RYAN MCGINLEY
Man of the Woods isn’t Justin Timberlake’s best work by any means, but you probably already knew that. Timberlake’s fifth solo album is his most criticized work to date; it’s been called a misstep, “failed fusion,” “incoherent,” “underwhelming,” and worse. Critics didn’t love it, but fans gobbled it right up—the record performed well, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200.
While I’m definitely not whelmed by Man of the Woods like I was by 2006’s near-perfect FutureSex/LoveSounds or 2013’s massive, two-part The 20/20 Experience, I do find Timberlake’s latest to be enjoyable listening. It shows JT and longtime co-producers Timbaland and the Neptunes playing with the boundaries of genre more than ever before.
