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The Rotunda
Thursday, May 15, 2025

Justin Timberlake: 'The 20/20 Experience' ... Part One?

After nearly seven years, Justin Timberlake has decided to grace us with his falsetto tones once again. His new album, “The 20/20 Experience,” has been released with 10 very elongated tracks. Included on the album is his song “Suit and Tie,” which I’m sure anyone with functioning ears is familiar with by now.

Despite “Suit and Tie” already being a lengthy five-and-a-half minutes long, it’s the second shortest song on the album following his four- minute track “That Girl.” The rest of the album consists of seven to eight- minute songs, yet each beat flows into the next with a relaxed cadence that will keep you from skipping through the songs out of boredom.

Throughout many of his tracks, Timberlake invokes fresh beats using drums and brass instrumentals, graciously lacking the synthetic pop style that’s almost becoming customary of every artist in this genre. His style for the album shows that he has no worries of being a chart topper, he’s already relevant enough, but rather that he cares about the quality of the music he’s creating.

The potential for true hits lies in his songs “Don’t Hold The Wall,” “Spaceship Coupe” and “Pusher Love Girl.” However, most radio stations are too scared to play a song that lasts double the usual time.

In “Pusher Love Girl,” Timberlake sings, “pusher love, you’re my drug, roll me up, ‘cause all I want is you,” reviving the classic drug addiction metaphor we’ve heard so many times before, yet still managing to make it sound fresh, new and sexy.

The emotion found in the album also sets it apart from those artists that sing of heartache. Timberlake uniquely chooses to express his contentedness and absolute adoration for his wife and their happy marriage. His songs “That Girl” and “Mirrors” blatantly display his love for his wife, Jessica Biel, with the lyrics, “I’m in love with that girl and she already told me that she’s in love with me” and “you are the love of my life, baby, you are the inspiration for this song.” Each song sets a sensual mood of a deep romance and true bliss found in a soulmate.

We’re reminded that the boy- band days are a thing of the past with his song “Strawberry Bubblegum,”where Timberlake uses the pop title to contrast the maturity of the love song. Timberlake seems to have made this album, not for the number ones, but rather to express all the love he can manage into his eight-minute ballads. He’s giving a better reputation to the genre of pop music whether it is his intention to or not.

It’s been revealed that Justin Timberlake still has more on the way with a companion record to “The 20/20 Experience” possibly being released in November of this year, but so far there is no definite confirmed date for release. 10 tracks now and 10 tracks later would make 20 ... hence the 20/20. It all makes sense now, right? We’re sure part two will be just as heart melting and just as long.

Rating: 3.8/5