not a copy. But even with these qualities, the album sounds very tiring. The experience I had with this album was as if I had gone running in the street. 1 hour later I'm tired of it and now I want to take a nap.

Beta heavy pop, good voice

In all honestly I have no idea why this album is on the list. I feel like his band would be considered more ‘influential’ rather than his solo career. Despite this, it is a fun album. I’ve never considered myself a huge JT fan but i’m not one to say this isn’t a vibe. I’m familiar with the two famous ones, and other than those I don’t believe I’d heard of any of them, but I was bumping along to them all. It’s definitely a conflicting rating because I did really vibe but I just don’t think it compares to a lot of the incredibly significant albums on this list. I feel a 6/10.

No. This is so 2002 in the most Target/Abercrombie/suburban strip mall way possible, all punctuated with a million "producers" zzzzz. Say something positive.... ok... I appreciate the organic drum sounds on many of these songs, which only occasionally add the smallest bit of humanity to this soulless product that all blends together into a boring, often-embarrassing, forgettable, and too damn long by about 12 songs album. 2/10 1 star.

Yuck!

The hits are well produced and catchy, and were played on pop stations accordingly. The rest of the album is a Stevie wonder wannabe.

Wasn't in mood for Justin Sorry Justin

A triumph of production over content - another white boy desperately trying to be black. Only one tiny fragment of melody caught my attention, but that was because it was shared with the Rolling Stones' Paint It Black. Otherwise I could listen to this all day and not remember a single bar. I loathe this style of music.

Yeah... some of this early 2000's pop/R&B just has not aged well.

The singles were great but fell off a lot after those.

The singles are better than I'd remembered. The Neptunes did solid work with this one - the tracks that lack their touch are remarkably worse. The weaker cuts give MJ-clone energy and the record itself is much too long.

micheal timberlake

Certainly a product of its time, and I mean this in a bad way

Very much of the 2000s but Cry me a river and Rock your body are still bangers

This sound of the album is what I have in my mind when I think about what Justin Timberlake sounds like.

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

This is so bad other than senorita and cry me a river. So many of these were misses in so many different ways

So this album came out when I was 5. Kid me didn’t like Timberlake and kid me was right. PS. Too many whispery “girl and baby” phrases. 2/5

Eugh, this reminds me of that 2002-04 period, where this sort of rubbish was playing constantly and I was an awkward early teenager. Unusual in that it's the singles that piss me off here. And it's an HOUR long, WHY?!

I don’t know why this is on the list

JT's bubble-gum pop boy band songs are great on this album and that's the lane he should stay in, but when he tries to flex his wings and become the breakout solo singer that this album was designed to be he misses. Nothing against him, but if the author(s) were being true to themselves and wanted a boy band pop album they should've just listed an NSYNC album. 2.5/5

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

This is probably the most "dated" album I've heard from this list so far. It feels very early 2000's, and doesn't really have any moments that feel like they have much power twenty years later. I honestly don't remember the last time one of these songs was either on the radio or in conversation, and I was the right age when this came out. I had multiple NSYNC albums at that point. It's not bad, but it's not really good, either, especially now. Also, the CD era made albums worse. This is clearly stretched a bit. I think there are quite a few albums that work as a longer experience, but most "mainstream" albums test my attention span if they cross the hour mark.

Senorita // Like I Love You // Cry Me a River // Rock Your Body // 3.5/5

nope

I was bored of this by track 3 of 13. The delivery of "Baby" at the end of "Last Night" made my skin crawl. Rock Your Body is catchy but the rest of this is pap.

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

timberkeks moment. erste song slappt zimli aha hetti etz nöd denkt. er isch ebe scho bitz krinsch aber er isch guet und guet produziert? geili chords uf señorita. "gentlemen goodnight, ladies good morning" ewwwww. like i love you het hueeere gueti druuums. es will scho jede r&b sänger de michael jackson sii. haha er seit "drums" und denn chömed drums. take it from here isch sehr arsch, sehr seicht und so. cry me a river isch e sehr gueti hook aber de beat findi huere nervig. rick your body scho cool, ich weiss nöd wiso ich ihn chli dorky find. de song isch tatsach für de MJ denkt gsii, da isch recht funny. ich hassen wenner beatboxt. nothin else hani zerst denkt aha stevie wonder. sie hend fr fr afoch "As" glost vom stevie und gfunde da machemer au. und overjoyed. aso s isch guet, ich lieb stevie wonder. aber es isch scho fast e parodie. last night isch wieder meh justin. find d snare huere geil. bridge isch no geil, seeehr cooli chords und gsang und so. yes d bridge chunt zweimol yesss. and she said isch cool, aber s macht au wieder seehr joo wah wah clavinet joo. haha nocher wirds afoch enandere song mit dem furzige synthbass hahaha. funny. bin mi bi jedem song am fröge wer daser jetz nomacht. bi right for me bini nonig sicher aber chum no druf. flötetime isch cool. lets take a ride isch irgendwie weeeird.

