Everything I Thought It Was Review — beachboymusicreviews

Everything I Thought It Was is the sixth studio album by R&B/pop singer, Justin Timberlake, after his last album, Man of the Woods, got pretty negative critical reception, many wondered if this new album would be a comeback for him. I mean, after all, his album FutureSex/LoveSounds was a great 2000s pop album, that produced hits such as “SexyBack,” and “Summer Love.” That’s a lot to live up to, especially when you listen to his 2000s material and notice how great Timbaland’s production was on those albums. So how does this new album stack up in his discography?

We open up the album with the whirly synths on the track, “Memphis,” which talks about fame, I guess? He’s talking about what other people are saying about fame. There’s a trap beat, and the autotune just feels really unnecessary, especially for a talented singer like Justin Timberlake. It’s kind of a melancholy track, and like I get that JT is trying to go for a personal anthem, but this whole lo-fi, trap aesthetic on his track doesn’t really suit him well. And that rap verse was completely unnecessary, we don’t need another “Shake it Off,” moment thank you very much.

We follow that with “Fuckin’ Up the Disco,” which opens with a rapped refrain from JT, which again, why? The instrumental with that EDM synth bass is promising enough, I like the beat. The problem is that Timberlake is a very good singer, I don’t understand why he’s rapping. The autotune on this track is also overdone, and while I like the beat, it doesn’t save this track for failing to meet my expectations. The whole appeal of JT on his earlier albums was his cool guy persona, and sexy lyrics that weren’t too over the top.

After that is the single, “No Angels,” which is another EDM-influenced track, but this one is orchestrated way better. The beat is groovy, with that guitar refrain and the verses are catchy, plus the track doesn’t go on too long, it’s meant to be a club banger and sounds has an old school JT vibe. In addition his voice sounds great on this track, especially with the lack of autotune. “Play,” is a funkier R&B track, which sounds almost like 3121 era Prince. I really like that bass riff, that bass player is absolutely taking it for a walk. I like the vacation theme of the song where he’s singing about “bougie rosé.” I’ll admit I was bopping my head heavily to this song, because it’s a style that suits Justin well. That horn section is also a nice addition.

Following that, is a track that really wasn’t transitioned into well, “Technicolor,” a slow downtempo ballad. It’s a track that is very well produced, by legendary JT collaborator, Timbaland. Justin’s voice absolutely soars over this glossy instrumental. I love the vocal harmonies in the chorus, especially. I also like the positive message of loving your partner for who they are, flaws and all. It’s a bit of a cliche at this point, but it’s always a good message in music. However, it’s also way too long, at 7 minutes and 17 seconds.

“Drown,” another single off the album, has reverb soaked samples with glimmering synth chords, and definitely sounds like it was made for the radio. It’s another pop ballad about heartbreak, but it’s inoffensive. I will say that Justin sounds a lot better on this trap beat than he did earlier in the album. “Liar,” has a bedroom pop vibe similar to something on an Ariana Grande album. The beat goes into the sound of reggaeton song, which caught me off guard. Not a terrible track, but it feels like Justin is trying to appeal to multiple audiences, rather than stick to a style that is authentically him. His singing isn’t the problem, it’s the randomness of this album and the flow that is a problem.

“Infinity Sex,” is a solid track, but once again, the flow of this album is all over the place, so a lot of the tracks don’t flow well together. It’s one of my favorites, as I like the nightclub vibe of the track, and Justin sounds at home on the well orchestrated instrumental produced by Timbaland. “Love & War,” is another ballad with minimalist production, Timberlake’s vocal range is impressive on this track, and it’s not a hit, but it’s one of the better tracks on the album. After that, we get three tracks that go on way too long, each one being over five minutes. “Sanctified,” “My Favorite Drug,” and “Flame.” “Sanctified,” has a hip hop beat and some cool piano instrumentation, as well as fuzzy guitar. It’s a solid track, and I like Tone Nwigwe’s featured rap verse, so it’s one of the highlights for me. “My Favorite Drug,” is an uptempo club track that’s got a sexy vibe to it, but its a track that would’ve benefited from being two minutes shorter, so it’s not one I would recommend. “Flame,” is a snoozer of a track, it’s the longest of the three tracks, and should’ve been 2 and a half minutes long, not 5 minutes and 41 seconds. I do like the production, but the refrain takes up like half of the track. “Imagination,” has a dreamy vibe, as well as a slick bass line and laidback drum rhythm.

The tracks that aren’t overly long keep the listener engaged, which I wish Justin would do more, because it can be frustrating. “What Lovers Do,” sounds like a 2000s era JT track, especially with that R&B beat from Timbaland and the beautiful harmonizing vocals from Justin. It’s another sexy sounding track, and showcases his vocal range, so it’s a highlight, even if the refrain goes on too long. “Selfish,” has a lo-fi sounding instrumental with a pleasant electric piano over the bare bones pattern from the drum machine. It’s another single off the album, and I can see why. Timberlake sounds comfortable on it, and it’s a track where he admits to being selfish and wanting a girl all to himself, not exactly reinventing the wheel but it’s a decent track. Once again, the transition does not mesh well, into the piano/violin ballad, “Alone.” The falsetto vocals are beautiful, but I feel like I’ve already heard the same heartbreak track already, it’s not really covering new ground. The lack of percussion makes sense given the vibe of the track, but I’ve heard better songs about heartbreak, this one feels like a track that should’ve been left off the album. The second to last track, Paradise, which features *NSYNC, Justin’s boy band from the 90s and early 2000s, feels like nostalgia bait. The vocals, like on the other tracks, are the strong points of the album, but a lot of these tracks feel like filler, and don’t really grab my attention, as someone who heavily enjoyed JT’s 2000s work. Finally, we have the last track, “Conditions,” which has a relaxing guitar instrumental over a trap beat, and the vocal melody is pleasant, but again, I feel like I’ve already heard this track earlier on in the album. Not a bad closing track to an album, but very mid.

Justin Timberlake is an iconic pop singer, and I really enjoyed his early work, in addition, The 20/20 Experience, was a solid album, so I had somewhat high expectations for this record. Those expectations were sadly, not met, as there were some highlights and promising moments on this album, but the track transitions and lack of a cohesive sound, are a big problem with this album. Justin’s got an amazing voice, but he did the same thing he did on his last album, Man of the Woods. That being, trying to do every genre all at once, instead of just sticking to his signature R&B/pop sound. There’s too many things happening, we go from a nightclub dance track to a piano ballad, and it bothers me. Those are two very different sounds that don’t mesh together well. In conclusion, it’s better than Man of the Woods, but thats a pretty low bar. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the album as much as I thought I would.