#Man of the Woods

[ozskob]

Fan made covers for JT's Man of the Woods album.

[melancholicwriteaholic]

I've never listened to Justin Timberlake before, so I guess Man of the Woods is my favourite JT album lol.

Like, when the songs are bad they're baaad, but there are quite a few good ones too

[twenty-words-or-less]

Oh hey, that's me!

[justinfied]

hers (interlude) — justin timberlake

when i wear his shirt, it feels like his skin over mine and the little holes and tears and shreds on it are the memories of the past that i wasn't there for, but, that somehow, i feel like i understand more when it's against my skin it's an armor, like a barrier from the world like, our secret nobody else knows and i like that, you know? it makes me feel like a woman, it makes me feel sexy, it makes me feel ... it makes me feel like i'm his

[thisaintascenereviews]

Justin Timberlake - Man Of The Woods

Justin Timberlake has had an interesting few years, whether he’s been involved with the Trolls movies, or just touring nonstop, but after six years, he’s putting out a new record. The album’s called Everything I Thought It Was, and he released the single “Selfish,” which is a nice little “throwback” to his early 00s sound, but not quite as “experimental” as FutureSex / LoveSounds. It’s a smooth R&B / pop song, but it sounds like he’s in a good place. It seems like a lot of people love the song, and it debuted in the top 20 of the Hot 100, so that’s a good sign. With that said, I wanted to revisit JT’s last album, 2018’s Man Of The Woods, ultimately wanting to see if the album has aged well, because I remember it being successful when it came out, yet its critical consensus was more so mixed. The album did well on the charts, and he sold a lot of copies of it, but no one’s really talked about this album since its release. Let’s change that, shall we? Justin Timberlake is one of my all time favorite artists, especially I listened to FutureSex / LoveSounds back in 2012 for the first time, and it was one of the first pop albums I listened to that I fell in love with (which made me realize that pop music has a lot of merit behind it). I also really loved his 2013 comeback album, The 20/20 Experience (which I like more, but that’s a discussion for another day), so Man Of The Woods had a lot to prove.

I’ve been looking at my old posts about the album, because it came out around this time in 2018, and even looking at my first review of it, this album was one of those that took some time to grow on me. Man Of The Woods is a record that takes more simplistic forms of music, such as soul, funk, R&B, pop, and Americana / folk to make for an amalgamation of Timberlake’s sound. He wanted to have a sound that best represents his native Tennessee, as a lot of other styles of music exist other than country exist in the south. This album is definitely his most “simplistic,” because its songwriting isn’t very expensive, experimental, or as interesting in comparison to his last couple of albums, but I would make the argument that this album has aged relatively well, especially in an era when genres are being blurred. This album is a lot of sounds at once, and in a few cases, the album combines some of these sounds together, such as a few songs having an R&B meets folk sound, but it works. This album isn’t perfect, mind you, but it has its moments that I really like. Chris Stapleton pops up for the big single “Say Something,” and that song still sounds great all of these years later, and songs like “Sauce,” “Midnight Summer Jam,” “Wave,” and a few other tracks, are a ton of fun. The album slows down a bit, too, especially on tracks like “Flannel,” “The Hard Stuff,” and “Young Man,” and those are a few of my favorite tracks. They’re more of the emotional epicenter of the album, as this record’s main theme is family, whether it was to celebrate his son or his wife.

Where this album works is in the music itself, and the instrumentation, but the album falters a bit with two things — the lyrics and the length. The lyrics aren’t horrible, or anything close to that, but JT was never known as being a lyricist. Both FutureSex / LoveSounds and The 20/20 Experience aren’t well-regarded for their lyrical prowess, but they have their moments, as this album does, too, but a lot of the lyrics just aren’t interesting, or they’re downright forgettable. That wouldn’t be too much of an issue it the album was shorter, because there isn’t a lot that he’s saying, let alone even doing, so this album didn’t need to be an hour and six minutes. It’s as long as his other albums, but this should have been around 40 minutes, give or take, as that would have trimmed a lot of the fat. This album isn’t bad, or offensive, in any way, and that might be another issue with it: it’s too sanitized and simplistic. On one hand, I like that, because it’s a very pleasant and accessible album, but it doesn’t push any boundaries, or do anything unique, so it’s almost like, “What’s the point?”

I don’t know, I’m a sucker for his stuff, so it doesn’t bug me as much, and JT has a great voice, so I really enjoy this album. I’d say revisit this album if you haven’t listened to it in awhile, because it’s held up rather well, especially if you’re a fan of his. It’s nothing revolutionary, and the album does have some filler, but it’s a lot of fun, and JT does sound great throughout. I’d say this is his most underrated album. It has some merit to it, even though a lot of people have thrown it under the bus or just forgot about it. I’m really excited for his new album, Everything I Thought It Was, especially if it has the same sound as the new single. I love its smooth R&B sound, and it seems to be more on brand for him than his last album. Man Of The Woods was both an experiment and his most accessible album to date, and that could be why the album didn’t perform as well as it should have. I was sort of conflicted on it when I first listened to it again for the first time in years, but you know what? I love this album, warts and all. I’ll take any JT, and aside from the second part of The 20/20 Experience that I honestly forget about, saying that this is his weakest album still isn’t bad, because it has its moments that I really enjoy.

[cackled0g]

Some more MOTW doodles!

[chromet]

Heron Preston for Justin Timberlake “Man of the Woods” Tour

[freshthoughts2020]

[krazycovers]

[musichello]

I'm just one man doing the best that I can

Saint or a sinner, the loser can be a winner with a plan

When you're living off the land

Living off the land...

[picturesofmyvinylrecords]

[cackled0g]

Working on some designs for forms the Man of the Woods might take whilst speaking to those he doesn't want to immediately send into hysterical terror.

[bren1027]

I finally found the Green Man for my Oak Tree, so pleased with how He looks.

[timberlakegallery]

[psicosleazy]

"Sometimes the greatest way to say something

Is to say nothing at all..."

[melancholicwriteaholic]

Listening to Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods. It’s supposedly a bad album, but I will say that Midnight Summer Jam is pretty alright so far