hahaha señorita als erste track stimmt mich ja schomal positiv DE TIMBERLAKE ISCH SO FUCKING ERFOLGRICH IMMERNO??? E STUND GAHTS SALBUM ÖÖHHHÄAAAAÖÖ?? muss aber sege ich han en soft spot für de 2000er style, die gschissni frisur, de weirde background ufem cover I LOVE IT ok señorita nüt speziells hahah, er chan schono singe hahahaha oke de schluss isch iwie kinda funny, kinda major cringe ewww iwie chli grüselig BOUM DRUMMMMMS UF LIKE I LOVE YOU ok so krass ischs nöd gsi "break it down" jap danke justin poah orientalism?? he er chan scho singe aber d lieder sind eifach arschlangwilig hahaha ok cry me a river het chli charme ah und es isch halt ständig so horny wo eifach normal gsi isch achhh das jedes scheiss lied rifach mindestens 4.5 min gaht isch au eifach nöd tragbar nothin else het chlii en andere vibe, entspricht mier chli meh bruderjakobi ich schlaf jz denn ih was ischhhhh daaas es ZIEEEHT SICH es git kein grund, no 2 min lang take me nowww (noww...noww...nowww..) z singe heja ich hans ghasst aber chan schlecht es 1 geh, so schlecht ischs denn au wieder nöd gsi

I liked a few songs, but this isn't an album I'd listen to again. No strong feelings about it.

Don't get me wrong. I like JT. I think he's hilarious and talented. But, I'd rather hit my thumb with a hammer than listen to this again.

Aged like a cosby show reference. Not even timbaland saved this.

this is gonna ruin the 1001 albums generator

0. That is my rating. What a horrible mess of second rate songs sung by a second rate singer. Seems over hyped for what it is worth. Not justified being on this list.

I liked Cry Me a River, and I didn't care about any other song enough to remember them

So boring. Not even nostalgic, which is the one thing I thought I could count on. It's creepy how into himself he is/was. Great production, so thanks for that, I guess. Cry Me a River is the most interesting song...but the video is creepy as hell.

I want to be michael jackson is what this album screams.

Timberlake and Timbaland just could not miss during this era (3.5/5)

The album made me feel uncomfortable…

Popping good

Smooth talent. MJ vibes.

more interesting for its place in the culture, and for its making-of process (which you can see 30 hours of, documented on Youtube), than for the album itself, but it definitely inspired a ton of great songs, and has a couple of truly incredible songs, with other breezy, a little overlong experiments

Brainless but has some enjoyable moments

The singles are generally much better than the rest of the tracks, but Timbaland and Pharrell are absolutely cooking here. JT himself is fine.

I don’t get it.

The only reason this album is saved from a 1/5 is Rock Your Body 2/5

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

Not sure why this album made the list. Several of his big hits are on it; lots of radio play but overall not a huge fan.

Datado

I enjoy Justin Timberlake music as much as anyone’s from the genre. This certainly not my favorite genre, but I like his voice and a lot of times his attitude on things. He’s got a couple big pop hits on this album. Not a bad work.

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

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

I remember this album. Lots of great, fun dancy tracks but gets repetitive after a while..

Not a fan. I actually really don’t like his voice. If I want to listen to R&B, there is a long list of other artists I’d rather listen to.

Ok, I can't help but like some of this album. It’s his first step away from being a Musketeer. It’s got a hook.

This album is done no favors coming up shortly after Thriller. So many MJisms without the substance. Glossy sheen with a dearth of hooks. A few moments of inspiration on the funkier (not actually funky) tracks but the ballads - audio terrorism. This is the first album I genuinely don't understand why it's on the list. Pablum.

