By the time Man Of The Woods rolled around in 2018, Justin Timberlake was riding a wave as one of America’s biggest multi-media stars, a wave that had run uninterrupted for almost two decades. He was a top-selling musician, respected by critics and fans alike, productions and collaborations with Jay-Z, Ciara, Madonna and Duran Duran made him a top choice behind the boards as well. His easy charm and good looks also won him favor as an actor on the big and small screens.
Man Of The Woods was the sound of that wave crashing into the shore. It’s a messy expedition of an album that aims for the type of roots/R&B crossover that his occasional collaborator Beyoncé (and everyone from Shaboozey to Post Malone to Morgan Fucking Wallen) would later hit pay dirt with. What should have been a slam dunk-after all, Justin is from Memphis and has roots in country as well as soul music (two genres that are more closely related than most give them credit for)- turns into a swing and a miss.
Who should shoulder the blame for Man of the Woods being the semi-disaster that it is? Part of that blame should lay with Timberlake himself. After all, he’s the one who conceptualized the album right? Never the strongest of lyricists, songs like “Supplies,” “Flannel” and “Montana” are as half-baked and basic as the simple titles indicate. We should also toss some of that blame onto Timberlake’s collaborators. Chris Stapleton (who should be able to make an album like this with one eye closed and one hand tied behind his back) doesn’t bring his “A” game on the awkward “Say Something.” Meanwhile, the much-anticipated reunion with Timberlake and producers The Neptunes is a massive dud. Pharrell and Chad are washed, to say the least. And the magic that powered many of the better moments from JT’s solo debut, 2002’s Justified, had clearly vanished in the decade and a half since.
Thankfully, the album has a handful of salvageable moments. “Morning Light” is a sweet duet with Alicia Keys (whose creativity seems to have taken a similar tumble in recent years). For whatever it’s worth, JT has exhibited a particular chemistry with women performers (his Rihanna collaborations all slap), and he and Keys meld together seamlessly. “Breeze Off The Pond” is the highlight of the Neptunes collaborations, with a great verse melody and bridge. So, Man of the Woods isn’t a total failure. It remains somewhat puzzling that what should’ve felt like such an easy fit for Timberlake came out the way it did, and I feel like with different collaborators and more focus on lyrical quality, this could’ve been a great roots/soul fusion album (truthfully, Cowboy Carter, despite its critical acclaim, wasn’t it either). Point to this album as the beginning of the end for Justin Timberlake as popular music’s Golden Boy.
