Justified

As much as I love to hear a full hours worth of Neptunes and Timbaland beats, this pretty much follows the usual formula of big mainstream pop albums. Any singles are packed into the front half of the album, and the rest is filled with pretty average filler. We even get a little piano ballad to finish it off. It wasn't too bad, but it really didn't need to be over an hour long. Every single song is like 5 minutes long, just cut a couple songs completely and trim a few to a solid 3 minutes and I'd be fairly happy.

this record all sounds the same i didn’t even realize it’d looped back over to the beginning. the early 2000’s are not my cultural space.

5 stars! Just kidding. But there are some bangers on here. This is his first solo album, and it’s way more soulful and r&b than *NSYNC, although there are a couple boy band songs on here. Great dance music

3.7 - He’s obviously talented but he’s a bit of a tool, isn’t he? Don’t get me wrong, I still like him. I mean, he did “dick in a box”, so there’s that. But doesn’t his whole lady’s man schtick seem a touch cringe in hindsight? Also the way he apes Michael Jackson in his dance moves and his grunts? Or the smooth synth R&B that sounds a little too much like Stevie Wonder (see “Nothin’ Else”)? Still, though it is derivative, this is a fun, danceable pop record.

En serio, ¿uno de los mejores 1001 discos? ¿EN SERIO?

I wanted to hate this. I expected to give it a single star and move on to something better. But, while there is a lot here to actively dislike, there's also a lot here that forms a compelling argument for JT's enduring presence in pop culture. The songs are mostly dumb, let's just make that clear. The subject matter is shallow and repetitive to an extreme degree. But they're built exceptionally well. There's a deep understanding here of what works and what compels listeners to stick around. Not that I credit JT with that. He's mostly just an excellent vocal talent packaged in a pretty face. But he's managed to pull together a team that knew exactly how to leverage his skills to maximum effect. In the end, I can't, in good conscience, fail the record. I still didn't enjoy it but I also can't hate the skill and, maybe more importantly, the psychological and sociological understanding on display. This is an album that understands its audience and plays directly to what moves them. That's worth some stars.

THE best pop album of all time no arguments nothing further from the defence thanks your honour. I've said it a few times now during this exercise but Pharrell is absolutely everywhere on everything if you listen for him, absolute production genius. Sprinkle in some Dre with JT over the top and you've got a recipe for something very special.

Bland early 2000s pop. It's competently done (Pharrell is a producer) but it's just bland. And too long. Could have cut 20 minutes and it would have been bearable. It's also really cliche and just sounds of that time.

This album really is all over the places with a lot of different sounds, instruments, influences. But despite variety of elements and vocal range, the album is severely lacking in any kind of soul or any aspects that make it actually interesting.

The singles are bangers and get an easy 3 immediately, but the rest is mostly filler and goes on too long. Still a fun slightly nostalgic listen.

This is better and more consistent than I expected - of course I knew the singles, but the rest of the album holds up okay as well. It's too long, there's a bit too much production on it so it sounds more manufactured than I'd like, but I guess that's part of the appeal. Won't ever listen to the album as a whole again, but pleasantly surprised when I did. 3/5.

I will go 4 stars because there are 4 good songs on here. There are several skips but a few of the high quality songs have become iconic, so JT gets the bump from 3 to 4.

Dull. Dull. Dull.

Generous 4 but the singles still bang

Just a very average collection of songs. Yes production is amazing, 2 big singles, but those songs only stand out because of 20 years of exposure. Objectively, they don’t stand out anymore than the other tracks on this album.

Good Album with some big hits but overall, at the runtime of more than an hour, the rest of the songs were just a bit too similar sounding to get 4 stars

incredibly odd - strong songwriting and beats on display here. Feels almost like an attempt at some great producers to create a nice non threatening star. His voice is ok, it's not Michael Jackson as much as he thinks he is. really it's an attempt at creating an edgier pop star who is still nice and cute looking, the stand out tunes are really good but they don't have any of the actual singer's personality in at all. Overall it's still a pretty good listen.

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

Pretty strong record with Timbaland's prints all over it. Just bloated heavily.

I get why they added a huge pop star like Justin to the list, but it seems lazy choosing his debut which is pretty uneven. The following album Futuresex/LoveSounds is much better in my opinion.

