Zinc.
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Post by Zinc. on Mar 3, 2024 20:26:26 GMT -5
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Mar 4, 2024 14:21:00 GMT -5
FUTD sounds like classic JT. He's also released teasers for Memphis, No Angels, and now Play. All of those give me Justified x FS/LS vibes, which is very nice. Even though I am a MOTW fan, I feel like this album is definitely a return to form.
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Zinc.
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Post by Zinc. on Mar 4, 2024 15:58:25 GMT -5
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Juan Carlos
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Post by Juan Carlos on Mar 4, 2024 17:58:38 GMT -5
Calvin Harris produced Fuckin' Up The Disco and No Angels. The king of Scots. ^_^ No Angels is gonna be the focus. comes with a video. Hopefully this means that this will be the second single of the album and the reason why this was pushed back until the album's release date.
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Post by Active Aggressive on Mar 4, 2024 19:45:42 GMT -5
Fuck. When I apply Selfish (except for the part about lips and the phone I guess, LOL) to my dog as a love song, it makes me cry. What a beautifully written song and melody.
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Post by Active Aggressive on Mar 5, 2024 0:39:45 GMT -5
Tiny Desk concert incoming.
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sportytheartist
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Post by sportytheartist on Mar 6, 2024 5:18:41 GMT -5
From nearly 2 weeks ago.
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Maximillian
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Post by Maximillian on Mar 6, 2024 12:09:52 GMT -5
I have to say, I am more and more excited for this album. I was expecting something mid, but it’s shaping up to be an excellent return for him.
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Mar 6, 2024 15:05:59 GMT -5
He dropped a teaser for Liar and...it's the first one I have heard so far that I would consider skip-worthy. As he said in his one-word association game, it's definitely "vibes," but I am kinda done with the appropriation of Afro-Beat and watering it down for mass consumption. It's not TERRIBLE and he sounds good, but...idk. Still excited for the album though. I can't believe it's dropping next week.
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Post by Active Aggressive on Mar 7, 2024 12:49:24 GMT -5
We have now heard clips or, in some cases, full songs, from all but: 11. My Favorite Drug 12. Flame 13. Imagination 14. What Lovers Do 16. Alone 17. Paradise (featuring *NSYNC) 18. Conditions
This is shaping up to be one of his strongest albums easily. In a world where so many artists are strangely unable to accurately articulate the sound of their albums, it seems like Justin has nailed his description. MOTW is found wandering the woods without a home, while every other era is represented here. I feel he is leaning heavily on FS/LS and 20/20, but hey, a re-tread worked well for J. Lo sonically and I believe the same will be said for Justin, when all is said and done.
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carriekins
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Post by carriekins on Mar 7, 2024 13:16:43 GMT -5
This is shaping up to be one of his strongest albums easily. In a world where so many artists are strangely unable to accurately articulate the sound of their albums, it seems like Justin has nailed his description. MOTW is found wandering the woods without a home, while every other era is represented here. I feel he is leaning heavily on FS/LS and 20/20, but hey, a re-tread worked well for J. Lo sonically and I believe the same will be said for Justin, when all is said and done. I watched an interview with Lance Bass from NSync and I realize his opinion is probably a bit biased, but he said it was 'spectacular' and does a good job encompassing all of Justin's 'eras' and he thinks people are going to be pumped. He also said Paradise is a true NSync song and one of his favorites they've ever recorded. It was not planned, they finished Better Place and Justin was like "hey what about this one?" and they all jumped on it. Lance's mom cried when she heard it, lol.
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Post by Active Aggressive on Mar 7, 2024 14:05:01 GMT -5
I saw Lance's interview and yeah, he is only going to say positive things about Justin, especially because he is on Justin's album for the first time, but...he's not lying, based on what we have heard.
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Juan Carlos
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Post by Juan Carlos on Mar 9, 2024 10:18:34 GMT -5
Teaser of "No Angels" music video.
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George
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Post by George on Mar 13, 2024 18:42:23 GMT -5
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Post by Ezekiel 23:20–21 on Mar 14, 2024 23:24:34 GMT -5
out now
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carriekins
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Post by carriekins on Mar 15, 2024 11:02:02 GMT -5
I've listened up to My Favorite Drug (on Flame now) and I am really, really enjoying this album. Definitely sounds like... basically everything he's done but updated (so Lance wasn't wrong, haha). Kinda bummed the critics don't seem to agree (Billboard's write up was positive but not included on metacritic since it wasn't an official review I guess), but anecdotally, my social media feeds are all loving it.
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sportytheartist
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Post by sportytheartist on Mar 15, 2024 13:02:52 GMT -5
{SETLIST:} 1. Señorita 2. Rock Your Body 3. Pusher Love Girl 4. Until The End Of Time 5. Selfish 6. What Goes Around… Comes Around 7. SexyBack
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elementd5
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Post by elementd5 on Mar 15, 2024 13:14:47 GMT -5
No Angels, Drown, Selfish, Liar, Imagination, & What Lover’s Do stood out the most to me on first listen. Especially, What Lover’s Do = easily my favorite.
