If urban contemporary radio can forgive, I guess I can, too!
I really waited a long time before I succumbed to listening to this album, feeling that Timberlake had been less than noble by not publicly supporting Janet Jackson following the faux pas that was the halftime of Super Bowl XXXVIII or A.K.A. "Boobygate." I couldn't bring myself to give young Justin a try.
It wasn't until I saw a video on YouTube of Timberlake's "Sexyback" accompanying scenes from the primetime soap "Dallas" that I began to hear him in a different light. Later, I saw his video to "My Love" and the moves of him and his dancers were quite eye-catching. Next, I saw one of his appearances on SNL and saw that there was a comic talent behind that pop/hip-hop persona.
Then, it wasn't until I discovered that he was the auteur behind "Until the End of Time," one of the best R & B songs of last year, I then said to myself, "OK! He's a tad more than just Britney's ex!"
After having heard the entire album, I can say that it has something that appeals to a wide spectrum of the listening public. There's enough of the old (the 70's-funk sounding "Sexy Ladies," for example) intertwined with the new ("Chop Me Up," among others) to satisfy the kids, their parents, and, possibly the younger grandparents.
Granted, the use of a couple of expletives could have been eliminated, along with the ridiculously out-of-place "Damn Girl," the one track that sounds like a holdover from the singer's 'NSYNC days. Using profanity is not necessarily a sign of maturity but "kids" tend to think that it is.
Overall, ""FutureSex/Lovesound," while not one of the great pop albums of all time, is definitely a keeper and shows a talent that, with a couple of more years, may develop into a something more than "the flava of the month," just as long as he matures vocally and doesn't remain in one niche.
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