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10.0
52323
10.0 |
The Arts Desk
The touchstones here are Prince, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Miami Sound Machine, Shuggie Otis... and Timbaland's own past
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9.5
52272
9.5 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
Review 1: Immaculately and exuberantly crafted (9.4/10). Review 2: A turning point in mainstream pop (10/10). Review 3: It never stops being admirable (9/10)
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8.5
52315
8.5 |
Beats Per Minute
Though his output has waned in the last six years, Timbaland’s beats are still built to last and his statement of relevance on 20/20 is emphatic
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8.5
52418
8.5 |
Paste Magazine
This innovative, sonically dazzling album sounds like it was beamed in from several years in the future — 2020 sounds about right
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8.4
52359
8.4 |
Pitchfork
He's got enough notoriety and loyalty to be able to challenge his audience without alienating them
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8.0
52337
8.0 |
The 405
In many ways, it's bold and experimental, but at its core, it's pure Timberlake
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8.0
52382
8.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
20/20 succeeds because it’s groove-based, which is to say, it’s neither pop-based nor logic-based
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8.0
52470
8.0 |
Prefix
There’s a cornucopia of sounds that definitely needs some time to be digested, but when it finally is – it’s an absolutely satisfying experience
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8.0
52475
8.0 |
Entertainment.ie
Cool and classy pop music at its best
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8.0
52268
8.0 |
Daily Telegraph
It feels at once sleek, spacious and expensive, but relaxed and intimate
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8.0
52270
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Justin Timberlake’s first album in almost seven years feels like a real event
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8.0
52273
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
A charismatic and effortlessly appealing singer, dancer and showman
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8.0
52274
8.0 |
The Independent
There's no notable weakness about the album
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8.0
52276
8.0 |
musicOMH
The 20/20 Experience shows the pop album isn’t dead
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8.0
52281
8.0 |
The Observer
It is, very often, terrific – lush and quirky
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8.0
52286
8.0 |
Independent on Sunday
It may not be as mind blowing as FutureSex…. But, frankly, what is?
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7.5
52322
7.5 |
Pretty Much Amazing
20/20 is a total blast. You have to hand it to Justin Timberlake. Few pop artists have the skill and bravery to make such a stunning mess
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7.5
53553
7.5 |
Under The Radar
While it may be a little overlong at nearly an hour and a half, there are influences from 40-odd years of pop music expertly melted together by a master craftsman to create an album of consistently brilliant songs
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7.5
52366
7.5 |
A.V. Club
It’s as easy to like as Timberlake himself; but also like Timberlake, it’s defined by a certain shrewdness, a whiff of calculation that makes it impossible to separate the performer and the performance
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7.0
52479
7.0 |
No Ripcord
This is a pretty damn good album. It’s conceptual, fully realized, and tongue-in-cheek seductive
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7.0
52294
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Whilst it in no way compares with the leap in ambition we saw between his first two albums, The 20/20 Experience is nonetheless another interesting inter-genre move, this time into alternative R&B and neo-soul
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6.5
52572
6.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
The album itself doesn’t quite reach the sharp, perfect coherence that Timberlake was clearly aiming for
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6.0
52749
6.0 |
NME
Best enjoyed with some time on your hands and a very active sex life
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6.0
52488
6.0 |
The Irish Times
There is so much promise here, but the pointless, patience-trying extension of most of these songs is ultimately what holds this album back
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6.0
52386
6.0 |
Fact
Takes few real risks and at points ends up wobbling on a steep, self-congratulatory edge
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6.0
52307
6.0 |
The Scotsman
Sounds more like a sleek remix album, immaculately produced throughout by Timbaland and J-Roc, but Timberlake is at least to be admired for aspiring rather than conforming
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6.0
52311
6.0 |
State
The majority of The 20/20 Experience attempts a grand deconstruction of its own most popular, base elements in a protracted exploration of rhythm that Timberlake and Timbaland are all too keen on
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6.0
52271
6.0 |
The Guardian
Despite its flaws, The 20/20 Experience is a genuinely adventurous pop album in a world of will-this-do?
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5.0
52269
5.0 |
BBC
A slew of special effects, but little else
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5.0
52390
5.0 |
All Music
A charismatic entertainer and exceptional vocal arranger who is not a great recording artist
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5.0
52306
5.0 |
Slant Magazine
More often than not, The 20/20 Experience's either chameleonic or unfocused tracks speak poorly of an icon now constantly on the lookout for his next great cross-promotional opportunity
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5.0
52363
5.0 |
The Quietus
Timberlake brought sexy back in 2006, but it would have been nice if he could have brought it with him this time
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4.0
52298
4.0 |
PopMatters
Utterly remarkable how short-sighted the songs are on an album that’s called The 20/20 Experience
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