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61 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Justin Timberlake Presents... "Off The Wall" 2002, November 29, 2002
Now I will be the first person to admit that I am not a fan of N Sync. I am a fan of rap, r&b and old school r&b music. There are 2 N Sync songs that I like: "This I Promise You" and "Gone". However, when I heard the first single for "Justified", the Neptunes' produced "Like I Love You" featuring Clipse, I decided to give Justin Timberlake some attention. One of my friends forwarded me a link to preview some of his songs and since I was impressed, I decided to purchase "Justified". The 1st track, "Senorita", sets the mood for Justin's debut. He wants everyone to get on the dance floor and have some fun. Other than the unnecessary chants towards the end of the track, this is a good way to get the CD started. After "Like I Love You", Timbaland, who is known for producing tracks for the late Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Jay Z and for his Beat Club artists (Bubba Sparxxx, Petey Pablo, and Ms. Jade), hooks Justin up with something lovely on "(Oh No) What You Got". This is definitely one of his best r&b creations. Justin is able to ride cruise control and he even gets provocative with the lyrical content. Timbaland also produces the second single and ode to Britney Spears, "Cry Me A River". He slows things down to a midtempo song this time around and Justin is able to make his feelings and thoughts known to everyone about his failed relationship. Justin has good production all over "Justified". The Neptunes produce 7 tracks, Timbaland produces 4 and Brian McKnight shows up to produce the closing ballad, "Never Again". On this track, Justin is able to pour out his feelings once again and you can hear the Brian McKnight influences throughout the song. What I like about "Justified" is that despite the pop appeal of N Sync, Justin Timberlake was able to make a r&b record without letting his past pop success get in his way. The Neptunes have alot to do with this as well. He is able to feel liberated with songs like "Rock Your Body", "Last Night" and "Let's Take A Ride" and it seems like Justin is enjoying his newfound freedom. "Last Night" is definitely going to be heard in a few clubs because the instant the track comes on, you want to hit the dance floor immediately. "Let's Take A Ride" takes a page from Mary J. Blige's "Steal Away" as Justin talks about wanting to get away from things for awhile with a particular young lady. The Neptunes slow things down on my favorite track on the CD, "Take It From Here". For over 6 minutes, in a submissive format, Justin is pouring his heart out to someone that he has been dealing with. Although, the analogies may be elementary to some listeners, Justin does a good job of getting the point across. The only downside to "Justified" is that 1) He spends too many songs talking about Britney and 2) The Michael Jackson influences are all over the place. For all of the young folks that are reading this review, check out MJ's "Off The Wall" and "Thriller" and you will see what I am talking about. Other songs worth checking out are the Timbaland produced "(And She Said) Take Me Now" featuring Janet Jackson, "Still On My Brain" and the Neptunes produced "Nothin' Else". If you judge Justin Timberlake's debut CD by presentation, lyrical content and production, then you have a semi classic on your hands. Whether, this is a good thing remains to be seen, but "Justified" is definitely worth checking out, in my opinion.Track Listing: 1) Senorita
2) Like I Love You w/Clipse
3) (Oh No) What You Got
4) Take It From Here
5) Cry Me A River
6) Rock Your Body
7) Nothin' Else
8) Last Night
9) Still On My Brain
10) (And She Said) Take Me Now w/Janet Jackson
11) Right For Me w/Bubba Sparxx
12) Let's Take A Ride
13) Never Again James' Top 5 1) Take It From Here
2)(Oh No) What You Got
3) Cry Me A River
4) Last Night
5) Like I Love You w/Clipse
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No Justification Needed!, November 5, 2002
By A Customer
"Justified" is one of the hottest CDs out! Justin's attempt to step out on his own is more like a huge leap out on his own. The combination of his smooth vocals laced with some of the hottest Neptunes and Timbaland (among others) produced beats makes for an exceptional album. [This is a fairly long review, but it's track-by-track, in depth, and should prove to be really insightful! :) ]
Senorita: This Neptunes track features a lively beat you can groove to. The song is fun and easy to listen to. Justin's sings the majority of this song as a tenor (a sound familiar to *NSYNC fans). It also features an introduction by Pharrell Williams and a fun guy/girl sing-along that's a throw back to old school.
