First off, and to be fair, I came to the listening of FutureSex/LoveSounds with no predisposition. I wanted to judge it as its own independent product.

I disregarded the fact that Justin crossed the thin line between inspiration and posing on Justified by blatantly mimicking Michael Jackson‘s vocal styling - over songs specifically written with MJ in mind - and choreography down to a fault. I ignored the fact that Timbaland and the Neptunes’ kinetic drum loops and pulsating synthesizers were the lifeline of that album and retained what entertainment value there was to be found. I was generous and allowed FSLS to be viewed and judges as its own creation.

And I still wasn’t impressed.

Obnoxious album title aside, I can still give credit where credit is due - Timbaland. True, Justin’s still resigned to mimicking his inspirations instead of culling the inspiration into a creative art form all his own but at least this time, his palette has more variety. The title track is pure brilliance with its throbbing synth line and syncopated drum loops gliding underneath Justin’s slightly distorted vocals in pure David Bowie fashion.

SexyBack would be one of Timbaland’s tightest instrumentals in recent memory but is unfortunately marred by Justin’s annoying vocal run through the vocoder and repetitively banal lyricism. The skittering My Love is a definite upgrade, at least in terms of overall execution. Timbaland’s staccato string section and beat boxed backbeat are a refreshingly unique change of pace from all the mimicry and enhance T.I.’s cocky cameo while downplaying Justin’s rudimentary profession of love.

Elsewhere, Justin gets as close as he can to copyright infringement with both Sexy Ladies and Until The End of Time. The former should have Prince put his lawyers on hold while he berates Justin for bastardizing his influence with the rubberband bassline and 808s supporting inane braggadocio of the most transparent kind. Yet the latter should motivate Prince to praise Timberlake for taking the essence of “The Beautiful Ones” (right down to the delayed Linndrum), adding a gorgeous string section (courtesy of the Benjamin Wright Orchestra) and creating the album’s centerpiece ballad.

“Time” along with Losing My Way and (Another Song) All Over Again manage to close the album in a more original fashion - the former being a genuinely clear-eyed yet haunting tale of crack addiction (even if Justin’s lyrics aren’t the most financially accurate) and the latter being a jazzy piano ballad about hoping to recapture lost love - and almost erase Justin’s flimsy (read: horrid) foray into the now-popular “chopped & screwed” sound made famous by Houston, TX natives Three 6 Mafia (who cameo) on Chop Me Up. And let us not ignore the self-mimicry endorsed on What Goes Around which sounds like a cross between “Cry Me A River” with an additional sitar (mandolin?) and Brandy’s “I Tried” (which itself sounded like “Cry Me A River” version 2) and only highlights Tim’s occasional (read: inevitable) laziness.

But as spot on as the mimicry gets and as good in terms of quality as (part of) the music is, the majority of the album still floated over my head as "futuristic" background noise. Ultimately, there's nothing engaging nor truly entertaining about Justin's flimsy falsetto reciting hormonally (bad) high school poetry over layered synthesizers, drum machines, beatboxes and whatever other studio tricks Tim had left over from his Nelly Furtado sessions.

Bits and pieces, sure, but overall, I don’t love this sound.

Retail Price: $13.29

Retail Worth: $17.00

Final Analysis: Justin produced some of JC’s new album. Here’s to hoping JT didn’t have FSLS in mind while doing it.

Recommended: No