Personnel: Justin Timberlake (vocals); Bubba Sparxxx, Clipse (rap vocals); Bill Pettaway, Benny Kenny (guitar); Damon Bennett (flute); Scott Storch (clavinet); Thaddaeus Tribbett, Nathan East (bass); Prescott Ellison, George "Spanky" McCurdy (drums); Vidal Davis, Frankie "Knuckles" Walker (percussion); Janet Jackson, Pharrel Williams, Lainie Aguilar, Timbaland, Marsha Ambroise, Tyrone Tribbett, Vanessa Marquez, Greater Annointing (background vocals); Brian McKnight; Charles Veal & The Southwest Chamber Orchestra.
Producers: The Neptunes, Timbaland, The Underdogs, Williams and Hugo, Brian McKnight.
JUSTIFIED won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. The album was also nominated for Album Of The Year. "Cry Me A River" won for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
Photographer: Steven Klein.
With his debut solo album, Justified, Justin Timberlake borrows from Michael Jackson, from the Thriller-era getup and poses to the sharply modernized spin on the classic Off the Wall sound. To be sure, the sound of the Neptunes productions which dominate Justified is the best thing about the album; they have a lush, sexy, stylish feel that is better, more romantic than most modern R&B. Timberlake is a technically skilled vocalist, with a smooth falsetto. The songs are pretty on the surface -- apart from some flop Timbaland productions (which he redeems with the slinky funk of "Right for Me"), the sound of Justified works well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.112) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2002"
Rolling Stone (11/28/02, p.86) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...The Neptunes' brilliant, impertinent, full-body funk is, for the most part, what stays with you from JUSTIFIED..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/1/02, pp.66-7) - "...His smooth falsetto is an easy fit for the slinky quirks and rhythmic accents of the Neptunes and Timbaland...JUSTIFIED is a cohesive and fairly lean work..." - Rating: B
Q (01/01/04, p.83) - Ranked #5 in Q's "The 50 Best Albums of 2003" - "[T]imberlake deliver[s] a masterclass in playful, pop-friendly R&B..."
Uncut (1/03, p.115) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...On 'Let's Take A Ride' he offers to deliver you from your humdrum existence. Go with him..."
