Album of the Week: FutureSex/LoveSounds

Continuing the trend of pop albums that shaped my youth, Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds is an album of evolution a la Britney's Britney album or Christina's Stripped. Not quite sure why Justin waited 5 years after his peers, but I will admit he did it much better.

Unlike his first album, Justified, which merely capitalized on the sounds that made N*sync so ridiculously famous, FutureSex/LoveSounds really show who Timberlake was as an artist and as a person. He was no long that hot kid from the popular boyband. He was Justin Timberlake, a contender for the King of Pop Crown.

It all started with "I'm bringing sexy back." Call it his catch phrase. It really caught on and was a completely accurate representations of his image. He didn't return to music as that cute boy that girls were screaming over. He came back a sex symbol with more vivid lyrics, a hot boy, a gorgeous face and dance moves that made Usher shake in his boots. Essentially, a large part of what made this album so successful was that it had Timberlake attached to it and he was making the world fall in love with him all over again and for different reasons. This album established him as a solo artist.

Image aside, the album is still pretty fucking fantastic. There is literally not one bad track. Not one filler track. Not one weak track. The production is absolutely flawless and pretty diverse. Songs like "Chop Me Up" really explored Timberlake's upbringing from heavily urban influenced music in Memphis. Others like "Love Stoned" and "My Love" really do a great job of fusing the current Top 40 sound with something that was fresh that no one can really quite put their finger on. It almost makes the album difficult to listen to at first, but it's addictive and the more you listen to it the more you love it. It took me months to appreciate it, but now I consider it one of the greater pop albums of the decade.

There really isn't much more to say. This is an album that let's the music speak for itself. The added music videos and sexy Timberlake were just fantastic additions.

Buy It.

1. FutureSex/LoveSounds
2. Sexyback
3. Sexy Ladies
4. My Love
5. LoveStoned
6. What Goes Around...
7. Chop Me Up
8. Damn Girl
9. Summer Love
10. Until the End of Time
11. Losing My Way
12. (Another Song) All Over Again
13. Pose [UK Bonus]