グラミー6冠、そしてエミー2冠の受賞歴を誇るミュージシャン、ハリウッド俳優、実業家と様々な顔を持つアメリカ・エンターテインメント界きってのスーパー・エンターテイナー=ジャスティン・ティンバーレイク。1000万枚を超える大ヒットを記録した前作『フューチャー・セックス/ラヴ・サウンズ』(2006年作・全米1位)のリリース後、音楽活動と平行して行っていた俳優業も完全に軌道に乗り、音楽から映画へ重点をシフトしていたジャスティンが、7年ぶりに音楽界にカムバック!! 先行で配信されたニュー・シングル『スーツ・アンド・タイ feat. ジェイ・Z』は7年ぶりにティンバランドとの黄金コンビで制作され、ジャスティンのスタリッシュなファルセット・ヴォイスにジェイ・Zのラップが絶妙に絡むグルーヴィーでソウルフルなR&Bトラック。全くの事前告知もなく1月14日深夜に発表されたこのシングルは、世界31カ国のiTunesチャートで1位を獲得し、彼の復帰の衝撃の大きさと期待値を物語る記録になっている。
発売・販売元 提供資料(2013/02/21)
Entertainment Weekly - "His basic sound adheres to the JT formula: golden falsetto, electro-R&B grooves, Motown horns, and other retro glitz....The real thrills are in the details..."
Paste - "Like FUTURESEX before it, the deceptively weird The 20/20 EXPERIENCE works best as an immersive sonic journey -- a headphones album for an earbud generation."
Billboard - "[A] document of growth, crystallized within the medium of classic soul."
Rovi
Once Justin Timberlake finished touring in support of FutureSex/LoveSounds, music making slid to the side as acting, endorsing, investing, and talent grooming took precedence. The few appearances from 2007 through 2012 -- through collaborations with Madonna, Duran Duran, 50 Cent, Ciara, and new jack ballad mode Lonely Island, often in partnership with Timbaland -- confirmed that the cutting edge was not his concern. Aligning with the Neptunes in 2002 and with Timbaland in 2006 were not bold creative risks either, but working with Timbaland once more makes it plain that Timberlake wanted to remain within his comfort zone. Along with co-producer Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon and fellow songwriter James Fauntleroy, the Tims have made a refined and distended follow-up to FutureSex/LoveSounds. Seventy minutes in duration, it's only four minutes longer but contains two fewer songs. Opener "Pusher Love Girl" sets the tone for the program; the first three of its eight minutes would make for an elegant sweet-soul introduction. "Strawberry Bubblegum" recalls a time when groups like the S.O.S. Band and 52nd Street released extended mixes of club ballads, though the bottom isn't as thick, and it comes with three bonus minutes of Sly Stone-style rhythm box that facilitates more metaphorical macking. "Let the Groove Get In," something like a modernized hybrid of Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Starting Something" and Lionel Richie's "All Night Long," is undeniably festive. The relatively raw soul throwback "That Girl" adds a slight Southern touch and does not wander. "Suit & Tie," a lighthearted and goofily dashing throwback, serves the same flirty dancefloor purpose as "Rock Your Body," drawing from early- to mid-'70s soul instead of late-'70s disco-funk. Timberlake referred to the song, the lead single, as "just the wink." It's far from the only one here -- a pleasant and grown-up release from a charismatic entertainer. ~ Andy Kellman|
Rovi
Once Justin Timberlake finished touring in support of FutureSex/LoveSounds, music making slid to the side as acting, endorsing, investing, and talent grooming took precedence. The few appearances from 2007 through 2012 -- through collaborations with Madonna, Duran Duran, 50 Cent, Ciara, and new jack ballad mode Lonely Island, often in partnership with Timbaland -- confirmed that the cutting edge was not his concern. Aligning with the Neptunes in 2002 and with Timbaland in 2006 were not bold creative risks either, but working with Timbaland once more makes it plain that Timberlake wanted to remain within his comfort zone. Along with co-producer Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon and fellow songwriter James Fauntleroy, the Tims have made a refined and distended follow-up to FutureSex/LoveSounds. Seventy minutes in duration, it's only four minutes longer but contains two fewer songs. Opener "Pusher Love Girl" sets the tone for the program; the first three of its eight minutes would make for an elegant sweet-soul introduction. "Strawberry Bubblegum" recalls a time when groups like the S.O.S. Band and 52nd Street released extended mixes of club ballads, though the bottom isn't as thick, and it comes with three bonus minutes of Sly Stone-style rhythm box that facilitates more metaphorical macking. "Let the Groove Get In," something like a modernized hybrid of Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Starting Something" and Lionel Richie's "All Night Long," is undeniably festive. The relatively raw soul throwback "That Girl" adds a slight Southern touch and does not wander. "Suit & Tie," a lighthearted and goofily dashing throwback, serves the same flirty dancefloor purpose as "Rock Your Body," drawing from early- to mid-'70s soul instead of late-'70s disco-funk. Timberlake referred to the song, the lead single, as "just the wink." It's far from the only one here -- a pleasant and grown-up release from a charismatic entertainer. ~ Andy Kellman
Rovi
見えざる統一ルールのようなものがあるとして、その上で覇を競い合う様子もエキサイティングだが、たまにルールブックを勝手に書き換えようとする奴が出てくるから、この15年ほどのUSメインストリーム・ポップはおもしろい。ジャスティンもティンバランドもずっとそうしてきて、いままたそうしようとしている。善し悪しの話じゃないが、"Suit & Tie"のあつらえた音像は、ドラッギーな音色に慣らされた耳にも薫り高いアルコールのように響くものだったはずだ。中盤のスウィートでスティッキーなソウル・パートに辿り着く頃には、多くの大人(年齢の話ではない)が成熟した酔いを経験することだろう。決定的なヒットに恵まれていないティンバにとっても起死回生の一撃となるだろうが、それより何より圧倒的な傑作!
bounce (C)轟ひろみ
タワーレコード(vol.353(2013年3月25日発行号)掲載)