Mediocre Justin Timberlake album. Weak songwriting. The production is nice of course, but the follow-up album is quite a bit better.

I went into this with very low expectations and came out of it with expectations confirmed, but also frustrated, because behind Timberlake's rather irritating delivery there was some pretty good music here and there, especially when things got funky.

In the middle section I spotted some favourable melodies.

Wow this is garbage. Great voice though.

2.5/5. I almost wanted to play this album in a private session because I don’t want any presence of this slimy bastard on my Spotify. It’s fitting that they got him to play an even bigger scumbag than Zuck in the Social Network. He ruined Janet Jackson’s career and reputation all because he wanted to get back at his ex and did not get nearly as much flack because he’s a man. Half star is for Pharrell Williams.

It's a strange album. The music is a mix between R&B, boy band pop, and a huge dose of Michael Jackson. I think the album is best when it's leaning into the MJ style pop, but it obviously can't measure up. Justin Timberlake is a great singer, which this album showcases, but I'm not sure if this is the best display of his voice. The lyrics are fairly basic which is to be expected, but at over an hour, this album is way too long. Overall, it's fine but doesn't quite get to where it needs to.

Pharell Williams has obviously written most of this, to the point his voice is the first thing you hear on the album lol. And Pharrell loves Michael Jackson, but JT doesn't have the chops to really pull off the vocal theatrics needed for a good MJ knockoff. There's cheesy "reppin" from no doubt wholesome rappers, eg. Pharrell himself, maybe 1 or 2 others. Really cringey lyrics; almost every line a tired cliche. I recognised way more than I thought I would (club hits from when I was 18 I guess, even though I tried to avoid clubs I still ended up in them from time to time). It's at least consistent in songwriting, and the production is flawless, but overall too long and too many ballads. Dragged on towards the end. 3/5. None of the full charm of catchy boy band stuff, but at least there wasn't 300 different songwriters like on Britney/Christina etc albums.

I don't disdain, and even admire in some ways, ther star maker machinery (behind the popular song). The judicious addition of soul and hip hop elements to the dance and pop foundation of his boy band roots is well considered and well done. He certainly has the goods, both in voice and star quality. Typical of products of the machine, it has that manufactured taste... the human element almost glossed over. For what it is its top of the line though, if not really my cup of tea.

2 stars

You know what? I wish I could hate on this, but it's pretty damn solid. JT might not sound the most heartwrenchingly sincere, and the songwriting may be several shades away from personal and moving. But his vocals are pretty smooth and agile, the hooks are sticky, and the production (Timbaland and the Neptunes) is so crisp, clean, and creative. Pretty nice batch of pop songs.

Super nostalgic. Takes me back to HS and college days. Half of these songs were played on the radio and in "da club". Some songs have aged, but the hits still sound fresh. Hard to believe this album is over 20 years old now.

Not bad at all but a little boring

Yeah Nah. I don't really understand the hype, it's boppy it's fine, but not for me. I did enjoy Cry Me a River and Rock Your Body (probably more because I know it from Just Dance)

Nope, didn't enjoy that - the singles, of which there were far too many, got played to death when this came out. I suspect if I was hearing them with fresh ears I probably wouldn't find them too offensive. But then three or four of the non-single tracks were slowed down syrupy ballads, and those were actively offensive to the ears. Gross. Fave track - "Like I Love You" was the least aggravating single, so that one I guess, though it brought me precious little pleasure.

Generic, bland early aughts pop drivel

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

I understand that there's been a cultural reassessment of JT in the last several years, but the fact is that most of his early 2000s stuff sounds like Axe Body Spray smells. Best track: Cry Me a River

Never listened all the way through. The hits are hits, there's a lot of quality, but also a bit of boy band hangover.

I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS

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

Not a fan.

Can't wait, really enjoyed, always love justy timm

Throwing the inner hater a bone is totally healthy, occasionally. Best when it's by the Neptunes, and hurts even better. Justified certainly has some sounds: The obviously synthesized ones stick out like mental infection, pinning the album directly to 2002. The inability to reconcile sincerity and silliness is fascinating, the vocals ranging from Michael Jackson impersonation to acceptable. There are a few songs I could spin as sweet, but hope I always respect myself enough to keep them out of a lover's ear.