Man Of The Woods hasn't exactly gotten a warm reception. Justin Timberlake's fifth studio album, billed as a venture to find his Memphis musical roots, has given way to the harshest reviews of the songwriter's career. While the album is something of a departure in its injection of country guitars into JT's futuristic funk-pop formula, the credits list is mostly populated by familiar faces; namely The Neptunes and Timbaland. Unfortunately, the talented pool of collaborators can't seem to make the rootsy rebrand work, but there are moments that hint at what could have been. "Midnight Summer Jam," the album's second track, bears the fingerprints of Pharrell, both in its funky guitar line and its falsetto coos. The rising interjections of fiddles are one of the best efforts to approach country on the project, but otherwise this is a pretty classic JT groove that doesn't feel the need to change directions unnecessarily like much of The 20/20 Experience.
Timberlake will perform at this Sunday's Super Bowl Halftime Show, where he will undoubtedly perform some of his new material alongside his many past hits. Listen to Man Of The Woods in full here.
Quotable Lyrics:
It's in the air, hospitality
Anything you want
What's mine is yours
But don't you worry about the way I talk, woo
It's where I'm from
Come and get you some, uh
Hey, all of the locals are happy
To get out and meet a new face
We dance in circles, on and on
Dosey-do and then we sway
Even the old folks'll come out and rock
And we just hopin' the music don't stop 'til the next day