Music Album: The 20/20 Experience

Though it has only been six years, it feels like lifetime since we have had new music from Justin Timberlake (not considering his collaboration with Timbaland, Carry Out, in 2009). After taking time to relinquish his status as boy band member turned solo superstar to focus on his acting career, business endeavours and personal life; he gives us the much anticipated follow-up to his ground breaking sophomore album. This soulful and artistic new album is solely produced by Timbaland – which is a testament to the fact that the musical relationship between them produces solid, electrifying music, the end product being the 20/20 Experience.

In many parts, this new album picks up from where FutureSex/LoveSounds left off, in terms of similar musical arrangements, lyrical content and production. While ‘Sex produced edgier cuts like ‘SexyBack’ and ‘What Goes Around’, ‘Experience delivers more soulful, sultry and demure songs. ‘Suit & Tie (Featuring Jay-Z)’ is the album’s first single, a eclectic mid-tempo love song with an underlining toast to dapper fashion and finer things in life, though it could be considered to be 2013’s ‘My Love’ – the song is an important glimpse into how fresh the new album sounds. ‘That Girl’ and ‘Let the Groove In’ follow the same eclectic sound. Where Mr Timberlake shines most are on his poetic deliveries on ‘Blue Ocean Floor’ and ‘Spaceship Coupe’, and his more upbeat and hip hop-laced songs on ‘Don’t Hold the Wall’ and 'Dress On’.

Without a doubt, Justin delivers yet another money-worth album, his vocals remain powerful and he sounds more mature than ever – you can actually hear the growth in his voice. Ignoring the similarities, while his last album had a more playful sound, this new one sounds more artistic and solid – a sound that seems to work into the next step of his evolution as a singer and songwriter. What is even more surprising is that he did not jump on the EDM sound wagon that his peers like Usher, Enrique and Nelly have experimented with in the past few years.