In typical early 2000s fashion, this album is way too fucking long. But that aside, it's honestly pretty good thanks in large part to the superstar producers manning the drum machines and samplers on here. With The Neptunes and Timbaland on production (reminds me: Clipse better be on this 1001 list...), the highlights speak for themselves. The beat on '(Oh No) What You Got' is so damn good, and while I wish it had a rap feature on it, Timberlake coasts on it better than he does on most songs here. When Pusha T and Malice rap over the 'Like I Love You' beat, I was kinda hoping the entire song was just them, canning Timberlake. I was just hoping for some variety from Timberlake on these deep cuts, that's it. Emotionally, lyrically, melodically, SOMETHING. It never got unbearable but at a certain point, like c'mon dude, CHANGE IT UP. The lyrics are sexy, but there is no dirt or edge in a majority of the songs on the tail-end of this thing - they're too safe. I like 'Cry Me a River' - for such a petty song about Spears, I find it quite shocking that it got so high in the charts. 'Rock Your Body' is really sick as well. Still a pleasant listen overall, just in a throw-it-on-in-the-background kind of way. I know Timberlake's later works are quite a bit more acclaimed so maybe I'll check those out.

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

This album met all of my expectations. Enough said. Oh…and my imagination was wandering around (perhaps trying to escape?!) whilst sort of listening to JT (he asked me to call him that somewhere in there) and I thought: Art. Really. Hopefully there’s a reason why we make this sort of music. Maybe we’ll one day see the ships filling the skies over our cities and our nukes will be useless and we’ll face annihilation from our alien overlords. Failing force, we attempt to soothe them with our humanity, in efforts to have them spare us at least that. Beethoven. Makes their ears bleed. Picasso. Screaming for hours after. Fellini. Anger after befuddlement (even them). Shakespeare. Intrigued, but let down after discovering he ghost wrote. Then, jogs by a 40 something New Yorker who doesn’t give a fuck that the aliens have come for us, she needs to get her run in, as she has for everyday since 2002. Intrigued, one of the ships beams her up to probe just what’s up with her, self-betterment in the face of certain death and all. And what’s on her Walkman but her favorite album, JTs “Justified”. They are soothed. The album perfectly syncs with their harmonic centres, releasing waves of endocannibinoids and dopamine, easing them into a state a bliss they’ve never before known. All thoughts of domination and war evaporate in this “Timberlake state”. Prime directives rewired, they now heed only one thought: find this Tim-ber-lake. Once they figure out Facebook, it’s not a problem and soon they’re whisking JT away beyond the edge of the known universe. Who knew that inside every alien is a latent teenage girl, silently screaming for constant hits of misogynist-lite boy band confection. In the end, we all win.

When this was released I did t even give it a chance- why would I listen to a guy from nsync? One of my friends in Calgary who I played guitar with told me I schools really check it out and said the neptunes and timbaland produced it and they were songs meant for Michael Jackson. When I did finally listen, I secretly enjoyed a lot of it. Senorita, like I love you, what I got, rock your body. The songs were catchy, light, and on in every club on London. Takes me right back to being 24-25. Love the production on it. I don’t listen to the whole album often but will revisit a few tracks. Was actually learning Senorita on piano last weekend cause I thought the intro would be a great way to open a show.

This album sounds as if it was written and produced by AI.

Some classics

It’s undeniable that he made a huge impact from his boy band days and with his solo career. I’m definitely not the target audience for his music but I appreciate his talent. The two hit songs on this one are bops for sure.

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

Well, it reminds me of a bad part of my life so the music triggers me. But I’ll still give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️

No.

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

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

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

That's not my taste in musik. But ok.

I generally like Pharrell but even the hits on this album have some weird choices. The ‘guys sing this’ bit on señorita is weird. Also the beatboxing on dance with me. The weird mouth sounds and mumbling under cry me a river is like sitting next to an adhd kid. There aren’t enough good songs on here

This was ultra 2000s in both the best and worst ways. Justin’s vocals are good enough and the r&b sound is pretty alright enough to make for quite a few catchy songs but between dated lyrics and the overall vibes this album just oozes early 2000s cringe in a way I can’t fully quantify. Cry me a river and rock your body are still fun at least.

funky, feely

Obnoxious garbage. Turned it off half way through.

Not for me

Honestly I was so excited for the big hits but I didn't realise the album tracks would be so MUSHY

2.23

Maybe two decent songs the rest is candy floss

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

WHY IS THIS AN HOUR LONG? NOT NECESSARY.

Pretty boring overall. It has its moments but it's really just a 2000's pop album with no real appeal to me.

Fun.

