Timberlake, Timberland, Jay-Z for the rap and that old time sexy really is back back years after his acting career took over and and and… this is what we get?
The people have spoken and we are all agreed, if we wanted to listen to Robin Thicke we would buy Robin Thicke, this disco AOR move is so ordinary it comes as a shock. It could be any one, maybe it is any one? Why did Timberlake come back after knocking on seven years to release the first full fledged mistake of his career?
An abrasive noise and a slowed down processed vocal warps into the song proper, and an invitation to the dancefloor with Timberland's "Are you ready JT" while a bossa nova orchestra shimmies in the background.. Sorta 70s disco with the veneer of modernity and despite an up to nothing much Jay-Z rap, a rebuttal to modern r&b pop as practised by Maynard, Bieber et al. I have no idea what J-Roc brought to the proceedings, except the consistent veneer of an old dog refusing to learn new tricks.
"Suit & Tie" is neither the cutting edge pop suavity of "Sexy Back" , nor the cutting edge morbidity of new R&B, instead it is retro rhythms, so smooth it chases its own tail and so unmemorable it is really quite shocking. Whatever you think of Timberlake, and I love both his previous solo albums, he seemed in front of the zeitgeist, if not indeed the zeitgeist personified. Or making his own scene, going his own way, take another look at the HBO special. But this isn't anything like it. Blue eyed soul, it sounds like he was dithering about with his pro-tools and got overwhelmed in the moment.
Or maybe that's a little unfair, this is an OK slice of disco, the horns are lovely, vocals on point, rap non offensive, and the entire enterprise is smart enough AOP -adult oriented pop. Timberlake is in great voice, he has lost nothing at all from his top end. And while the song goes nowhere it glitters in place. I think the remix will tell the final story. Expect the album, The 20/20 Experience, later this year. But as the follow up to FutureSex/Love Sounds? Ot won't do.
Grade: C+