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Track Listing:

1) Senorita
2) Like I Love You w/Clipse
3) (Oh No) What You Got
4) Take It From Here
5) Cry Me A River
6) Rock Your Body
7) Nothin' Else
8) Last Night
9) Still On My Brain
10) (And She Said) Take Me Now w/Janet Jackson
11) Right For Me w/Bubba Sparxx
12) Let's Take A Ride
13) Never Again

James' Top 5

1) Take It From Here
2)(Oh No) What You Got
3) Cry Me A River
4) Last Night
5) Like I Love You w/Clipse


The "Justifier?"   November 15, 2002
 38 out of 47 found this review helpful

The next Michael. The next Elvis, even (I'm not so sure about that one, Brian McKnight). The next "King of Pop." They say he has all the ingredients - the looks, charm, personality, moves (damn...a white boy can dance like that?), and voice (damn...a white boy can sing like that too??). Seriously though...is Justin Timberlake the answer?

Well, if the buzz surrounding Justified is any indication, Justin is indeed all that and a bag of chips. We already know the girls love him. The guys are coming around also, bedgrudingly bumpin' along with his new club-flavored fare. The critics have jumped on the bandwagon as well - Rolling Stone, which is known for its distaste of pop music in general, gave the much ballyhooed album a four-star rating (out of five).

Admittedly, I too, got sucked into the hype and picked up a copy. And although I haven't bought into the legend-in-the-making notion just yet, I'm not the least bit shy about giving JT his due props for Justified.

Ray's Rants & Raves: If you're some blond, pig-tailed high-schooler expecting to hear a bunch of Max Martin-crafted "Bye Bye Bye" clones, you are NOT going to be happy with this record -Justified is almost exclusively geared towards the urban (yet mainstream) markets. But then again, you already knew that with the Neptunes and Timbaland handling most of the production, right? ;)

Timberlake's departure from `Nsync-like poppyness is evident right off the bat, as the CD starts off with the slinky "Senorita" and the now-ubiquitous "Like I Love You." Are they mainstream? Yes. Sickeningly-sweet, boyband pop? No. They are choice combinations of lite hip-hop and R&B, sprinkled with just the right amount of organic ingredients to give it that "live" feel. The Neptunes' trademark stamps - wicked drum beats, blazing horns, staccato keys, and plucky string arrangements, just to name a few - are evident all over these two cuts, as they are on the breezy "Let's Take A Ride" and retro boogie romp "Rock Your Body."

Not to be outdone, Timbaland ups the ante with his contributions. He unleashes his one-of-a-kind sonic mastery on tracks like the exotically off-kilter "(Oh No) What You Got" and hypnotic "Cry Me A River," the latter of which has bonafide smash written all over it. The booming bass and electronic weirdness continue with "(And She Said) Take Me Now" and "Right For Me," although Top 40 pop enthusiasts will probably need a few extra listens before they can fully enjoy the results.

The production itself is top-notch; the ups-and-downs come in when JT enters the musical equation. The lyrics (almost all of which are Timberlake-penned) are disappointingly bland, fitting only two themes: either "girl-you-done-did-me-wrong-and-I-hate-you" or "girl-you-look-fly-let's-leave-and-get-it-on." Not to say that the material never works. You have your highs - Justin pining away with the best of `em on the Stevie Wonder-esque "Nothin' Else"; the fragile realness of "Never Again" (okay, it's obvious Britney did SOMETHING bad); the impressive dose of buttery-smooth, chocolate soul on "Still On My Brain"; and positively buoyant performances on many of the aforementioned Neptunes/Timbaland joints. Then you have your lows - such as the ho-hum/blah ballad "Take It From Here" filled with elementary, yawn-inducing rhymes ("I wanna be your sky/so blue and high/and every time you think of me, I wanna blow your mind"). Timberlake's supple vocals flit and flutter through the notes, going anywhere from a growling, southern drawl to a warbling falsetto, evoking spitting images of some guy named Michael that its downright scary at times. Critics, peers (i.e., India.Arie, Alicia Keys, among others), and fans (including myself) have always praised JT's singing ability, but it's as if Justified put all of his vocal shortcomings under a microscope. When listening to the album, you can't help but wonder what the material would be like if it was performed by someone with a stronger set of lungs.

Ray's Rank: 3 / 5 stars: What if? That's the question that keeps entering my mind after listening to Justified. What if Justin had delved into some different material? What if the production had been a little different? What if the lyrics had been more powerful and hard-hitting? What if he had sung things a different way? As it stands, Justin Timberlake's debut is very good. Solid. Definitely fun to listen to. Worth your hard-earned [cash]bucks. I think I see some untapped potential there, though. Or do I? Something just seems a little off, yet I can't quite put my finger on it. In any case, we'll just have to wait and see how things pan out - for Justified and the "Justifier" himself.


Pop has now been Justified.   November 6, 2002
 34 out of 47 found this review helpful

Justin Timberlake, while I don't like him as a person (I'm on Brit's side), I must admit, this album is...well, for lack of a better word, FUN!!!! The tracks (well most of them) make you want to shake your ... big time. I just got it today and I LOVE it!

