The album marketing suggested woodsy vibes and a country cadence. The early singles delivered dancefloor grooves and robotics synths.

On Justin Timberlake's fifth album, Man of the Woods, the popular star tries to accept it both ways, outfitting his acoustic licks and backwoodsy Americana flourishes with slick, radio-friendly beats delivered by producers like Timbaland and The Neptunes. The album is not then much fixated on wilderness survival as it is centered around visions of wholesome domestic bliss, with adoring tributes to Timberlake's wife, Jessica Biel, and their toddler son cropping up all over the identify. Information technology feels a long way from the seductive funk delights of 2006'southward FutureSex/LoveSounds .

The event is an eclectic only frustrating mind: Man of the Woods is a pastiche of rustic stylistic whims that too often stretch the limits of Timberlake'due south considerable talent. A family man eager to sing praise of wilderness self-discovery myths, he is non so much playing to his strengths every bit trying new ones on for size.

As the pop star performs at the 52nd Super Bowl halftime prove, here'due south our track-by-rails review of Man of the Woods.

1. "FILTHY"

"No, this ain't the cleeean version," Timberlake drawls near the start of a song chosen "Filthy," which is a strange boast to indulge at the beginning of an album largely preoccupied with familial bliss and pastoral fantasy. But there's a lot nearly get-go single "Filthy" that is utterly unrepresentative of Man of the Woods. The song hinges on a slippery robo-funk synth groove and flirty come up-ons like "What yous gonna practise with all that beast / When I leave the muzzle open up?" Silly, sure. Just it's danceable and ably executed, which is more than can be said for many of the stylistic diversions on this album.

ii. "MIDNIGHT SUMMER JAM"

Timberlake has spoken extensively about how Man of the Woods was inspired by his Southern upbringing, a point he underscores by using the word "y'all" 4 times in the start 15 seconds of "Midnight Summer Jam." "It's Southern American music," Timberlake said of the album in 2017. "But I want to brand it sound modern." This song is a pretty good introduction to that dual aesthetic. The strummed guitars and howling harmonica seem fit for a campfire, but it's anchored by thumping, Neptunes-canonical beats. The goal seems to exist to capture the feel of a lawn party in Timberlake's native Tennessee, and who'southward to say information technology doesn't succeed?

three. "SAUCE"

Toby Keith gets a co-writing credit on "Sauce," though yous wouldn't know it from hearing the runway—if anything, information technology's one of the least countrified offerings on Man of the Forest. The track is a nimble piece of neo-funk, with bluesy guitar growls reportedly inspired by Alabama Shakes. It's good! The closest antecedent in the Timberlake catalog is probably 2006'southward soul pastiche "Damn Girl," but the song stands on its ain.

4. "Human being OF THE WOODS"

Breezy doo-wop harmonies, a chirpy guitar cadency that recalls the backing vocals from "Walk on the Wild Side," an ambrosial music video that finds JT ambling through a forest and prancing through a log cabin—"Man of the Wood" is everything yous feared this album would be. And yet it'due south strangely irresistible. (We are all powerless to resist the pull of that damn doo-wop progression.) Though Timberlake repeatedly sings "I'1000 a man of the woods / That's my pride," the Shyamalan-esque twist here is that the song (and album) was actually named later on the star'southward immature son, whose name Silas means "of the forest."

five. "HIGHER Higher"

One of the few Woods tracks that sounds similar it could be a throwaway cut from the 20/twenty Experience sessions, "Higher Higher" finds Timberlake thumbing his nose at money and fame while affirming his dearest for wife and their fairytale love story in a polish falsetto. Incidentally, this is ane of two songs on here that mentions a far better popular song by name: "College Higher" name-checks Madonna'southward "Lucky Star," while "Cakewalk Off the Swimming" mentions Elton John'south "Tiny Dancer."

6. "WAVE"

Oh no. Timberlake's half-assed reggae misfire is nearly equally insipid as Arcade Fire's half-assed reggae misfire from half-dozen calendar month'south prior. "Wave" tries to simulate the experience of a sexy beachside rendez-vous, but information technology more often than not but feels like a resort infomercial: "I'll catch a couple fish / And then we can dine." Don't forget the sunblock!

vii. "SUPPLIES"

"Supplies" seems to be angling for both "apocalyptic" and "horny" but faceplants somewhere in the middle. This doomsday come up-on ("I'll be the generator / Turn me on when yous demand electricity") is centered around an irredeemably irritating commitment that stretches out the word "Supplies" to three lengthy syllables. The vocal is bad. Merely information technology doesn't even have the courtesy to be bad in a way that's representative of the album, making Timberlake'southward decision to release it as an early on single specially bewildering.

viii. "Morning Light"

Arguably the best matter on here, "Morning Light" finds Timberlake dueting with Alicia Keys on a sleepy-soulful ode to romantic contentment. The vintage soul samples and thumping 808 accessory feel like a throwback to early Kanye Westward, and the song'due south generous, syrupy hook is an absolute care for later on "Supplies." This excellent song solidifies the album'due south overarching sense of domestic elation—"in the whole wide world of guys, I must be the luckiest live," Timberlake sings—while retaining its dignity.

