Review - Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2

I think I was as surprised as the rest of the world when I first heard that Justin Timberlake’s musical comeback had a part two. I mean, nothing for years and years, and then a flood of new tunes? And while two discs of JT is surely a wonderful thing, I had my doubts that there was enough there to make both of them worth your while.

Thankfully, the ‘Experience’ continues to be just as pleasurable as it was the first time around on ‘2 of 2’. After the lackluster success of lead single “Take Back The Night” and future charting demise of “TKO”, one had to wonder if the album was going to be any good, but not to worry—JT wouldn’t let you down.

The crooning and swooning are in full force—sometimes even better—than on the first round. While there certainly isn’t any “Mirrors”-sized hits on ‘2 of 2’, the album as a whole is surprisingly solid, perhaps even more so than before. The entire collection is wholly Timbaland’s work, with plenty of smoothed-over percussion-heavy production that gets you clapping along and jamming.

Tracks like “Drink You Away” and “Murder” are a bit surprising coming from someone like Justin, as you’d never expect a song about him killing a woman (and yet it works?). However, towards the end of the CD (“Not A Bad Thing”), you begin to wonder if some of these are Jesse McCartney cast-offs. We’re thrilled to have two Justin Timberlake albums in one year, but after the ‘20/20 Experience’, let’s see what sound he cooks up next.

Listen to: “True Blood”, “Murder”, “Drink You Away”

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