Mikael Wood | (TNS) Los Angeles Times
It would’ve been strange for Justin Timberlake to start his new album with a sad story about the challenges of fame, especially when he blames it on his strong connection to his Tennessee hometown. This is quite unusual.
However, that's exactly what Timberlake does with the first song, 'Memphis,' in his album 'Everything I Thought It Was,' released over six years after his last album. Over a slow trap beat, the 43-year-old former boy-band star sings about his isolation and sacrifices on his way to fame, which is surprising given recent criticism of Timberlake's treatment of the women in his life, such as Britney Spears and Janet Jackson.
This is also a confusing artistic choice: By linking his struggles to his connection with the African American culture of Memphis, Timberlake seems to be showing off his association with Black culture at a time when white male R&B artists are not as relevant in popular music. This is evident in the declining popularity of artists like Robin Thicke and Justin Bieber's apparent hesitation to return to the R&B scene.
The discussion around this year's Super Bowl halftime performance by Usher focused on the fact that it took a long time for a Black superstar to headline the event, while Timberlake was invited six years ago and was involved in the 2004 incident that negatively impacted Janet Jackson's career.
This doesn't mean Timberlake's love for R&B is inauthentic or that he lacks skill in making R&B music. Despite the album being filled with disco-funk and melancholic pop-rock tracks, 'Everything I Thought It Was' includes a few standout tracks like 'Love & War,' a ballad with a Prince-like sound featuring Timberlake's beautiful falsetto, and the dreamy slow jam 'What Lovers Do.' 'Selfish,' the album's lead single, is also noteworthy, reminiscent of Justin Bieber's underrated 'Changes' from 2020.
Timberlake showcased his passion for music at the Wiltern last week, where he performed a free concert to promote his new music and upcoming world tour. His rendition of the soulful and relaxed 2006 ballad 'Until the End of Time' was impressive, as seen in a recently released NPR Tiny Desk Concert. He also showed genuine excitement when performing a duet with emerging R&B singer Coco Jones on her song 'ICU,' which he described as one of his favorite tracks from the last five years.
Jones wasn't Timberlake's only special guest at the Wiltern; he also reunited with the members of 'N Sync to perform a medley of their classic hits, including 'Gone' and 'Girlfriend.' However, the group also premiered a sentimental new 'N Sync song, 'Paradise,' during the concert.
For most of the almost two decades since the initial breakup of 'N Sync, Timberlake has seemed unsure about a comeback, even skipping a much-talked-about brief appearance by the group during Ariana Grande's performance at Coachella in 2019. However, here, he seemed pleased to have his old friends with him and maybe wanting to go back to a time when his advantages offered endless opportunities.
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