The Album that Birthed Justin Timberlake 2.0
When former NSYNC star Justin Timberlake started out his solo career, anyone would have been forgiven to think it’ll be hard for the fresh-faced popstar to make a name for himself as a solo artiste. His debut album Justified did just enough to correct that notion as it spun-hit tracks like “Cry Me A River” and “Rock Your Body.” Timberlake then took a 4-year hiatus off the music scene, a period in which he acted in movies and even contemplated going back to his boyband NSYNC before deciding to ditch them altogether. Justin Timberlake then returned with Future Sex/Love Sounds in 2006, an album that’s lyrically similar to Justified but that does explore a wider range of genres which include trance, rock and funk. This album sees the pop icon offer a different sound and that is not so surprising as it was entirely produced by veteran producer Timbaland. This was the album that officially signaled Timberlake’s transition from pop hitmaker to a legitimate force as a musician and actor with elemental sounds from the album still being felt in today’s music with Zayn in particular giving us the feel-good vibe Timberlake brought into the music scene. The fact that Justin Timberlake recorded this gem of an album without jotting a single lyric down in a paper further cements his status as an artiste who was well ahead of his time. But like Justified that had to rely on the push it was given by four solid tracks on the project, the same can be partly said of Future Sex/Love Sounds but Justin’s input alongside Timbaland’s masterpiece of a production created an album a step ahead of Justified and arguably one of the best albums of the 2000s. The album produced at the very least six singles that went on to attain chart success; including US Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles: "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around.” The album also went on to receive several Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, with “SexyBack” and “My Love” in which he featured rapper T.I, both winning their categories. Future Sex/Love Sounds has been certified multi-platinum in many countries worldwide, and has sold over 10 million copies, with four million in the United States alone. The album has also been added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's musical library and archive. It is often mostly regarded as Justin Timberlake’s best album till date, and rightly so.
