Hot off his hosting gig this past weekend on SNL, Justin Timberlake launched an online stream of his new album “The 20/20 Experience” today on ITunes. The album is scheduled to hit retail on March 19. Reviews of “The 20/20 Experience” are so far coming in mixed.
Rolling Stone said, “It has more in common with D’Angelo and Maxwell than Usher or Bieber.”
“The 20/20 Experience showcases Timberlake’s impressive vocal stylings and the songs are expansive, employing creative and experimental musical progressions," stated the Daily Beast.
Entertainment Weekly was not so kind in their review. The magazine claims, “The songs are a little too slow, too long, too lacking in the flashy tap-dance energy that made him a giant success when he was 23.”
After personally listening to "The 20/20 Experience" in its entirety I would definitely say that it is different. Fans expecting a retread of Justin’s past albums will be very disappointed. The songs “Tunnel Vision” and “Let the Groove Get In” are pretty much the only escapes back into the dance pop era of Timberlake’s music, and excellent escapes they are. The remaining tracks might best be classified as futuristic R&B.
It remains to be seen if Justin’s new album will be deemed too experimental for the mainstream music consumer to appreciate, but industry watchers are expecting “The 20/20 Experience” to move at least half a million copies in its first week of sales. Timberlake has also announced a US tour this summer with Jay-Z in support of the album.
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