David Otero Sports Editor
After a musical hiatus dating back to 2006, Justin Timberlake is back! On March 19, JT released his newest album entitled The 20/20 Experience. This is his third studio album and the last since Future Sex/ Love Sounds.
Timberlake’s comeback album sold 968,000 copies in its first week to the public. That represents the big- gest sales debut of any album since Taylor Swift’s Red sold 1.2 million copies in November.
The former *NSYNC member did not divert away from doing what separates him from the rest of the music industry. Of Timberlake’s 12 songs on the track (two bonus songs), seven of them are longer than seven minutes in length, and three are at least eight minutes. So if you expected to listen to the entire album during one sitting, re-think that idea…unless you tend to sit for very long periods of time…then this album is absolutely perfect for you!
I felt that The 20/20 Experience was Timberlake at his finest. Classic JT. He released “Suit & Tie” featuring Jay-Z back in January. I’ll admit it: I was not a huge fan when this song first hit the airwaves. But it has grown on me. JT and Jay-Z have a nice chemistry together and I think they’ll give plenty of entertainment to fans on their upcoming tour together.
Shortly after releasing “Suit & Tie,” Timberlake unveiled what I believe to be the best song on the album: “Mirrors.” The song starts out with a dramatic feel, with anticipation building. Then Timberlake takes over and takes you through a symbolic journey about the mirror, the other half, in his life. Of course, he is speak- ing about his wife, Jessica Biel.
The high point of the song is mid-way through when the beat drops and all that’s left is essentially Timberlake’s voice with the occasional clap and beat of a drum. He then goes on and proclaims that “You are the love of my life” ten straight times which leads into:
Now you’re the inspiration of this precious song
And I just wanna see your face light up since you put me on
So now I say goodbye to the old me, it’s already gone
And I can’t wait wait wait wait wait to get you home
Just to let you know, you are (the love of my life)
This song has gained a tremendous amount of airtime as of late, and recently, JT also released the music video to “Mirrors.” I don’t want to get into specifics, but the video was very, very hard to follow. However, it was incredibly interesting and holds your attention, to say the least.
Another personal favorite of mine is “Pusher Love Girl.” The first 30 seconds of the song gives off a Disney-movie-like feel of instrumen- tals, and then shifts into Timberlake comparing a lover to a drug pusher. Although it may not sound like the most pleasant comparison, it’s a catchy song and definitely has the tendency to get stuck in your head for an extended period of time. Oh, and if you want to hear JT hit more than a few high notes, this is the song for you! The only negative thing I’d point out about this song is that there really is no need for the song to be over eight minutes long. This one can easily be shaved down to four minutes!
A song to which I’ve heard some difference in opinion is “Strawberry Bubblegum.” The song starts off very slow with a deep voice, Barry White- esque, in the background sounding all sexual and whatnot. This leads into Timberlake doing his thing, saying:
Baby please don’t change nothing Because your flavor’s so original And it all started when she said Hey hey hey, smacking that
Strawberry Bubblegum You really got me when you said Hey hey hey, popping that
Strawberry Bubblegum
However, at the 5:00 mark, the song morphs into a baby-making joint. So if that’s your thing, fast-forward to five minutes, light some candles, turn the lights low, and proceed.
With The 20/20 Experience, Timberlake stuck to what makes him such a distinctive artist. His come- back was a success as he is at the top of the game right now. Even his bonus tracks “Dress On” and “Body Count” are quite addicting. If you haven’t already, take a listen to the album. You’ll be happy you did!
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