1. Senorita (Ft. Pharell Williams) (7/10) - I couldn't help but think of this track as nothing more than a joke or an intro. I mean, it seems like a real song up until about 3/4 into it...If you heard it you'd know what I mean. The beat is kind of plain, and it has awkward instrument choices. It's not bad though. The chorus is definately the highlight.

2. Like I Love You (Ft. Clipse) (10/10) - You've all heard this song. It's the first single off of Justified. Upbeat, sexy, fun, so many words describe this great song. It's definately one of the best dance tracks on here. And as you'll see, the only song with the possibility of commercial appeal as a first single. It was a good call to make this the first single.

3. (Oh No) What You Got? (Ft. Timbaland) (10/10) - Oh my [goodness]! I love this song! Timbaland sings in it. It's got a really cool exotic beat to it, the kind Timbaland is famous for. The lyrics are also...well..interesting. It's most likely going to be a single. If it isn't --- Justin is CRAZY!!!

4. I'll Take It From Here (5/10) - Can you say out of place?? It's a country love ballad. I'm still trying to figure out why this was put on here...x.x...

5. Cry Me A River (ft. Timbaland) (10/10) - AHHH!!! :D!!!! This song is so GOOD!!!! I hate the lyrics though, they are directed (with malice) towards Britney. It's the second single. ... It's a great uptempo ballad.

6. Rock Your Body (9/10) - This song is a funk style song. The beat is a bit repetitive, but it's a pretty ... good song. The name kind of turned me off and gave me bad impressions. But this is a good dancing track!!!

7. Nothin' Else (9/10) - Well this is an unusual song coming from the Neptunes...It's good though. It's like a ballad, but it's not really, and it's upbeat...Weird. Undefinable. The singing and beat is really eerie...

8. Last Night (9/10) - Another Neptunes track...:D GOOD!!! I love The Neptunes. This song is really fun, and the bridge near the end sounds a LOT like the bridge from the original version of Britney's "Boys". Great song.

9. Still On My Brain (8/10) - A weird piano ballad, but it's a good one. I didn't really expect much from this song when I found out it's a ballad. It's bluesy and laid back, great song to listen to while relaxing. It gets an 8 because it's rather out of place...

10. (And She Said) Take Me Now (Ft. Janet Jackson) (10/10) - This song is COOL!!! I wish Janet sang more in it. She only sings a sentence or two in the beginning. Other than that, it's a good song. Definately funk influence. The chorus is really cool. I couldn't help but think the last two minutes were filler time.

11. Right For Me (ft. Bubba Sparxxx) (7/10) - Didn't Bubba fade :P?....This song is really weird. I don't like it much. The only instruments are Justin's voice, clapping and drums. It's, as I said, weird. The verses kind of scare me.

12. Let's Take A Ride (4/10) - AHHH! This song is so [bad]! It comes from the Neptunes too...oh well, everyone has their moments....

13. Never Again (9/10) - Oh [gosh] another balla----wait a minute, Brian McKnight...? This is worth a listen...hey! This is pretty ... good! It's a great way to close the CD, and is the best of the three ballads on here.

What Ever Happened To....
Why When How? - I liked Why When How...It should have been on the CD
Worthy Of - It was a pretty good song. Not the best, but it's CD worthy.
Love Don't Love Me - HEY!!! This song was COOL!!!!! Why did they get rid of it!?!?!


Just in time!   December 30, 2002
 30 out of 37 found this review helpful

So, it's Justin's first solo album and being a member of boyband `Nsync, there would always be prejudices about what type of album he may be able to come out with.
Moving from r&b to hip-hop back and forth, the production is sublime. Justin shows he's got soul and a capable voice to make a great solo artist. His falsetto may be overused in some tracks, but he uses it wisely in most of the songs.
Musically, "Justified" is a surprise, specially if you were used to listening to N'sync. There's no "Pop", "Tell me...tell me, baby" or "Bye bye bye" in here. No Max Martin or Rami this time around, just the fantastic Neptunes, Timbaland and Brian McKnight.
Ballads such as "Take it from here", "Never again" and "Cry me a river" show Justin excels in that territory not only as a singer but as a writer as well.
The most up-beat track "Rock your body" is also excellent and instantly catchy. He tries his known beatboxing and success in making it an irresistible song.
Another standout, besides the well-known first single "Like I love you", is "Let's take a ride" a mid-tempo r&b song which sounds quite different to everything else and will have you singing for days, just like first song "Senorita" specially when guys get to sing a line and the ladies answer back, being Justin ( and his falsetto) the lead for both.
Guests include Janet Jackson, Bubba Sparxxx, Pharrell Williams and Clipse.
"Justified" excels in many aspects. By purchasing this you will get a great hip-hop album, which consolidates Timberlake as an artist and not just Britney's ex or an N'sync member. This is definitely the best solo debut of the year.