Justin Timberlake Album: “FutureSex / LoveSounds [Edited]”

I've been putting off writing this review for about a week now. Reason being: with the exception of one song, this is such a great album my words won't do justice to it. Either way I will try to give my honest opinion on each song below:

1-"FutureSex/LoveSound" (5/5) Great song. Wonderful chorus. Love it's unusual beat and it's racy lyrics.

2-"SexyBack" (5/5) The reason I got the album in the first place is this song. With it's off the hook beat and Justin's unique vocal arrangement, this song became a hit in my book.

3-"Sexy Ladies" (5/5) Another awesome song. It's chorus is very catchy and Justin's voice in it is great.

4-"My Love" (5/5) I loooooove this song. The prelude to this song and the

actual intro. are insanely good. Justin's falsetto in the background is just bone chilling.I could listen to this song all day long. T.I.'s rap is very fitting and well written.

5-"LoveStoned" (5/5) A great song with a very cool chorus and terrific lyrics. My favorite part is the interlude at the end. Justin's voice is wonderful in it. Overall, a great song.

6-"What Goes Around Comes Around" (5/5) I love the message in this song. Many people can relate to this song which is what I love about it. Great lyrics + great vocals, inevitably = a GREAT song.

7-"Chop Me Up" (5/5) A personal fave, this song is just flawless. I love the way Justin sings in it. It just suits him right. Timbaland's verse is also fabulous. This song's chorus is what has me hooked. Three 6 Mafia's collaboration with Justin was a great idea. Nobody else could have done a better job.

8-"Damn Girl" (3/5) I was about to give the album a 4 instead of a perfect 5 stars because of this song. I simply don't get it. I hate it. I gave it a 3 because I have heard worse songs but really, it could have been kept out of this almost perfect album.

9-"Summer Love" (5/5) Awesome beat and vocal arrangement make this song a great potential single. It's lyrics are mature and catchy making it one of my faves.

10-"Until The End Of Time" (5/5) A very sweet love song. Its beautiful, touching lyrics will definitely touch the hearts of those who listen to it.

11-"Losing My Way" (5/5) This is just a great song about the typical drug addict that finds he/she is losing grasp of their life. Wonderfully written and sung in a deep, mellow way, this song leaves me speechless.

12-"(Another Song) All Over Again" (4/5) This has to be the song I have listened to less along with "Damn Girl". I feel it could have better lyrics that would make it more touching.

Honestly, this album has got to be the best one in my collection thus far. I am in looove with it and only hope Justin keeps it in mind for his next release. If he keeps his crazy, electrifying beats and his mature lyrics, I will be buying his albums forevermore. Justin should also continue collaborating with Timbaland and Nate Hills when it comes to writing and his dope beats. Great job, Justin!

I can listen to this album in its entirety except for the song "Damn Girl" therefore I will not write my Faves because I'd have to list 11 out of the 12 songs.

I had no intention of buying this cd then I heard sexy back and thought I like that but not enough to buy it. Then I heard my love with TI and decided to buy it. I am so glad that I did I have not been able to stop listening to this cd. I really like this cd I do not like all the songs but unlike some cd's I like more than two songs on the whole disc. There are a lot of songs that I love on this disc but my favorite is until the end of time. I am a huge Prince fan until the end of time sounds like it's missing from the purple rain soundtrack. I think Prince would be proud and just a little jealous of that track.

I have to give Timberland his props he brought the best out of Mr. Timberlake.

I'll admit I am not a fan of NSYNC. I felt they took popular music to the bubblegum factory, but I suppose for teenage girls they were the right safe formula.

I wasn't interested in Justin Timberlake's 2002 "Justified". However, I thought "Rock Your Body" was a great Michael Jackson knockoff. Enter Timberlake's sophomore album "Futuresex/Lovesounds". It picks up where "Rock Your Body" left off. When Timberlake is good, he's very good, and when he's out of ideas, the entire disc nearly derails itself.

The best tracks are the first single "Sexyback" with it's Michael Jackson and Prince imitations, the second single "My Love", the third single "What Goes Around..." which might be the best track here, "Futuresex/Lovesounds" and "Lovestoned". On these five tracks Timberlake and Timberland are virtually irresistable and unstoppable. However, this doesn't hold up across all 12 tracks.

