Cartman_2k's Full Review: Justified by Justin Timberlake
Blah. I was a teenybopper, and I’m not afraid to admit it. Even though I’ve grown up a little bit over the last few years I still can’t let go of all teenybopper acts. *NSYNC was one of those bands which I felt hadn’t commercialized themselves completely, and they had some self-produced stuff as well. Justin Timberlake was my favorite in the group, and I always thought he would be great as a solo artist. And whoa... I was right.
Who Is Mr. Justin Timberlake?
Justin Timberlake, most known for being a member of the boyband *NSYNC and the ex-boyfriend of Britney Spears, was born in 1981 in Tennessee. In his early years he was a member of the infamous Mickey Mouse Club together with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and *NSYNC member JC Chasez. In 1997 he became a member in boyband *NSYNC, and he had huge success with them. Recently he has been in the spotlight for the relationship with Britney, and also constantly changing girlfriends - Alyssa Milano, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson and Jenna Dewan, just to mention a few. In 2002 he released his solo effort Justified, which has been received with mixed feelings.
Justified: The Album
Senorita is a nice, but safe way to start off the album. It has Latin influences, which makes the song a bit more mystical and makes it sound stripped down on production. The lyrics are somewhat meaningless, but Justin settles that with his great vocals on the song. Still – the best part of the song is the call-and-return session, one of the few parts of the album where Justin shines through and makes the sound his own.
Like I Love You, the first single off the album has a funky underground beat to it. Even though I’m not too happy about the lyrics, I simply love the production, even if it doesn’t showcase Justin as much as possible. This song would have been perfect if Justin would only stop shrieking like Michael Jackson all of the time.
Still on My Brain, Take It from Here and Never Again are the three slow songs on the album. Still on My Brain is a truly wicked song. In many ways it reminds me of a really, really lame Mariah Carey song, the music is very similar to much of her material, and it doesn’t have real hook – something Mariah lacks on many songs. It’s just that Mariah knows how to sing them and she makes them good no matter what, while Justin only sounds tedious. Take It from Here is a nice song. What irks me is that it’s so damn long and I always end up skipping the last minutes. It showcases Justin’s vocal abilities in a great way, and production isn’t too shabby either. Never Again is a Bryan McKnight song. It sounds very much like his own stuff – piano and melancholic lyrics. It’s not that I don’t like that – but I’ve heard songs that are incestuous to this one too many times.
(And She Said) Take Me Now and Rock Your Body features appearances by Janet Jackson and Vanessa Marquis on respectively the former and the latter. (And She Said)Take Me Now is a mediocre song. Even though the hook is somewhat good, the rest of the song drags on for too long and it sounds too monotonous. Rock Your Body is so painfully similar to anything in Saturday Night Fever, and I can just picture John Travolta dancing to this song. Nevertheless, it’s one of the highlights on the album and I think it definitely has a hit potential.
Last Night and Right for Me are perfect examples of production gone totally wrong. Last Night could have been a really good song if the production was better, it certainly has an undeniably catchy chorus and Justin sounds pretty nice, even though he does overdo the squeaking a bit. Right for Me has the most awful production I’ve heard in a long time. When you listen to the song it’s obvious that the song could have been great if Timbaland had only played his cards right. Instead it ends up sounding grating and unmelodious.
(Oh No) What You Got and Cry Me A River are the two best songs on the album. (Oh No) What You Got is a song produced by Timbaland and you can smell it a long way. Similar to something you would find on Aaliyah’s self-titled album and the blue version of Shania Twain’s Up!, it’s one of the best Timbaland songs I’ve heard next to Cry Me A River. Even though Justin’s voice isn’t showcased he still sounds great. Lyrics are somewhat sophomoric, but the overall feel of the song kind of makes you forget about that. Cry Me A River is simply a perfect song. A song about Britney screwing other guys, it’s an emotional song where everything is right. Lyrics are wonderful and the production is flawless. Even though I’m not a huge fan of Timbaland rapping on his productions, it just helps the song this time around.
You told me you loved me
Why did you leave me all alone
Now you tell me you need me
When you call me on the phone
Girl I refuse
you must have me confused
With some other guy
Your bridges were burned
now it's your turn
To cry; Cry me a river
Track Listing
01. Senorita (****)
02. Like I Love You (****½)
03. (Oh No) What You Got (****½)
04. Take It From Here (****)
05. Cry Me a River (*****)
06. Rock Your Body (****)
07. Nothin' Else (***)
08. Last Night (***½)
09. Still in My Brain (**½)
10. (And She Said) Take Me Now (***½)
11. Right for Me (**½)
12. Lets Take a Ride (***½)
13. Never Again (****)
Does Justified Justify That Justin Isn’t Just A Teenybopper Icon?
I was surprised after I had heard this album. It was not what I would have expected from Justin at all. After listening to the Like I Love You, I thought the album would be more like the material from *NSYNC. Instead this album justifies that Justin is a mature guy with huge vocal abilities as well as not being to shabby at writing songs either. Certain songs on this album are great – with an amazing maturity to them yet with a childish feel, while other songs are somewhat lame. It seems the best songs are the songs that are personal – where Justin shines through the production. I hope that Justin will consider not using so many producers/writers for his next album (33 on this one) and just cut down on the Michael Jackson squealing. (which is present in every damn song) Justin has certainly got a talent – and if they let Justin make an album that is all is own – I think it can be stellar. But for now – Justin’s first solo effort, Justified is certainly a good one.
4 stars
Thanks for reading!
~Kent
Great Music to Play While: Wondering why Alyssa Milano dumped Justin for the loser of the milennium, Fred Durst.
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