Justin Timberlake released his second album of the year, “The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2” Tuesday. “The 20/20 Experience” was released March 15 of this year.
As excited as I was for the release of “The 20/20 Experience,” I was initially disappointed. All the songs were unnecessarily long and, by about five minutes in, I just couldn’t take the song anymore and had to skip to the next one. But as time went on, the album really started to grow on me. I may be a little behind, but I cannot stop listening to “Mirrors.” I’m obsessed.
Needless to say, when I heard Justin Timberlake would be releasing a continuation of the album, “The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2,” I was skeptical at first. I assumed that it would also take some getting used to. But au contraire.
The first track, “Gimme What I Don’t Know (I Want),” had me hooked right off the bat. It has a catchy beat that leaves you wanting more.
“Cabaret” is the third track on the album. Timberlake shows us he can play well with others by having guest rapper Drake perform on the track. It’s one of the more racey tracks on the album.
My favorite track from the album would have to be “Drink You Away.”
Timberlake uses his soulful voice to sing a song about trying to get over an ex love and drowning your sorrows in alcohol.
It may not be the best coping mechanism, but it’s something many people go through at some point in their lives. Therefore, it makes the song very relateable.
“Got the pounding on my brain/So I drowned it away/When the sun comes up tomorrow/You can find me doing the same.”
The last track on the album, however, is what really impressed me.
“Not a Bad Thing” shows us a different side of Timberlake that we have yet to see throughout this album.
The singer uses a softer side of his voice during this nearly 12-minute song to convince us to let him love us. Okay, not really, but a girl could dream. Most likely, he is talking about his real-life true love, Jessica Biel. The two married on Oct. 19 last year, after dating for five years.
“I know people make promises all the time/Then they turn right around and break them/When someone cuts your heart open with a knife, while you beating (Don’t you know)/But I could be that guy to heal it over time/And I won’t stop until you believe it/’Cause baby you’re worth it.”
The second album has been getting mixed reviews. Many media outlets are saying that he should have stopped after “The 20/20 Experience.” I agree to disagree. I don’t necessarily think every track on the album is fantastic, but I think it shows another side of him as an artist.
The first album was very creative, in more ways than one. Not only were the songs creative in themselves but what he did with them was amazing. The music videos he has made for the singles off the first album have been outstanding.
The songs were great because you could tell they had meaning behind them but, as a listener, you were still able to interpret it in your own way.
The song “Mirrors,” as some of us learned at his VMA performance this year, was written for his grandparents. As if I already didn’t love the song.
While the first album showed a very creative side of Timberlake, “The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2” showed us his modern day music skills. The ability to mix a track that people are going to dance to, listen to on repeat and just get down to.
Story by Savannah Sawyer, Features Editor