The Greatest Achievement of Justin Timberlake’s 'FutureSex/LoveSounds'
The upcoming 10th anniversary of the release of FutureSex/LoveSounds is as good a time as any to remember the record and reflect on the impact of Justin Timberlake’s sophomore solo album, especially with regard to its lynchpin position in his discography. Simply put, it’s the most important album of Timberlake’s career, and probably always will be.
Following three albums with *N SYNC, Timberlake’s 2002 debut, Justified, established him as a legitimate R&B/pop hitmaker, with hits like “Like I Love You,” “Rock Your Body” and “Señorita” leading the way. Justified was an important first step, but aside from the sonically daring and brilliantly executed second single “Cry Me a River,” the album was pretty much what could be expected from Timberlake following *N SYNC’s swan song, 2001’s Pop. Those paying attention to JT-led *N SYNC hits like “Girlfriend” and “Gone” could see the charisma and songwriting prowess of Justified coming from a mile away. The album was a touchdown, but Timberlake had set himself up as too talented (and too canny with his collaborators) not to score.
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