Justified

by Justin Timberlake

Overview

Growing up is hard to do, as any teen pop idol will attest. Still, showbiz kids are nothing if not savvy, so they know it's better to make the jump than to idle as an idol, no matter how hard that jump may be -- and no matter how hard they try, it's hard to judge the distance, and they may miss their mark. With his debut solo album, Justified (face it, that title was a given), Justin Timberlake misses his mark slightly: he's uneasy as a suave, mature loverman, particularly because much of his stance is borrowed directly (and rather improbably) from Michael Jackson. JT -- a shorthand nickname that's distressingly inevitable -- shamelessly borrows from Jacko, from the Thriller-era getup and poses to the sharply modernized spin on the classic Off the Wall sound. To be sure, the sound of the Neptunes productions which dominate Justified is the best thing about the album; they have a lush, sexy, stylish feel that is better, more romantic than most modern R&B. Too bad they're delivered by such a cipher. Though he's turned into a technically skilled vocalist, he's still too much of a showbiz kid -- all technique and surface, not much substance. His falsetto may be smooth, but it's utterly without character, which unfortunately describes the songs too: pretty on the surface, but devoid of memorable hooks. This means that what truly stands out is when he breaks from form and tries to prove how street and hip he is, delivering awful double-entendres like "I can think of a couple of positions for you" and "get real wet if you know what I mean" and exhorting the fellas and ladies to sing separately in a cringe-worthy affectation on "Senorita." When he sings that he'll "have you nekkid by the end of the song," he doesn't sound like a seductor, he sounds like a kid actor awkwardly assuming a new persona. This isn't without merit -- the sound, apart from some flop Timbaland productions (which he redeems with the slinky funk of "Right for Me"), works well, and if these cuts were songs instead of tracks, his bland falsetto would be fine. This suggests a direction Timberlake could follow in the future, given stronger songwriting collaborators. But Justified is just sound and posturing, with no core. [Bad packaging alert: the foldout booklet for Justified is merely stuck into the digipak for the album, with no sleeve or slot to house it; it's guaranteed to get beat up or lost.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/19/2002
Label:	Jive / Sony Cmg
UPC:	0012414182319

Tracks

1. Se¿¿orita
2. Like I Love You
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
11. Right for Me
12. Let's Take a Ride
13. Never Again

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Justin Timberlake   Primary Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Clipse   Guest Artist,Rap,Featured Artist
Timbaland   Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Brian McKnight   Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Janet Jackson   Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
Benjamin F. Wright   Conductor
Larry Gold   Conductor,String Conductor
Chad Hugo   Multi Instruments
Vidal Davis   Percussion
Prescott Ellison   Drums
Pharrell Williams   Vocals,Featured Artist
Vanessa Marquez   Vocals,Featured Artist
Nathan East   Bass
Omar Edwards   Keyboards
Frank "Knuckles" Walker   Percussion
Marsha Ambrosius   Vocals (Background)
Bubba Sparxxx   Rap,Featured Artist
Ben Kenney   Guitar
Bill Meyers   Conductor
Eddie DeLena   Vocals
George "Spanky" McCurdy   Drums
Tye Tribbett & G.A.   Vocals (Background)
Thaddeus T. Tribbett   Bass
Bernard Kenny   Guitar
Damen Bennett   Flute
Southwest Chamber Orchestra   Strings
Greater Anointing   Vocals (Background)
Charles Veal   Strings
Bill Pettaway   Guitar
Benjamin Wright   Conductor
Thaddaeus "Terry" Tribbett   Bass
Damon Bennett   Flute
Ben Kenny   Guitar
Tyrone Tibbett   Vocals (Background)
Scott Storch   Clavinet,Co-Producer
Lainie Aguilar   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Serban Ghenea   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Senator Jimmy D   Engineer
Steve Penny   Engineer
Benjamin F. Wright   String Arrangements
Larry Gold   String Arrangements
Chad Hugo   Composer,Musician,Producer,Instrumentation
Daniel Betancourt   Assistant Engineer
Carlos Martinez   Assistant Engineer
Janet Jackson   Composer
John Hanes   Pro-Tools
Pharrell Williams   Composer,Musician,Producer,Instrumentation,Vocal Arrangement,Instrument Arrangement
Vanessa Marquez   Composer
Justin Timberlake   Composer,Vocal Arrangement
The Neptunes   Producer
Brian McKnight   Composer,Musician,Producer,Instrumentation,Vocal Arrangement,Instrument Arrangement
Damon Thomas   Composer,Producer
Harvey Mason, Jr.   Composer,Producer
Timothy Mosley   Composer
Tim Roberts   Assistant Engineer
Timbaland   Mixing,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Tommy Vicari   Engineer,String Engineer
David Betancourt   Assistant Engineer
Ethan Willoughby   Assistant Engineer
Harvey Mason, Sr.   Producer
Dave Russell   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Bill Meyers   String Arrangements
Eddie DeLena   Engineer
Gene Thornton   Composer
Jimmy Douglass   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Dabling Harward   Engineer
Dave Pensado   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Herb Powers   Mastering
Arianne Phillips   Stylist
Steve Klein   Photography
Carlos "Storm" Martinez   Assistant Engineer
Mathis   Composer
Steamy   Assistant Engineer
Mary Ann Souza   Assistant Engineer
Paul James   Hair Stylist
Dave "Natural Love" Russell   Mixing,Engineer
Andrew Coleman   Engineer
Marla Weinhoff   Set Design
David Lipman   Creative Director
Jimmy Randolph   Pro-Tools,Digital Editing
Benjamin Wright   String Arrangements
Terrence Thornton   Composer
Chris Wood   Engineer
The Underdogs   Producer,Musician,Producer
Joe Brown   Assistant Engineer
Scott Storch   Composer,Producer,Coordination