The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2
Justin Timberlake
Released by RCA Records
Following his early 2013 release, The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2, is exactly as it seems. The album seems to be made up of some leftover songs that didn’t make the first cut of The 20/20 Experience, in an attempt to make more money for the recording studio. Not to mention that Justin Timberlake is now going on the second leg of his world tour.
Overall, the album gives off more of a jazz feel, especially in the instrumentals. This is familiar to Timberlake’s fans, as he hasn’t really dabbled in true pop music since his days with NSYNC.
However the album is also reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s songs, especially the lead single, “Take Back the Night,” which easily pays homage to Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and is even a little reminiscent of Justin Timberlake’s second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds.
The album does seem to offer something for everyone, as “Drink You Away” has a country feel to it while fans of rap may enjoy “Murder” and “Cabaret,” featuring Jay Z and Drake respectively. Unfortunately, the lyrics to both songs may just deter you from listening at all.
Timberlake’s sultry, soft voice may make you forget that almost every single song on this album are all references to sex, but Jay Z’s lyrics in “Murder” may just make you pause, especially when you realize he has just referred to Yoko Ono and the break up of The Beatles.
However, there are some stand out moments.
The songs are extremely catchy—though it’s nothing really special compared to The 20/20 Experience. The few standout moments this album does have seem to make it worth listening to the entire album, as the rest of the songs all seem to flow together in one endless song (60 minutes to be exact).
The hidden track, “Pair of Wings,” takes on an entirely different feel compared to the rest of the album, which is more or less heavily loaded with synthesizers and trumpets. The song is more acoustic, sounding like a sweet love song or almost like a lullaby. So it’s not a surprise that this song was hidden within the track “Not a Bad Thing,” which was the only other song on the album that was more of a love song and not almost entirely about sex.
And perhaps Timerblake drew inspiration from that love-song track, because that might just be how the album could be summed up—as not a bad thing.
