Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake

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Essential Albums

  • FutureSex/LoveSounds
    FutureSex/LoveSounds
    FutureSex/LoveSounds

    After the multi-platinum, Grammy-winning success of Justin Timberlake’s 2002 solo debut Justified, it was clear *NSYNC was not simply on “hiatus”, as the members of the boy band claimed; in fact, the group had now gone bye, bye, bye. That meant Timberlake could flex his solo superstardom on his 2006 follow-up, FutureSex/LoveSounds. And flex he did, strong-arming into submission any suggestion of a possible sophomore slump with the unswervable swagger of a young heart-throb seemingly destined to become a pop dynamo. And while Justified found Timberlake channelling fellow boy-band alum Michael Jackson on such hits as “Like I Love You” and “Rock Your Body”, FutureSex/LoveSounds was the album in which the singer got naughty (if never nasty). “Sexy Ladies”, with its thumping bass and squealing synths, updated Prince’s 1979 banger “Sexy Dancer” for a next-gen player, while the dizzying high of “LoveStoned” is like a sped-up riff on The Purple One’s 1999 jam “Lady Cab Driver”. Then there’s the futuristic funk of FutureSex/LoveSounds’ title track, as well as its first single “SexyBack”, which saw into an alternate universe where Timberlake was the love child of Prince and George Clinton. And while Justified was produced by both Timbaland and The Neptunes’ Pharrell and Chad Hugo, FutureSex/LoveSounds was largely a Timberlake-and-Timbaland joint (with additional behind-the-boards work from long-time Timbaland collaborator Nate “Danja” Hills). And just as much as the album is a Timberlake triumph, it is a full-length showcase of peak Timbaland talents—especially on the two-part, shape-shifting stunts “Let Me Talk to You/My Love”, “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows” and “What Goes Around…/…Comes Around”. Both the T.I.-assisted “My Love” and the “Cry Me a River” sequel “What Goes Around…” followed “SexyBack” to No. 1, proving that Timberlake’s chart-topping future was here and now. But while FutureSex/LoveSounds was a step (or three) into pop’s beyond, there is some old-school romance and R&B on the album too, from the smooth Stylistics moves of “Until the End of Time” to the James Brown throwdown of “Damn Girl”. Then, on the Rick Rubin-produced closer “(Another Song) All Over Again”, Timberlake even conjures up Donny Hathaway, proving just how much FutureSex/LoveSounds—one of the defining pop albums of the early 21st century—brought the past into the present on a time-travelling spaceship.

  • Justified
    Justified
    Justified

    Freed from the rigours of commercial pop’s factory floor, Justin Timberlake concocts a solo debut that manages to—somehow—be both drum-tight and boundlessly inventive. Of course, Justified is also a monument to the bottled-lightning production of The Neptunes (the earthy snap of “Señorita”, the glistening, space age funk of “Rock Your Body”) and Timbaland (layered, percussive alchemy on “Cry Me a River” and “Right for Me”). But those sumptuous beatscapes would be nothing without the focal point of Timberlake’s MJ-worthy falsetto, emancipated swagger and full-beam star power.

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About Justin Timberlake

Teen idol, pop phenom, R&B innovator, Man of the Woods—Justin Timberlake is a master of reinvention. Born in 1981, the Tennessee native got his start on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (alongside Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera) and then smashed all kinds of chart records in his later teens with the Orlando-based *NSYNC. But he would go on to rewrite the rulebook for boy-band-alum second acts when he gracefully transitioned to a grown-and-sexy solo star, fusing slick, R&B beats (crafted largely by the Neptunes and Timbaland) with irresistible pop hooks. Armed with a fluid falsetto and charismatic stage presence, he’s headlined half-time spectaculars, become a regular on Saturday Night Live, and landed roles in award-winning films like The Social Network and Inside Llewyn Davis, all while earning comparisons to no less than Michael Jackson and Prince. But in the end, it's Timberlake's catalogue of instant classics that will cement his place in pop history: “Cry Me a River” redefined the breakup ballad, "SexyBack” and “My Love” sparked a new era of synth-pop, and “Suit & Tie”, his 2013 collaboration with JAY-Z, brought the spirit of the Rat Pack back to life. For 2018's Man of the Woods, Timberlake dove into the realms of electro-funk ("Filthy") and country rock ("Say Something"), lacing the genres with his time-tested baritenor. He fortified his legacy with 2024's Everything I Thought It Was, a similarly dynamic album featuring nu-disco, R&B and the energy of an artist in full control of his power.

HOMETOWN
Memphis, TN, United States
BORN
31 January 1981
GENRE
Pop

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