Only few singers who were once members of boy bands have succeeded in developing even stronger solo career. If I had to pick two of them, one of them would be Robbie Williams, a Take That singer whose fame conquered the Old Continent, and the other one would have to be Justin Timberlake. Justin only put three solo albums in his discography, but it was sufficient to cement his status as one of the most important pop musicians of our era.
Justin was part of NSYNC, a boy band that set the hearts of millions of girls on perpetual fire. They broke their heart when they decided to split. I was not one of those girls J I was more of a Backstreet Boys fangirl. Now that I have admit that, I would like to review one of my favorite pop albums.
Futuresex\Lovesounds came out ten years ago, almost four years after Justin’s debut Justified. If the first one is remembered for Cry Me A River and similar pop lemonades refreshed with r’n’b here and there, Futuresex\Lovesounds is more of a strong cocktail that leaves you craving for more. I am still hangover, a decade after the first time I played it.
Justin Timberlake’s sophomore record presented the singer as a mature and fierce young fella who wants to create high quality r’n’b. Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without the main producer of the album – Timbaland, the one who was also responsible for the glorious Loose by Nelly Furtado. Justin’s departure from mediocre pop was obvious with the first single SexyBack, the song that returned not only sexy sounds to contemporary music, but also sexy moves. Following SexyBack, MyLove featured T.I. and it was a huge hit, although not one of my favorite from the record.
Futuresex\Lovesounds also featured Three 6 Mafia and omnipresent will.i.am in a catchy dance tune Damn Girl. Will.i.am was also the co-producer of one portion of the album, just as Rick Rubin (who was responsible for the great ballade All Over Again). The album is mostly upbeat, albeit there are some low-key numbers.
My favorite would have to be What Goes Around…Comes Around. I was obsessed with the song at the time, especially when the video with Scarlett Johansson came out. At that moment, it was clear that Justin Timberlake was the new prince of pop. If Michael Jackson was the world’s pop king, Robbie Williams Europe’s pop prince, then Justin Timberlake was the prince of American pop. Everything he released after Futuresex\Lovesounds was not worthy of my ears’ attention. Sorry not sorry.