Like I Love You: This 1st single is a heater! This song -- currently all over radio -- features live instruments and introduces the world to a falsetto Justin had previously kept under wraps. He makes great use of it in this song and that has garnered references to an "Off the Wall" era Michael Jackson. If that's the case, this is the album Michael should have released. The rapping duo Clipse (and fellow Virginians to the 'Tunes) makes an appearance on this track.
(Oh No) What You Got: With Middle Eastern influences strewn about an infectious hip-hop beat, this Timbaland produced track is one of the best on the album. Justin's buttery vocals seductively sing of a girl who's making eyes at him from across a room and it's clear from this track why she's doing so. This is the kind of song you play on repeat because it's that good. Actually, the vast majority of the album is that good... that great, really.
Take It From Here: Corny lyrics abound in this song, however, it's still enjoyable. Justin's voice makes up for it. This song is the first of the more mellow tracks on "Justified." It has a nice, laid-back feel to it.
Cry Me A River: Scheduled to be the 2nd single, this is yet another great effort by Timbaland as a producer. The beat is something that he would normally have reserved for the late Aaliyah, and Justin definitely does it justice. The lyrics seem to be alluding to a certain break up (i.e.: 'you don't have to say/what you did/i already know/i found out from him', 'so you took a chance/and made other plans/but i bet'cha didn't think that they would some crashing down/no...'). The powerful back up vocals by Marsha Ambroise, Tyrone Tribett & Greater Anointing add to an already outstanding song.
Rock Your Body: The Neptunes shine again as the producers of this track. Justin's sensual voice only adds to the flavor of this club song. Vanessa Marquez appears as the girl who elicits this line from Justin: 'bet i'll have you naked by the end of this song.' Listen for a bass line reminiscent of Queen's 'Another One Bites the Dust' during a breakdown. Justin's beatboxing skills are also highlighted in this song.
Nothin' Else: A few more corny lyrics here, but generally a good song. Justin's easy on the ears in this song in which he sings about a girl who's 'outta of this world except (she's) not green.' The beat is rhumba influenced and different from anything the Neptunes has done before. This is a track which is mellow and relaxing. Justin has proclaimed this to be his favorite from the album.
Last Night: A straight R & B track. Justin once again effectively uses the falsetto in parts of this song in which he croons over a hot 'Tunes beat. This song -- twinged with Neptunes trademarks -- easily surpasses Usher's 'U Don't Have to Call' as the best R & B song they've produced. Pharrell makes a small singing cameo during the hook. A break down featuring live strings adds favorably to this great track.
Still On My Brain: Produced by The Underdogs (which they clearly won't be for much longer). This ballad features yet another smooth turn from Justin in the vocals department. The beat is almost lullaby-like with very soft and pleasing sounds. Justin's repetitions of "la" at the end bring forth pleasant memories of Stevie Wonder.
(And She Said) Take Me Now: Another one of the racier songs on the album. This song features a hook sung by Janet Jackson and a hot beat by Timbaland. Once again, Justin's falsetto makes a good song even better. In signature Timbaland style, the song switches up at the end and transforms into a hip-hop beat laden with electronically generated effects. Timbaland makes a cameo during this part of the song.
Right For Me: More edgy lyrics are featured here -- 'I could think of a couple positions for you.' Justin takes a Nelly-like approach to the song: he's half-singing and half-rapping... and it works well for him. Timbaland comes up with another unique beat that most prominently consists of percussion and beatboxing. Bubba Sparxxx guests on this track and adds even more bounce to this Southern style jam.
Let's Take A Ride: Justin delightfully sings his way through another great Neptunes track. He uses more of a tenor-borderline-baritone voice for most of the song. With his slick voice and Chad & Pharrell's amazing beats, this song make anyone want to hop in the car with Justin.
Never Again: Accompanied by strings and piano notes, Justin's voice takes on an ethreal quality on this track. Brian McKnight adds his signature ballad style to the song and makes it even better. Justin's beautiful voice drips raw emotion on this deeply personal track and you can virtually feel the heartahce he sings of resonate through the speakers.
