Everything I Thought It Was

AlbumMar 15 / 202418 songs, 1h 17m 3s
Contemporary R&B Pop
Popular

A lot happened in the six years between Justin Timberlake’s last studio album, 2018’s *Man of the Woods*, and *Everything I Thought It Was*. After a world-changing pandemic, the pop star appeared in films, hopped on numerous collaborations (Jung Kook, Coco Jones, and Jack Harlow among them), and reunited at long last with his fellow \*NSYNC members for the *Trolls Band Together* soundtrack. With *Everything I Thought It Was*, Timberlake is back to creating for himself. “I think there are moments that are incredibly honest,” he tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “But also, there’s a lot of fucking fun on this album.” As *Man of the Woods* was a tribute to Timberlake’s family and Tennessee roots, *Everything I Thought It Was* is a homecoming in its own way. Opening track “Memphis” is a pensive reflection on his hometown and the pressures of doing it proud: “You’re the one that’s chosen to make it out/Gotta seize the moment, don’t let us down.” He revisits his boy-band days with yet another new \*NSYNC team-up, “Paradise,” whose simple guitar melodies highlight the quintet’s harmonies in all their timeless splendor. With help from producers including Calvin Harris and longtime collaborators Timbaland and Danja, *Everything I Thought It Was* is Timberlake’s return to peak pop-R&B form and a credible sequel to his club-influenced 2006 LP *FutureSex/LoveSounds*. Beyond the breakup ballads (“Drown”) and syrupy seductions (“Play”), the album glides across the dance floor with hip-grinding electro-R&B (“What Lovers Do”), Afrobeats (“Liar” featuring Fireboy DML), and sweat-slicked disco grooves, occasionally throwing curveballs with beat switches (“My Favorite Drug”) and delivering a modern-day “Rock Your Body” in “F\*\*\*\*n’ Up the Disco.” “I think that\'s where I came up with the album title,” Timberlake says. “I was playing it for people around me. They\'re like, ‘Oh, this sounds like everything we know you for.’ And then another friend of mine was like, ‘Oh, this sounds like everything I thought I wanted from you.’ It was like that sort of phrase, in one way or another, was in the air.”

273

4.9 / 10

The pop star’s latest is less of a faceplant than a comfortable rehash of past glories. He scales his stuttering electro and squelchy ’80s funk into hollow, expensive-sounding maximalism.

4 / 10

On his first album since 2018, Justin Timberlake tries to recreate the magic of his past albums, but can’t quite pull it off

This album makes me want to enrol in a nunnery immediately

Pop star’s first album in six years is a real slog, bogged down with bloated R&B slow jams

6 / 10

Justin Timberlake is an undeniable pop icon, but the singer’s halo has taken a bruising of late. Viewed from a fresh vantage point, his behaviour during

Justin Timberlake's ‘Everything I Thought I Was’ delivers a sound that’s devoid of a distinct artistic identity.

Painted as a villain following Janet Jackson and Britney Spears controversies, the pop-R&B megastar gets back to brass tacks – and bed-rattling

Album Reviews: Justin Timberlake - Everything I Thought It Was

2.0 / 5

Justin Timberlake - Everything I Thought It Was review: I thought it was bad.

Timberlake’s reputation has taken a beating of late, but that hasn’t stopped him confidently returning to his signature, seductive pop