Album Review: Justin Timberlake – Everything I Thought It Was

Nicholas Kobe, Staff Writer

[RCA; 2024]

Rating: 6/10

Pop superstar Justin Timberlake has returned to the musical spotlight for his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was. Despite not releasing a full LP since the critical disaster that was 2018’s Man of the Woods, Timberlake has continued to release news and pop up in headlines, for both better and worse. Oddly enough, 2023 was a year dominated by Timberlake’s past. Namely, the new, alarming details about his relationship with ex-girlfriend Britney Spears in her memoir The Woman in Me, and the release of Trolls: Band Together, which featured the first new track from ‘NSYNC, the band in which he got his start, in over 20 years. With the reassessment of Timberlake’s legacy, both good and bad in 2023, and the lasting sting of Man of the Woods, I’d argue there was more riding on Timberlake on Everything I Thought It Was than most pop stars his age would face.

For fans of Justin, his return to R&B-flavored pop music will feel welcome, it was for me. Undoubtedly, the straightforward catchy, groovy pop cuts on the record are the highlights. These fun lighthearted songs allow him to pull out the strongest hooks and his most charismatic performances.

We see this very clearly in a song like “Flame”, the biggest earworm of the record. It’s based on an aggressively catchy synth line, used very tastefully to enhance the rest of the song, and never overpower it. “My Favorite Drug” shows Timberlake shifting to a more bass-heavy, groovy form of pop, which I have always been partial to. His laid-back, but confident delivery gives the song a cool charm that some later tracks fail to reach.

Not only are the radio-friendly pop moments good but so are some of the more dramatic and sweeping tracks such as “Alone”. The variety of this record makes it a surprisingly smooth listen, even at an hour and seventeen minutes. That’s not to say there aren’t songs that get lost in the shuffle or feel underwhelming. Justin’s leaning toward trap on “Memphis” is about the worst note to open the record on, the stale slow jam of “Technicolor” and “What Lovers Do”, which feels very generic, even with my limited experience with R&B. It’s also worth noting that “Paradise” with ‘NSYNC is one of the record’s stronger cuts. Put that together with last year’s “Better Place” and I think there’s a real argument to be made that a new ‘NSYNC record may have been the better move here, in terms of not only business but quality.

Lyrics are unfortunately the weakest part of this record. The vulnerability Justin alluded to in pre-album interviews isn’t supported as well by the lyrics. There’s an attempt here on songs like “Conditions” and “Alone”, but nothing particularly groundbreaking in the oversaturated world of sad pop ballads. There are plenty of sex jams here, but considering it’s been 15 years since Timberlake brought “SexyBack”, these tracks are a little less hot and singe, and more awkward and cringe.

“Infinity Sex” is probably the worst offender. “How many times? / I stopped keeping score / If I had to guess, infinity sex” is the most jumbled-together and forced lyrics I’ve heard in a while, and his basic sex metaphors and pickup lines throughout the songs aren’t doing him any favors. Even some of the best songs on the LP are so thoroughly “okay” in the lyric department. If you want your pop star introspective, this isn’t the record for you, for me, it’s an annoyance, but not the end of the world.

For the most part, I came away liking Everything I Thought It Was a lot more than I initially thought I would. Upon the second and third listens, I was shocked by how much of this record had stuck with me and how many tracks I consistently enjoyed revisiting. The record has its noticeable holes, in some boring songs and lackluster lyricism, but overall, I have continued to enjoy Everything I Thought It Was a lot, especially compared to other legacy pop acts like Jennifer Lopez and Usher, who to be honest, I haven’t been remotely compelled to listen to.

Timberlake’s new album isn’t going to give him his throne from before I was born, but it proves that he’s still got a creative spark, and can still put together a good record.

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