A Credible Debut
Justified by Justin Timberlake
No question, Justin Timberlake is one talented young man. Previously best known as either 1/5 of *NSYNC or as Britney's boy-toy, Justin made a case for himself as a credible singer/songwriter on his debut CD, Justified, an album that went on to win a Grammy for Best Pop Album of the year and sold nearly 4 million records. The end result was successful, despite Justin's tendency to get overpowered by the (big-name) production and an occasional over-reliance on sounds that were created (and perfected) by other artists.
Upon first listen of this album, it becomes obvious that Justin has left his boy-band days way behind. The peppy dance cuts and soppy ballads have been replaced by adventurous R&B jams with funk and hip-hop influences. The production here is handled by Timbaland (whose work here was his best on a non-rap album to date) and the ubiquitous Neptunes, who add a little old-school flavor to their occasionally monotonous production.
The most obvious thing you can compare Justified to is Michael Jackson's Off the Wall. While it should go without saying that OTW is a VASTLY superior piece of work, there are several similarities, the biggest of which is Justin's voice, which can alternately be breathy, seductive, aggressive and pleading. Rock Your Body (in the tradition of MJ hits Rock With You and Shake Your Body) is an early 80's post-disco rip on which Justin trades pick-up lines with an anonymous female and promises to "have her nekked by the end of this song". The track is loose and danceable and is easily Justin's finest moment on the album.
Like I Love You also wins by placing Justin's breathy vocal against muscular percussion and strummed Mexican-sounding guitar. Senorita is a breezy, loose, jam-sounding record which is almost ruined by Justin's silly call-and-response section toward the end of the song.
Take It From Me and Let's Take a Ride are excellent, summery driving songs. On Take it From Me, Justin flirts with a mellow singing delivery which makes him sound like he's just smoked a pound of weed.
The album's other standout track is the haunting Cry Me a River. This track (which, as rumor has it, was Britney-inspired) is highlighted by some spacey production and vocal samples by Timbaland, a choral vocal effect that grows stronger the further you go into the song, and some pretty bitter lyrics from Justin. "Girl I refuse/You must have me confused/with some other guy," he sings. "the bridges are burned/now it's your turn/to cry...me a river". Justin perfectly captures the mood of someone who has put up with too much shit from someone he loves.
Despite the fact that the album is a generally solid piece of work, there are a couple of glaring miscues here. Last Night rips off Usher's U Don't Have to Call pretty hard, Janet Jackson's vocal is completely buried in the mix of the funky Take Me Now, Bubba Sparxxx proves Ugly was a fluke on Right For Me, and worst of all, Justin tries to appropriate the sound of Talking Book-era Stevie Wonder on Nothin' Else, with disastrous results.
The album closes with Brian McKnight's beautiful Never Again, the album's only real ballad and a track that makes you ask "Why wasn't there anything this good on Brian's last album"?
All in all, though, Justified turned out better than expected. Justin has one of the best voices of today's young crop of singers (and he sounds the same live, which gives him major points), and artists ranging from Lenny Kravitz to Usher have been successful with sounds that are a bit derivative. Hey, who doesn't have influences? There are few better than Stevie and Michael. So, while Justified is no Off the Wall or Innervisions, it's a credible debut by an entertainer who has bigger and better things in store.
