Sold Date: May 17, 2017
Start Date: September 6, 2016
Final Price: $37.42 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 45155
Buyer Feedback: 56

Tracks:
Pusher Love Girl
Suit & Tie
Don't Hold the Wall
Strawberry Bubblegum
Tunnel Vision
Spaceship Coupe
That Girl
Let the Groove Get In
Mirrors
Blue Ocean Floor

Performer Notes: 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

Professional Reviews: Entertainment Weekly (p.63) - "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..."

Billboard - "[A] document of growth, crystallized within the medium of classic soul."

Paste (magazine) - "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."

Format: Vinyl (1 Disc)

Country: USA

Studio/Live: Studio

Release Date: 18 March, 2013

Label: RCA