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

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

It’s okay I suppose. I have to admit, when Rock Your Body came on I was like “hell yeah!” That’s a jam. Cry Me A River had me singing right along. Otherwise, it’s very much okay.

Pharrell Williams' voice is all over the intro to the first track, but even if it wasn't, you'd be able to tell he produced this in the early 2000s after a few bars. It's got that Neptunes sound. This is 1000x better than N'Sync. This feels like the evolution of New Jack Swing. This music is a hollow imitation of a real artist. Timberlake is a performer and this feels very much like a performance for an audience without any real soul in either the lyrics or music. The Neptunes and Timbaland producing on one album makes this the most 2000s album of all time. Take it from here reminds me of something and I can't place it. I do tend to love white people signing R&B and Soul music. Cry Me a River is a jam and is maybe the pinnacle of Timbalake's style. Rock Your Body is another banger. I give more credit to the producers being at the top of their games though. Timberlake still feels like a product. "Gonna have you nekkid by the end of this song" is delivered like an entitled rich guy knowing that a bunch of gold diggers and fame whores will drop their panties at his command rather than him sounding like the one in charge. Nothin' Else is a little too Michael Jackson...if someone said it was a cover, I'd believe it. This is a Michael Jackson album. Could do without the overly sentimental Never Again to close the album out, it's not a great fit for the rest of the album and it's feeling.

Some songs are a little dull and others are good until they last too long, but Cry Me a River and Rock Your Body still ring off. Why isn’t the Clipse w credited feature on the second track?

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

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

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

I'm the late 90s, a record label genius thought, "damn! We'd sell a lot more of these Usher CDs if he was a white guy!" So they found a handsome shape to stand in front of some literal Michael Jackson offcuts and 20+ years later we still have to listen to this guy. What a world. It's not bad, it just sucks. The production is great, but that's like saying Toyotas are well made or cinnamon toast crunch is nice and sweet. It certainly is a perfect example of what 2002 sounded like - teen pop remade with hip hop production to create the hegemonic radio sound for the next two decades. 3 huge singles and 60 minutes of filler made you 100s of millions of dollars, but does it make an album? Dire stuff, perfectly smooth predigested and inescapable.

Going back in time to stop the invention of the CD so I can prevent all of the 90s-00s albums being over a fucking hour long and turning the album format from an artistic statement into a random assortment of songs. Didn't go into this with the mindset of a hater, mostly because I know nothing about NSYNC and Justin Timberlake. It was actually pretty good for the first few songs, sort of like diet Michael Jackson vibes, but it just keeps going and going and going. Still weirdly fun though. Might even be a 3/5.

Ultimately a swagless man

Blandest pop imaginable. It's alright. Not as tiresome as I thought it would be, although I only listened to it as background music. As it's supposed to be listened to, I reckon

the first half is so sex, he literally just frontloaded all the sex appeal because no one could handle more than that without exploding the latter half is so boring so its a 3 instead of a 4

"Justified" is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. R&B, dance-pop, funk and soul music. Yep. The album was written and recorded in six weeks and at various studios when NSYNC was on hiatus. It was primarily produced by The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) and Timbaland and had guest appearances including Janet Jackson, Clipse and Bubba Sparxx. There were generally positive reviews with Timberlake noted as succeeding as a much more mature R&B artist than his pop music background with NSYNC. Commercially, it #1 in UK and #2 in the US. Pharrell Williams begins "Señorita" by introducing Justin Timberlake. Spanish-oriented and grinding R&B with horns and a cowbell. Williams and Timberlake are pretty much co-lead singers. It's a fun song and gives a Stevie Wonder vibe. The first single "Like I Love You" has a strumming guitar and funky rhythm. Very catchy. This time it reminds me of Michael Jackson. Clipse gives a rapping guest appearance at the end. "Cry Me a River" continues the funk. There's a beatbox rhythm, Arabian-inspired riffs, sounds of water, synths and the wind, backing vocals and chants. Timbaland produced, a lot going on and another very catchy song. JT goes more disco in "Rock Your Body." It's bouncey, dancey with great backing vocals by Vanessa Marquez. Speaking of guests, Janet Jackson makes an appearance on "(And She Said) Take Me Now." More disco and funk. Timberlake goes from whispering to falsetto to layered vocals with Janet. Another very Michael Jackson-esque song. The best songs on this album are the upbeat dancey, R&B and disco ones. Those have catchy melodies and beats. Great production as one would expect. All the guest appearances work. Timberlake has a great voice and seems to work within any style. There's a lot of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson vibes going on. I thought some of slower and more mushy songs didn't work and the album length could have been trimmed. But, overall a very good pop album.

