FutureSex/LoveSounds (Deluxe Edition)

iTunes Review

If Justin Timberlake’s second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds isn’t quite the revolutionary pop breakthrough he’s touted, it’s still an ambitious and immensely entertaining listen. Continuing his collaboration with Timbaland from Justified, Timberlake again displays his understanding of rhythm even when the tempo slows. But as neatly constructed as, say, the ballad “What Goes Around” and its overdubbed chorus of Justins is, it’s the dance music that makes the first impression here. The point of the disc’s initial single isn’t the boast that Timberlake is bringing “SexyBack” – it’s that the track is strong enough to back up the conceit and allow the possibility that he knows just how silly the claim sounds. Synth sounds borrowed from 1999-era Prince and canny rap usages (the Three 6 Mafia cameo on “Chop Me Up,” for instance) are deployed for maximum effect. By the time you’ve absorbed them, you’ll be noticing how they’re only part of the record’s wide aural palette. It’s one that ultimately implies a, er, future of many happy listens.