This is a very experimental album and doesn’t have the commercial Pop / R&B tones of his first four albums. Not sure how I feel about that.
The rap / signing absolutely doesn’t work for him anymore, though. That was just awful to listen through.
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Mar 15, 2024 13:54:24 GMT -5
Experimental? Really? This is so straight-forward to me. Thankfully he dropped that artistic overreach that's proven to be embarrassing more often than not in the back-half of his career.
This is a big improvement over his last two albums. And the good news, Timbaland redeemed himself after his stinky work on the last two ("Technicolor" and "What Lover's Do" might be my highlights). There's nothing particularly original here, but he's comfortably playing in his wheelhouse. It's definitely bloated, I'd probably cut the following... "Memphis," such a dud opener and that rap, NO. "Sanctified" is a misfire, you're not that girl JT. "Liar" is a twee attempt at afrobeats, not necessary. And the melody and lyrics of "Conditions" annoy me. Move "Alone" to album closer and I think that fixes it for me. Now you get a fairly typical Justin album, ignore the lyrics, enjoy the grooves and the sparkle.
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Post by Active Aggressive on Mar 15, 2024 14:36:46 GMT -5
*AAAAHs in frustrated Lana at the beginning of The Grants* LOVERS LOLOL. Sorry, I couldn't resist. While I'm surprised that his official store kept its promise of shipping on delivery day (actually, it started the shipping process 3 days early), I broke down and ordered the CD of this because I wanted to hear it tonight. My vinyl box set arrives Thursday and I can't wait til then (plus my buddy arrives that day for the weekend, so I will be focused on other stuff.) To ease the pain of owning the album in two different formats (I think Taylor is the only artist I have done that for with her recent material), I only had to pay $4.50 for the CD from Amazon - plus, I will be able to play it on my computer and my phone, once I upload it, so...yay. All those words for an album I haven't heard yet, but...soon, y'all! I am not surprised at the reviews at all. I was hoping he would have won critics back over to his side, but a) critics are too cynical in general and b) they are fixated on wasting space talking about Britney and Janet instead of actually doing their job and reviewing the album, so it is what it is. When critics don't like an album I am looking forward to, I focus on the positives (or things I deem as positive) and what I have been pretty much universally seeing is "Justin doing what he does best, "danceable/groovy," "a return to form (i.e. not MOTW, which I actually enjoyed but go off)," so I am guessing I will love it, because none of those things are actually negatives.
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Post by @DiegoMarcondes_ on Mar 15, 2024 15:30:27 GMT -5
I'm surprised I enjoyed 5 tracks out of 18, I was expecting less judging by "Selfish" and "Drown". This album should be an EP released by Zayn.
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HEADOFTHEPACK
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Post by HEADOFTHEPACK on Mar 15, 2024 15:45:59 GMT -5
Ehh. A handful of good moments but I think he's mostly lost me with these last two albums and I used to love JT. This one in particular needs some brutal editing. For every high there's like 3-4 abysmal lows. Otherwise, a fair chunk of it is just... dull.
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divasummer
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Post by divasummer on Mar 16, 2024 10:02:43 GMT -5
I really like this project. I listened to most of it in full and didn’t find many skips. “Fu—-n Up The Disco, No Angles, Infinity Sex, My Favorite Drug, Selfish, Liar and maybe Paradise” are my favorites so far. I could maybe do without a couple of tracks, but they didn’t make me skip them. I’ve always been a fan of his music and I think this album is pretty hot. I hope it does well!