Singles are great but album as a whole is tiresome to listen straight through. Another reviewer nailed it when they said “songs feel long to listen to even if they’re not”

"Never again" is a song title that sums up how I feel about this album. Objectively speaking, not the worst I've heard on this list. Some elements weren't bad, but overall this is one I never want to hear ever again. 2/5

Some fun pop songs, JT is cool but doesn't do it for me. Might as well just listen to Michael Jackson instead

so i suspect most people aren't going to enjoy this one. pop music from over 20 years ago from a figure that has ended up a bit divisive and unpopular in the modern context (as of writing this, he notably was arrested for DWI about a month ago). that being said, i was expecting the worst going into this. justin timberlake doesn't tend to be my kind of music but honestly, this album was alright! the two songs i remember off of this - 'rock your body' and 'cry me a river' are honestly two of the more unremarkable songs here for me. i enjoyed the first two tracks 'seniorita' and 'like i love you' and also the incredibly stevie wonder-esque 'nothin' else' it's not my favorite album ever, but it's better than i expected.

i do think big bad pop zeitgeisty albums deserve to be on this list; after all, it's just "albums you must hear before you die," not "the best albums of all time." influence and significance and reach have to carry a lot of weight too that being said, this album is wholly unremarkable, there are others that would fill this niche/time period better, and I'm surprised this one ever made the list and equally unsurprised that it was removed from future editions. two thumbs way down JT

I feel like this album was a hit back when it came out but I didn't listen to it. Was never a Timberlake fan except for his stints on SNL. But there are some classics on here like Cry Me a River and Rock Your Body. It has that early 2000's charm of that sort of hip hop dance type music.

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

Really really not my thing but also not that good.

The production on the tracks is more interesting than the songs. It wasn't as bad a listen as I was expecting, but nothing too enthralling.

Other than the hits I really didn't like this at all. I found the songs very boring. Was never a JT fan really. Like it's fun looking back on ones you'd hear in the club but overall didn't hold up massively

Okay that was utter dogshit. I've never liked Justin Timberlake but I thought I'd give this a good listen and try to appreciate it but it was full of so much crap. Yeah Cry me a river and the other hits are okay but they aren't good.

Hard to get through. Didn't hate it QUITE as much as I expected though

Not my vibe

Nah

GORG

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

No. Just no.

I actually sat through a whole Justin Timberlake album! Maybe I don't deserve a medal for enduring this torture, but I feel justified in saying this really is a piece of crap. We've probably all heard Timberlake, I have "accidently" been forced to listen his songs through award shows, comedy shows (SNL), Super Bowls, in department stores, music videos and good ol' shitty radio. What's the appeal? Clearly, I am not his audience or demographic, much like Taylor Swift in a different way, but I can appreciate a sincere attempt at songwriting and performing and Justin doesn't cut it. Justin's music is so shallow and pandering, this is purely sell-out, homogenized, privileged white boy-pop that he wants us to believe he's more mature and talented than his boy-band days. The only reason I stuck it out until the end is I didn't hate it, it didn't bleed my ears or burst my brain, he's smoooooth and silky and not screaming at the listener, so I can tune it out easier. Other than that, I can't justify why this is on the list, makes it feel maybe this list isn't as "authentic" as I had hoped.

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

Was a 2000’s pop album which I don’t super love but it is a classic and has bangers so should be Atleast a 3

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

How the fuck did this album make the list of 1,001 albums you MUST listen to before you die?!? Jesus fucking christ, this was hot garbage. I'm rating this two stars because it's recognizable as "music;" one star reviews are reserved for Velvet Underground albums

This will ruin the tour

Justn't

Maaimmanluokan pop-musiikkia. Vähän liian nostalgista. 3/5

Mikähän tän pointti oli taas listalla

Aika puuduttava levy. tää nollarimeno kuulostaa nykypäivänä auttamattoman vanhentuneelta. 2/5

Just no

the track “right for me” almost dropped this down to a 1 alone. However the rest of it is so guilty pleasure so fun like this is the shit my mom gave me. Cry me a river changed lives top 3 - cry me a river, rock your body, senorita

Some bangers. Pretty generic pop but a nice reminder that JT is a good song writer

So, I want to start by saying that 1. I like JT 2. This albums has some iconic JT tracks on it, and they hold up But, as far as the album as a whole 1. It sounds like he's still figuring out who he want's to be as a solo artist 2. The really good tracks (you know the ones) are clearly Tim and Pharrell songs that JT just got to sing 3. The rest of the songs sound like NSYNC b-sides or Michael Jackson wanna-be's

Thought this was terrible. Extremely horny but also totally unsexy. Awful lyrics. Embarrassing. I quite like Cry Me a River though.

