Man of the Woods

AlbumFeb 02 / 201816 songs, 1h 6m 3s
Contemporary R&B Pop
Popular

With hints of Americana and help from Chris Stapleton, the pop superstar enters a new chapter. Dually inspired by his Tennessee roots and growing family—Timberlake\'s son, Silas, was born in 2015—*Man of the Woods* imbues his signature R&B grooves with harmonica and fiddle. It’s a bold move, but he never drifts too far from home. \"The Hard Stuff” and Stapleton collaboration “Say Something” are pop-rock ballads with flickers of Nashville, while the Timbaland-assisted “Filthy” and The Neptunes-produced “Higher Higher” are natural continuations of his beat-minded classics (think: “SexyBack” and “Suit & Tie”). The standout? “Morning Light,” a neo-soul duet with Alicia Keys that’s so textured and expressive, it makes you wonder if there’s anything JT can’t do.

634

3.8 / 10

Justin Timberlake’s fifth album is a huge misstep for the pop star. It is warm, indulgent, inert, and vacuous.

D+

On Man Of The Woods, Justin Timberlake offers up uneven pop pastiches

3 / 10

New releases, reviewed by our exports

Our take on pop icon Justin Timberlake's fifth album 'Man of the Woods,' which includes some of his most exploratory, genre-defiant music in more than a decade.

The 'Filthy' singer returns to what he knows, but perhaps it's not what you'd expect

After some time to truly digest Timberlake's woeful fifth album, we take a closer look at Man of the Woods.

5 / 10

Man of the Woods

4 / 10

“Y’all can’t do better than this,” proclaims the opening line from ‘Midnight Summer Jam’, the second track on Justin

(RCA)

Timberlake is more comfortable with airbrushed blue-eyed soul than with anything involving a pedal steel.

3 / 10

3.0 / 10

Review of Justin Timberlake's new LP is an abject failure, a hilariously inept attempt at authenticity and reinvention. It's too boring to be enjoyably bad.

He’s melded the country and western and southern rock of his native Tennessee with latter-day R&B – and it’s hard not to be impressed

25 %

Quite possibly the worst statement by a major pop star this decade.

Album Reviews: Justin Timberlake - Man Of The Woods

2.0 / 5

Justin Timberlake - Man of the Woods review: I'm up in the woods - I'm all outta style

For his fifth studio album, Justin Timberlake has ditched the slick suits and replaced them with shaved head, scruffy beard, beanie hat and a range of baggy checked shirts.