Justin Timberlake has smoothly made the transition from boy band member to R & B crooner with the release of "Justified." He truly shows off his multi-faceted vocal ability, writing talent, arranging skills and many other musical gifts on his first solo effort. Coming from a true music lover, this is one of the best releases of 2002! Enjoy it... I do!! :)
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38 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The "Justifier?", November 15, 2002
The next Michael. The next Elvis, even (I'm not so sure about that one, Brian McKnight). The next "King of Pop." They say he has all the ingredients - the looks, charm, personality, moves (damn...a white boy can dance like that?), and voice (damn...a white boy can sing like that too??). Seriously though...is Justin Timberlake the answer?Well, if the buzz surrounding Justified is any indication, Justin is indeed all that and a bag of chips. We already know the girls love him. The guys are coming around also, bedgrudingly bumpin' along with his new club-flavored fare. The critics have jumped on the bandwagon as well - Rolling Stone, which is known for its distaste of pop music in general, gave the much ballyhooed album a four-star rating (out of five). Admittedly, I too, got sucked into the hype and picked up a copy. And although I haven't bought into the legend-in-the-making notion just yet, I'm not the least bit shy about giving JT his due props for Justified. Ray's Rants & Raves: If you're some blond, pig-tailed high-schooler expecting to hear a bunch of Max Martin-crafted "Bye Bye Bye" clones, you are NOT going to be happy with this record -Justified is almost exclusively geared towards the urban (yet mainstream) markets. But then again, you already knew that with the Neptunes and Timbaland handling most of the production, right? ;) Timberlake's departure from `Nsync-like poppyness is evident right off the bat, as the CD starts off with the slinky "Senorita" and the now-ubiquitous "Like I Love You." Are they mainstream? Yes. Sickeningly-sweet, boyband pop? No. They are choice combinations of lite hip-hop and R&B, sprinkled with just the right amount of organic ingredients to give it that "live" feel. The Neptunes' trademark stamps - wicked drum beats, blazing horns, staccato keys, and plucky string arrangements, just to name a few - are evident all over these two cuts, as they are on the breezy "Let's Take A Ride" and retro boogie romp "Rock Your Body." Not to be outdone, Timbaland ups the ante with his contributions. He unleashes his one-of-a-kind sonic mastery on tracks like the exotically off-kilter "(Oh No) What You Got" and hypnotic "Cry Me A River," the latter of which has bonafide smash written all over it. The booming bass and electronic weirdness continue with "(And She Said) Take Me Now" and "Right For Me," although Top 40 pop enthusiasts will probably need a few extra listens before they can fully enjoy the results. The production itself is top-notch; the ups-and-downs come in when JT enters the musical equation. The lyrics (almost all of which are Timberlake-penned) are disappointingly bland, fitting only two themes: either "girl-you-done-did-me-wrong-and-I-hate-you" or "girl-you-look-fly-let's-leave-and-get-it-on." Not to say that the material never works. You have your highs - Justin pining away with the best of `em on the Stevie Wonder-esque "Nothin' Else"; the fragile realness of "Never Again" (okay, it's obvious Britney did SOMETHING bad); the impressive dose of buttery-smooth, chocolate soul on "Still On My Brain"; and positively buoyant performances on many of the aforementioned Neptunes/Timbaland joints. Then you have your lows - such as the ho-hum/blah ballad "Take It From Here" filled with elementary, yawn-inducing rhymes ("I wanna be your sky/so blue and high/and every time you think of me, I wanna blow your mind"). Timberlake's supple vocals flit and flutter through the notes, going anywhere from a growling, southern drawl to a warbling falsetto, evoking spitting images of some guy named Michael that its downright scary at times. Critics, peers (i.e., India.Arie, Alicia Keys, among others), and fans (including myself) have always praised JT's singing ability, but it's as if Justified put all of his vocal shortcomings under a microscope. When listening to the album, you can't help but wonder what the material would be like if it was performed by someone with a stronger set of lungs. Ray's Rank: 3 ½ / 5 stars: What if? That's the question that keeps entering my mind after listening to Justified. What if Justin had delved into some different material? What if the production had been a little different? What if the lyrics had been more powerful and hard-hitting? What if he had sung things a different way? As it stands, Justin Timberlake's debut is very good. Solid. Definitely fun to listen to. Worth your hard-earned [cash]bucks. I think I see some untapped potential there, though. Or do I? Something just seems a little off, yet I can't quite put my finger on it. In any case, we'll just have to wait and see how things pan out - for Justified and the "Justifier" himself.
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