In fact, the second half of the disc is bogged down in weak hip hop/raps and drippy balladry. I particularly hated the Rick Rubin produced "(Another Song) All Over Again". "Chop Me Up" was boring. "Damn Girl" has a catchy r&b retro 70's feel, but it's nothing special. "Summer Love" is all right as is "Losing My Way". I didn't like "Until The End Of Time" either, and "Sexy Ladies" is definitely a Prince rip-off. In fact, "Until The End Of Time" utilizes the old drum machine effects from Prince's "1999" album. Some of the interludes were interesting like "Let Me Talk To You", "I Think She Knows" and "...Comes Around", while "Set The Mood" was sickly sweet.

One thing that makes a great singer (because as far as I can tell Timberlake doesn't play an instrument) is his ability to adapt to a wide genre of styles. Timberlake has done two albums that are heavily r&b/hip hop influenced. Until he stretches himself artistically by dumping Timberland and Rick Rubin and going with different producers on each album, I consider him a budding artist who hasn't yet reached his full potential. Michael Jackson was very good at many different styles and that's what made him a legend. Same for Rod Stewart, and Timberlake will never come close to touching Prince unless he learns to write, play, compose, arrange and produce everything he does.

So, the bottom line with "Futuresex/Lovesounds" is that there are five great songs and seven mediocre songs, thus the three star rating.

Maybe next time Timberlake with take even greater artistic risks which might lead to greater rewards and an even larger audience.

2006 has had no shortage of surprises: North Korea tested a nuke, Vice President Dick Cheney shot a lawyer, and the Democrats took control of Capital Hill for the first time since 1994. Justin Timberlake's FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS, the long-awaited follow-up to his 2003 solo debut JUSTIFIED, is yet another surprise. It's an album masked in a heavy sheet of glittering pop; beneath that mask is one of the best albums of the year and what may wind up as one of the defining records of the new millennium's first decade. The odds of people discovering this are rather slim: after all, how many people do you think will listen to an album by a former member of N'Sync (or at least listen to it and admit to doing so)? Not a whole lot, and that's a pity, because on FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS, Justin Timberlake sets out to prove that he's much more than the lead singer of an old boy band. And prove it he does.

One of the biggest surprises of FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS is that it is, quite frankly, the most unsexy "sex album" ever released. Through the whole album, Timberlake tries to maximize its sex appeal, and though he fails in that aspect, he succeeds in another: he creates a cold, false, emotionless atmosphere that perfectly captures the attitude of our society in the 21st century. On FUTURESEX, sex is simply a tool for brief gratification, to be used with anyone and anyone at any time. It doesn't really mean anything, like having a one-night stand at some unruly late-night party. The music itself is equally harsh and sounds almost as though it was assembled from the lonely, emotion-devoid thoughts of a computer, thanks largely to the fact that it's completely electronic. In another surprise, FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS sounds more like the product of such 1980s R&B funk gods as Prince and Michael Jackson than the creation of an ex-N'Syncer. All the familiar elements are here: exotic percussion, playful keyboards, inviting bass, and excited vocals. "LoveStoned" sounds as though it was yanked off THRILLER, and a more hearty "SexyBack" could've been a Prince creation back in the day.

The thing that restrains Timberlake from ranking among the likes of the aforementioned superstars isn't so much a lack of talent as a lack of willingness to experiment. True, FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS sounds considerably different than much of recently-released music, but only different enough to make it distinguishable from your everyday contemporary album. Timberlake is willing to step up to the line to prove that he's not what everyone thinks he is, but he seems afraid to step over the line, to really produce something new and delightfully original like his heroes. Timberlake sticks mostly to the thick, heavily-overused hip-hop beats, deviating from the norm just enough to make an impression. He does succeed in that aspect, as the album does make an impression, but not enough of an impression to really knock the listener out. Though it gets off to a great start, the album lags a little toward the end, leaving the listener with an appreciation for what Timberlake has done, but also with the desire for him to do more. Maybe that's what he wants; people will certainly pay more attention to his next release.

FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS isn't a masterpiece, but it stands out from the increasing number of lifeless, unoriginal albums, and for that reason alone it may be worth checking out. It works excellently as a time capsule, a collection of music that may be looked upon years from now as a fitting representation of the music of 2006. Still, it's nowhere near experimental enough, and it's Timberlake's fear of experimentation that ultimately stabs the album.

Justified was a pretty good debut cd.. but his latest cd is amazing.. hes growing as a artist and you can tell. My love, damn girl, until the end of time, another song, love stoned are all songs that stand out to me.. his next album will be a classic mark my words