Not sure why this is in the top 1001 albums. Imagine it will be forgotten pretty soon

It's not Black Eyed Peas bad, but it's down there. iconic album of a dreadful era

3+

I hate Justin's voice. I might be kinder to this album if it was sung by someone who could actually put some power but with Justin it just sounds like pathetic yelping

The Replacements is one of those bands that seems like it checks all the boxes for me but I'm never fully won over. I appreciate the swings and the work being done here. I just wish I loved it.

There is precisely one track here that holds up to the present day - 'Rock Your Body'. Even that sexy little funkster sounds pretty thin. Speaking of which, Timberlake has an absolute powder puff of a voice. It is almost funny when he reaches for his falsetto. Production is peak 2002, with some utterly grim synth strings and irritatingly trebly acoustic guitars. There are children's toys available today with better sound profiles. Lightweight, plastic and utterly disposable. There is no way on God's green earth that this ranks amongst the top 1,001 albums you need to listen to before carking it. No way.

Maaaaan

Pop icon of the new millennium. Tons of falsetto, def shows inspiration from MJ, with a cool r&b pop sound. The singles off the record still slap

13 sophomoric songs in which Justin tries to convince girls to have sex with him. And they all sound like bad MJ outtakes.

After two listens, I’m not sure why this album is on the list. Other than the fact that Timberlake succeeded in peeling away from N’Sync to make a decent R&B solo pop album, the singles are all this album has. 3/5 just for nostalgia

A whole lotta big name producers on this one and it shows. A few classics on here. Not something I would put on frequently but 13 year old me would have loved it. Second half of the album not as good as first half.

Decent but not my jam

Only 2 solid songs. The rest were filler

Disco solo de "boy band" arrastado e aborrecido.

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

Good beats. Back half snoozefest.

Oh my god this album has aged horrifically. Literal fuckboy music.

Why is he looking at me like that? Feel like the Neptunes cooked but jt is so annoying, rough listen, rock your body an undeniable banger tho.

Really didn’t expect to see this on the list but yet here it is. This is a 2000s pop album through and through. It’s got gimmicky choruses and production fitting for a divorcee. JT may have etched out a new solo role for himself but it’s not one that’s desirable. This is pretty mediocre. 5.6/10

An embarrassing relic of a bygone era. Not bad, but not welcome. Just remember some critics came together and thought "Yup. This is it. This is that good shit." and now you get the privilege of listening to corporate sexual harassment pop.

lol

Who gave production like this to him? He does not deserve it. Such a whiplash album quality wise. Señorita - 3.8/5 Like I Love You - 2.6/5 (Oh No) What You Got - 3.6/5 Take It From Here - 2.3/5 Cry Me a River - 3.7/5 Rock Your Body - 4.1/5 Nothin' Else - 3/5 Last Night - 3.2/5 Still On My Brain - 2/5 (And She Said) Take Me Now - 3.7/5 Right For Me - 3.6/5 Never Again- 1.8/5 Total- 2.87/5

Not a JT fan. Would go elsewhere if I were in the mood for pop R&B

A rough listen in an era of his current viewpoints and the background lyrical crafting.

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

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

Not for me. Some of the songs are listenable, but many are slow and/or boring. 2/5 Won’t listen again

the second half gives good vibes. thankfully im not a music critic so i can listen to this without my soul falling out

My first comment is why so many self references (JT, Mr. JT)? The album feels he is trying to become the new "King of Pop". Not to say it is bad; his talent and delivery cannot be denied.Just a bit too much sugar-sweet pop for me in such a large dose.

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

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

I remember Justin making pop cool again, but this album is a bit too long and none of the tracks hit quite as hard as the singles, which are brilliant.

Okay but not particularly memorable. Defines most of this generation of music.

