audio review : Everything I Thought It Was ( album ) … Justin Timberlake

audio review : Everything I Thought It Was ( album ) ... Justin Timberlake

Is this “great new JT album” Everything I Thought It Was going to be? Basically yes. A decent; nowhere near great; soul croon set with perhaps a few good songs is what I’ve come to expect from Justin Timberlake and that’s exactly what this is. He’s still romancing the girls with declarations of Love; the conceptual crutch for his genre of choice; and calling up Timbaland to make beats. Listen for the producer’s inept vocal ad-libs.

The reason Justin Timberlake never reached; again nowhere near; the level of Michael Jackson; his most obvious comparison in regard to career trajectory; to my ears is that his songs just don’t pop. Never mind his lack of stylistic flair. All it would take to make this album good, maybe even “great”, are better melodies, specifically at the choruses where it matters. The best here in that regard include Conditions, No Angels and Selfish.

my rating : 3 of 5

2024

a Red Eagle Politics analysis of how Donald Trump can win the 2024 general presidential election in a landslide

2024

redeaglepolitics.com

a map showing US states by date of statehood

a map showing US states by date of statehood

Which of the United States is the best?

Florida’s always been my favorite state, long before I ever went there, mainly because it’s the warmest. I hate being cold and get cold easier (quicker) than most people, but I’m generally not bothered by hot weather. When I’m getting too hot, I’m more concerned with potentially passing out from heatstroke rather than being miserable from the feeling of being hot itself.

I also like the fact that the state is surrounded by (warm) water but not totally isolated like Hawaii. I get motion sickness on boats and can’t swim, so about knee deep is as far as I ever go into the sea or ocean; I don’t go in lakes at all because most are dirty and harbor snakes/alligators; but I do enjoy going to beaches for their natural visual and auditory aesthetics.

There are other states I like or would like to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Nowhere even comes close. Georgia is the closest physically, so if I had to live somewhere else, it would be there. California used to be my second favorite, but it’s being ruined by crazy politicians. Texas is one of the better states, but I don’t want to live anywhere near the Mexican border.

my vote : Florida

audio review : Mental Trillness ( album ) … Juicy J

audio review : Mental Trillness ( album ) ... Juicy J

This project (album/mixtape) has to do with Mental health. If you couldn’t already tell by the title, the pedagogic prelude and interludes suggest as much. The theme is a solemn departure for Juicy J, but musically it’s basically business as usual. “I stay strapped like a baby seat,” the Memphis native declares on Pay Attention, over a trunk-rattling beat, because you “can’t trust niggas no more.”

Paranoia, schizophrenia; there are plenty of medical references to Stress the concept, but, though the No Rapper begins the set by suggesting there’s a personal underlining regarding the death of his mother, he never goes that deep. He’s more interested in doing drugs, making money and fucking “bitches”. Highlights include Deadbeat; a duet with Three 6 affiliate La Chat; and Gettin.

my rating : 3 of 5

2023