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Post by Active Aggressive on Mar 16, 2024 13:38:21 GMT -5
Funky old white man vibes. I dig it. It sounds expensive. Also, DAMN this album has so much bass and... cussin', LOL. Anyway, it's refreshing when an artist can accurately describe what their album sounds like. Doesn't seem to happen that often sadly, but Justin (and everyone who talked about the album) was totally right. It's like a greatest hits compilation (MOTW left stranded, lost in the woods) and I think that's perfectly fine. It worked for J Lo. The best thing an aging pop star can do, in my opinion, is remind the world what made them great in the first place. His voice sounds great and I like how much he plays with effects to make it more modern. The album could have ended with Selfish, though. Alone is a slog. Paradise could have been saved for another soundtrack or reunion tour album. Nice to hear the guys though, especially JC. Homeboy hasn't lost it. Anyway, this album was very good. I would give it a B+
1 Love & War (Goosebumps. I would love for this to not only be a single, but go to #1 and drive the haters mad. This is one of Justin's bests.) 2. Selfish (I really do love this song and it's even better in the context of the album. That back half is just... *Chef's Kiss* ) 3. Technicolor (Tim is back, y'all. This is sooo hot. Whew. I almost fell out when those harmonies first hit, LOL. The second half is beautiful, but I will say I think it could have accomplished what it did in maybe...2 less minutes?) 4. What Lovers Do (YESSSS classic Timbaland sex jam.) 5. Flame (Yes to this. I love the way he sings on this and that hook is sooo catchy! This sounds single worthy to me. The dramatic switch up is also great.) 6. Sanctified (A big yes to this. I guess I lied earlier, because this gives more aggressive MOTW vibes. Anyway, I am here for the drama and weird, manic xylophone or whatever the fuck that is that randomly runs through it. Also, Tobe SLAYED.) 7. My Favorite Drug (Studio 54 vibes. Pure cocaina vibes. That ending shocked me in the best way.) 8. No Angels (Smart to make this one the focus track. It's sooo slick and sits perfectly in JT's wheelhouse. Catchy as fuck, too.) 9. Fuckin' Up The Disco (Yessssss! A real jam! I like how it smooths out in the back half. Great job, Calvin!) 10. Play (A bop. I love the Fame reference.) 11. Liar (This is cute! Makes me want to whine a likkle. Fireboy sounds good and their voices blend together well. Why does it sound like they are singing to each other though, LOLOL.) 12. Infinity Sex (Aight. I wasn't sure what to expect from a Calvin Harris x Timbaland collab and it seems kinda...confused? I don't hate it though. The beat switch is NASTY though, OMG Tim! Saves the song, honestly. I don't think my body could handle the song if the whole thing sounded like the Timbaland portion.) 13. Imagination (Very cute and wedding friendly. Also, sounds like it belongs on a cruise ship. Not really a knock on the song, just an observation.) 14. Drown (still pretty basic and an inferior Cry Me A River, but it's fine. I wouldn't turn it off and I could sing along to parts of it. I just noticed that the transition from the bridge back to the pre-chorus or whatever is sloppy, LOL.)
Target Bonus Tracks:
15. Paradise (Sing, JC! You could tell he was being respectful of Justin by not blowing him out of the water on his own album, but...come on! Anyway, this is cute, but didn't have to be here. The guys sound GORGEOUS together.) 16. Conditions (OK. That ending though. SING!) 17. Alone (Justin sounds great on this.) 18. Memphis (the beat is certainly beating on this one. a very moody, weird, woozy way to start the album, but I don't mind it at all.)
Album Ranking: 1. The 20/20 Experience, Part I 2. FutureSex/Lovesounds 3. EITIW 4. Justified 5. Man Of The Woods 6. The 20/20 Experience, Part II
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Night Senses
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Post by Night Senses on Mar 16, 2024 17:29:55 GMT -5
I like the midsection of the album. I don’t know what it is, but the opening and closing suites aren’t as engaging as the central core of the album.
I stand firm that FutureSex/LoveSounds is his magnum opus. No skips (except “Losing My Way,” which has terrible lyrics - “Hi, my name is Bob and I work at my job…”).
As for what the sales projections are looking like, I put him in the legacy category now, so as long as he has a successful tour (which he does), it really doesn’t matter how the album performs. Playing it safe with “Selfish” was understandable since people hated the chaos of “Filthy” (I actually didn’t, tbh), but I don’t think it’s the kind of lead that gets people excited. “Suit & Tie” was laid back, but it was a smooth jam. It had a groove. The video was also sleek with amazing cinematography. If the goal was to redeem himself from Man of the Woods, then mission accomplished. But he didn’t break any new ground here for me. It’s just a return to form, but very aimless in direction.
ETA: I love “Paradise” and it made me miss NSYNC. Nostalgia will get you every time. I didn’t know it was a Target bonus track?
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carriekins
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Post by carriekins on Mar 16, 2024 18:13:54 GMT -5
Paradise isn't a bonus track. It's on the album on Spotify and was the #1 selling song from the album yesterday.
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Post by @DiegoMarcondes_ on Mar 16, 2024 19:29:38 GMT -5
His Tiny Desk Concert is incredible! Vocals on point, perfect setlist (only Selfish from this new album) and awesome harmonies. He also delivered charisma. This version of "SexyBack" got absolutely perfection.
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Post by adamalterlago on Mar 17, 2024 0:33:36 GMT -5
Can’t say I’m a huge JT fan but I was pleasantly surprised. Based on the reviews I was expecting another Woods era mess but this is so cohesive and slick. It sounds expensive and actually reminds me of FSLS. His voice can still grate for me at times and it’s a little bloated but this definitely doesn’t deserve the hate it’s been getting from critics.
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johnm1120
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Post by johnm1120 on Mar 17, 2024 0:56:53 GMT -5
Meanwhile, Mirrors just became the 2nd JT song to reach a billion streams according to Spotify.
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Night Senses
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Post by Night Senses on Mar 17, 2024 6:41:21 GMT -5
Paradise isn't a bonus track. It's on the album on Spotify and was the #1 selling song from the album yesterday. I have Apple Music and it’s listed as part of the album as well. I got confused by one of the reviews above mine.
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