3.5

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

No es Justin Timberlake (nació el mismo día que yo... 6 años después) un artista que tenga ahora gran reconocimiento pero en su momento gozaba del beneplácito de público y crítica. Este es su debut, fuera de NSYNC (70 millones discos vendidos...) y se trata de un buen álbum de R&B-Soul-Pop-Hip Hop, producido por nada menos que The Neptunes y Timbaland. Claramente influenciado por Michael Jackson y el Funk de los años 70, además de los estilos Dance de finales de los 90-00. Colabora incluso Janet Jackson en (And She Said) Take Me Now. Señorita fue coescrita por un tal Pharell Williams. Otros grandes temas del álbum son Like I Love You, Cry Me a River y sobre todo el hitazo Rock Your Body. No es su disco más vendido ni el más reconocido ( The 20/20 Experience y FutureSex/LoveSounds) pero sí que se disfruta desde inicio a fin sin ninguna duda (ni rubor). Tal vez dentro de unos años sea citado como un disco de enorme calidad e influencia por alguna banda que todavía no ha despuntado, pero mientras esto sucede o no, simplemente puedes escucharlo. Otros discos de 2002, creo que todos ellos mejores que este de JT: Beck - Sea Change, Sigur Rós - ( ), Neko Case - Blacklisted, The Streets - Original Pirate Material, Boards of Canada - Geogaddi, Spoon - Kill The Moonlight, The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights, Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, David Bowie – Heathen, múm – Finally we are no one, Tom Waits: Alice / Blood Money, Queens Of The Stone Age: Songs For The Deaf, Norah Jones- Come Away with Me, También: Low: Trust, The Delgados: Hate, The Coral- The Coral, Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man: Out Of Season, Solomon Burke: Don’t Give Up On Me, Lambchop: Is A Woman,, Coldplay- A rush of blood to the head, Doves- Last Broadcast, Faultline: Your Love Means Everything, Death In Vegas: Scorpio Rising, Roddy Frame: Surf, Pet Shop Boys- Release, red Hot Chili Peppers- By the way, Neil Young- Are You Passionate?,

I didn’t finish it but I’ve listened to this before. It’s a solid pop album

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

What a classic.

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

In 2002, the only person doing a cheaper imitation of MJ was Jackson himself.

Hmm nah! If it was all as good as Cry Me A River then sure but this was mostly falling way below.

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

Pretty good.

I always enjoy but never seldom him.

not offensively bad but i feel like it could have been way better?

This album is better than I thought it would be. I am still not crazy about it, but when everything aligns it can be fun. Rock Your Body is easily the best song here. My 3 biggest problems with this album: 1. Some songs are just cringy, or have cringy lyrics. 2. On some songs it sounds like he is trying to impersonate someone else, especially when he tries to show off 3. The album is just a little too long and some of the similar songs could have been cut. I would give this a high 2.

I’m a poptimist in general and there are JT/NSYNC songs that I do like, but this is just not for me.

This album is a reminder of how he was the heir apparent to Michael Jackson. I forgot how good and listenable his songs are from that time.

Just boring over produced pop crap. Same thing that’s always put out.

Album 407 of 1001 Justin Timberlake - Justified Rating : 1 / 5 I just didn't care for this, at all. Nothing for me here.

Groovy

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

cry me a riverrr wel grappig om een keer te luisteren Leuk hoor

Adult version of Sesame Street music.

This is purely for a certain percent of the population to which I don’t belong. Well, maybe on a dance floor with a great volume of alcohol…

This was never for me. I'm not sure how the rest of the album compares to 2002, but the singles feel extremely dated. Forgettable.

This is not music meant for me. Maybe it's really good at what it is, but I don't like any of it.

JT's probably all I can handle in pop

OK, so hear me out (ha-ha)... Taken for what it is, it's OK-ish RnB / funky pop crossover, with charismatic vocals from Timberlake and immaculate production. On the downside, the lyrics are dreadfully cheesy (prbably by design to appeal to teenage girls), and it's probably a bit overlong for a debut album, but I suppose fans of NSYNC were chuffed to get 60+ minutes of playing time. Most people would have preferred it if the running time was cut by half. But I didn't hate it, the vibe is positive and Timberlake is likeable so the results are middling.

Er… no

If all the 90s American boy bands were to have a baby with a 50 year old Micheal Jackson, it would not only defy reality, it would spawn something akin to this. A sound that kills the soul and drags you into a very specific hell, an endless, waiting, souless, meaningless Hell.

