Man of the Woods

Man of the Woods

by Justin Timberlake
Man of the Woods

Man of the Woods

by Justin Timberlake

CD

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Overview

Man of the Woods is almost as bemusing as its roll out. After three disparate preview singles arrived in close succession in January 2018, Justin Timberlake trekked, or more likely took a plane, to Minnesota. While there, he hosted a Man of the Woods listening party at Paisley Park, home of Prince, who on Timbaland's "Give It to Me" he ridiculed in retaliation for a harmless and reasoned slighting of "SexyBack." A few nights after bringing it on down to Paisleyville, Timberlake performed nearby at Super Bowl LII, 14 years after he exposed Janet Jackson during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime program and juked unscathed as his co-performer's mainstream stock plummeted. Following the Trolls soundtrack hit "Can't Stop the Feeling!" -- which showed again that he's best at carefree post-disco pop -- Timberlake made his conceptually muddled, qualitatively uneven fifth full-length. Loosely inspired by his Southern upbringing but recorded primarily in Los Angeles, Man of the Woods resembles the soundtrack to a late-evening variety program that moves across departments of a high-end outdoor recreation outfitter. Timberlake brought some special guests and made it a family affair with appearances from his wife and son. The main collaborators are the Neptunes, who apply much more acoustic guitar and hand percussion than normal but don't veer far from familiar funk-laced pop -- the Italian Riviera trap of "Supplies" notwithstanding. One of the better moments, "Breeze Off the Pond," sounds like a sequel to Neptune Pharrell Williams' "Gust of Wind" with a flashback to "Rock Your Body." Chris Stapleton lends some country credibility to "Say Something," a song so vague lyrically that its conclusion, "Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing at all," sounds kind of profound. Elsewhere, there are enough thematic terms to fill a promotional word search. They tend to be hastily applied, sometimes expressed with extended vowels to remind listeners of Timberlake's origin. Ultimately, what comes across, through all the references to outdoor activities and apparel, is good times, comfort, romance, and seduction. There's also a little ribaldry, and even that is used in a somewhat mystifying manner. Timberlake titled the album after the meaning of his son's name, yet "Man of the Woods" itself is a crudely metaphorical come-on in which he excitedly observes "Your hands talkin', fingers walkin', down your legs, hey there's the faucet." It exemplifies the confusing, perhaps appropriately woolly nature of the album. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date: 02/02/2018
Label: Rca
UPC: 0190758132129
Rank: 179055

Tracks

  1. Filthy
  2. Midnight Summer Jam
  3. Sauce
  4. Man of the Woods
  5. Higher Higher
  6. Wave
  7. Supplies
  8. Morning Light
  9. Say Something
  10. Hers (Interlude)
  11. Flannel
  12. Montana
  13. Breeze Off the Pond
  14. Livin' Off the Land
  15. The Hard Stuff
  16. Young Man

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Justin Timberlake   Primary Artist,Guitar,Harmonium,Keyboards
Chris Stapleton   Primary Artist,Guitar,Featured Artist
Alicia Keys   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Chad Hugo   Organ,Clavinet,Accordion,Synthesizer,Moog Synthesizer
Rhea Dummett   Vocals
Elliott Ives   Guitar,Ukulele,Harmonica
Peter Lee Johnson   Strings
Silas Timberlake   Vocals
Jessica Timberlake   Vocals
Jerome Harmon   Keyboards
Raphael Saadiq   Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Electric)
Eric Hudson   Bass,Keyboards
Larrance Dopson   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Chad Hugo   Composer,Producer
Pharrell Williams   Composer,Producer
Justin Timberlake   Composer,Producer,Vocal Producer,Instrumentation,Vocal Arrangement,Executive Producer,Additional Production
Jerome Harmon   Composer,Producer
Tyler Shields   Assistant Engineer
Mike Larson   Engineer,Programming
Elliott Ives   Composer,Additional Production
Andre Person   A&R
Jeremy Miller   Assistant Engineer
Jon Sher   Assistant Engineer
Martin Giraldo   Assistant Engineer
Ben Sedano   Assistant Engineer
Sean Klein   Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Funai Costa   Assistant Engineer
Trace Ayala   Creative Director
Jessica Timberlake   Narrator
The Neptunes   Producer
Nate Hills   Composer
Eric Hudson   Composer,Producer
Timothy Mosley   Composer
Timbaland   Producer
Rob Knox   Producer
Chris Godbey   Mixing,Engineer
Joshua Harris   Assistant Engineer
James Fauntleroy   Composer
Danja   Producer
Eric Eylands   Assistant Engineer
Larrance Dopson   Composer,Additional Production
Robin Tadross   Composer
Ben Chang   Engineer
David Kutch   Mastering
Ryan McGinley   Photography
John Armstrong   Assistant Engineer
David Cho   Creative Director
Chris Stapleton   Composer
Andrew Coleman   Engineer
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