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nine. "SAY SOMETHING"

"Say Something" is the Chris Stapleton-featuring third single, which plainly prompted listeners to think Timberlake had made a country anthology and subsequently prompted Timberlake to tell fans to "stop telling me I'm making a land album." Unfortunately, the rails's bluesy pastoral stomp is undermined by its super-slick production.

10. "HERS (INTERLUDE)"

Jessica Biel, the vocalist's wife, takes the lead on this spoken interlude, a sensual paean to the virtues of wearing her husband's flannel shirts: "It feels like his skin over mine," she sighs. Information technology's all simply a warm-up for...

11. "FLANNEL"

Recently, Timberlake was photographed with Zane Lowe wearing ii dissimilar shades of flannel at in one case. Possibly this was meant to go u.s.a. in the mood for "Flannel," a folksy campfire singalong that sounds like Fleet Foxes decided to record a Levi's jingle. The vocal pairs more well-baked acoustic guitar with minimalist drum programming as Timberlake vows to proceed a loved one warm through the long winter—"with my flannel on." Not very grunge, despite the Vedder-friendly title.

Man of the Woods
'Man of the Woods' is the 5th anthology by Justin Timberlake RCA

12. "MONTANA"

Non a embrace of the 1973 Frank Zappa song, unfortunately. Timberlake's "Montana" is a boring, bloodless stab at '70s soft-pop with a disco groove—a bit like Daft Punk'south Random Access Memories (which besides involved Pharrell Williams on its monster hit "Get Lucky"), but strangely drab. Lyrically, "Montana" features a rare F-bomb from Timberlake, as the vocalizer expresses his commitment to a love interest ("Look, I'm but fuckin' with yous for real / And baby, you tin can have it all"). At present this own't the make clean version.

13. "Breeze OFF THE Pond"

Ready to more than clarified disco-popular noodling, "Breeze Off the Pond" visualizes a fantasy nature outing with Timberlake's lover (presumably Biel): "Now the dominicus dances across the sparkly waves / While we're canoeing / Stoned as 'Tiny Dancer' plays." The groove is and so like to "Montana" that information technology's easy not to realize the song has changed.

14. "LIVIN' OFF THE LAND"

JT goes full Amish in this rollicking, pastoral ode to the country life. The song opens with a spoken extollation of communing with wilderness ("as I'm solitary in the forest, I'm 1 with my surround") and delivers plenty more simulated-Thoreauan clichés from there. The acoustic groove is reminiscent of Outkast's "Rosa Parks," only proficient luck swallowing lines like "I break my back / And I work all night / At times I practice all their work too / Information technology don't break my stride" coming from a guy who'due south been rich and famous since before he was erstwhile enough to vote.

15. "THE Hard STUFF"

Here is where the anthology begins to experience countless (though at 66 minutes, it'due south actually shorter than Timberlake's last few). "The Hard Stuff" is yet some other vow to double down on familial love when times get tough, sprinkled with still more than acoustic chords and noncommittal glimmers of twang. It's the kind of well-meaning bundle of clichés your corniest friend volition apply on their hymeneals playlist.

16. "Young MAN"

Human being of the Woods is Timberlake'south starting time album since he became a parent (his son, Silas, arrived in 2015), and "Swain" is the obligatory "I'm a dad now!" song. Not merely is it more mawkish and lame than John Lennon'southward "Beautiful Male child," it genuinely contains the words "beautiful male child" in the lyrics. Over lite-funk guitar licks, Timberlake rehearses diverse father-to-son pep talks he'll eventually requite his child until the song is just a rote jumble of Hallmark clichés ("you know your daddy's so proud of yous / My little young human being / Mama merely tin't become enough of you"). This paean to new-dad domesticity is particularly foreign on an album that began with boasts about how filthy information technology is. The song ends with a sample of Timberlake's toddler saying "daddy!" Good news: One twenty-four hour period the toddler will exist former enough to mind to FutureSex/LoveSounds instead of this schlocky mess.