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

Perky pop vibes. Very manufactured

Yet another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex I read at the time that most of the tracks were written for Michael Jackson, but he wasn't interested. When I eventually heard this album, all I could think about was, is Justin Timberlake doing an impression of Michael Jackson? It turned out well for Justin Timberlake, album was a success. I can see why it originally made the 1001 list with all famous people involved behind the scenes, and I can see why it was removed. It's a fleeting thing, moments lost in time, like tears in the rain... cry me a river, FFS!

Solid pop album with some timeless hits, I’ve gotta admit it. We could’ve cut out a few songs, Justin, but not bad!

Rock Your Body is his best song, ever, and it’s still a great party track. I have watched a room full of music snobs genuinely dance their asses off to this song. Still slays. This song deserves a 5, but the rest is a solid 3.

I don’t know why this is here but some tracks are still good pop music. But I wouldn’t consider it a must listen too.

How do you separate the art from the artist? No need. They both suck.

1/5

It's more about the Neptunes than Timberlake. JT is no MJ

Not my favorite type of music but I did know a few of these songs.

Some very catch songs, but overall I'm not the target demographic of this genre.

A couple of good songs and a couple of godawful ones. I hate the falsetto singing. He doesn't do that all the time. Weird how right after Cry me a River, which is a genuinely great song, the next song is the atrocity that is Rock Your Body, with the singing in a different key than the music. What the hell. Favorite song: cry me a river.

Underestimated.

Some bangers here and there for sure, otherwise decent. And why are JT’s albums so damn long?

Inga hits ens... de hä va int bra

5/5 for Cry Me a River, which is only a good song, but is linked to many good memories from 2000s. Rest of the album is way below average though, so I think it's only fair to give it a solid 3/5 as a testament of a banger from my childhood.

Day111 - really talented, a good debut album with at least 3 classic early 2000’s pop hits. i’m sure they would go back and tone down some of the pharrell slickness if they could

Thoughts before listening: I've seen Justin Timberlake live. It was pretty good although it was so overproduced it felt more like watching a Broadway musical than a concert. Anyway, I respect him as a singer, and I'm sure I'll recognize some songs on here, but pop music in general just isn't my thing. Review: This sounds very dated to the early 2000s which is a time I was VERY into music and VERY much opposed to stuff like Justin Timberlake. I am having flashbacks and an immediate negative reaction to this. "Cry Me a River" is the best song here, but I really don't like the rest of it. Sounds like Michael Jackson with less vocal talent. It all just sounds so bland...and the lyrics are embarrassing. 1-star

The production, while solid, ages the record quite a bit, and I think FutureSex/LoveSounds was a much stronger album melodically. Justified blends together a little, except for the singles, which I don't know if they stand out because I've heard them so much or because they're more upbeat. I don't think I'd pay much attention if I heard this at a party or something, but listening to it alone at home while working is...a weird experience getting to notice all the details lol.

I know this was Justin's first solo album, and even if I didn't read that I could tell because every song reeks of desperation to define a brand. Some of these songs sound fine, but pretty much every lyric is so basic and bland that I can't get behind this album. I'm sure the target market in 2002 would have loved it, but hearing him sing a whole album basically begging to sleep with girls sounds really tragic and offputting in Y.O.O.L 2024.

I actually wanted to be surprised by this one, but it was not to be. Every song on this thing inspires cringes, aside from the one outstanding track 'Cry Me a River'. There's a weird horniness to this one that gives me the ick, and a strange clinginess. The production is limp. He wishes he was his lover's mother at one point. Even one good track can't really redeem it.

Oh, yikes. I gave this a 2 only because JT does have a good voice, although it’s a bit too slick and breathy for me in these songs, and the album is competently produced, but seriously, this is the album David Silver would've put out on Beverly Hills, 90210, if we’d ever heard an entire album from him. Soulless cheese. I couldn’t listen to any song all the way through. Never Again did have a promising instrumental opening but even that didn’t pan out.

good old school

Never expected such an unabashedly slick pop album from an ex NSync to be on this list. Bonus points for being fun and nostalgic. He definitely managed to shed his boy band image with Justified. Second half feels like fillers.

Starts out decent to great (mostly on the instrumental front) but drops off quite a bit in the second half. For being a JT pop album I could hardly recall any song from the backside except for the one that sounds EXACTLY like a Stevie Wonder song (random). 5/10

Noh... Eihän tämä ihan hirveetä ole.. mutta jooh..

2.5

I was looking forward to this but it was short lived. So many noises.