Justin Timberlake

On his fifth album, Justin Timberlake continues to stay dedicated to Timbaland/Neptunes futuresex beats and his familiar lovesound come-ons that have made him the biggest male pop star of his generation. But, as its title implies, much of Man of the Woods also comes with the moonshine-and-mason-jar glisten of country, blues and folk. You might expect a smooth guy like JT to use this backdrop for a pickup-truck cruise across the Florida-Georgia line. Instead, he has something more timely in mind for our new dark age: It's the end of the world as we know it, and Justin Timberlake wants to have you naked for the apocalypse. - Rolling Stone

In the world of mainstream pop, Justin Timberlake cuts a curiously restless figure. No sooner had he established himself as something more substantial than a former boyband pin-up than he started making noticeably more adventurous records than was strictly necessary. It was as if he were taking risks in order to keep himself interested in music, rather than acting, fashion design, golf course ownership or any of the multitude of other things his latter-day career involves. The shadow of Prince, Kraftwerk and David Bowie’s album Diamond Dogs hung over at least some of 2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, while 2013’s The 20/20 Experience offered the sound of visionary hip hop and R&B producer Timbaland at his most exploratory and audacious. - The Guardian

Four words have hung over Justin Timberlake since he announced he’d be putting out a new record: Man of The Woods. The title has given life to a variety of rumours including the idea of Timberlake’s first country record or an album about his life in Memphis. Thoughts of flannel, John Mayer’s Paradise Valley poncho and the smell of a campfire likely flooded your mind once he released his initial promo video for the LP. Even the track list - with songs like “Montana” and “Flannel” - probably had you convinced Timberlake was about to go through his Bon Iver phase. - The Independent (UK)