Sunday 20 October 2013

20/20 2 OF 2- The Verdict!

So Justin Timberlake’s hotly anticipated final part to the 20/20 Experience is out and I have to say in my opinion the whole thing is a masterpiece. It’s clear to see how much JT has evolved as an artist, whilst still being able to pull out the old school tricks that his die-hard fans know and love.


One of my favourite things that Justin Timberlake does is blend two songs together and there are couple of these double whammies to keep us entertained- making 11 a satisfying and entertaining amount of songs.

In comparison to the 20/20 Experience 1/2- I would describe this second offering as chilled and smoother, packed with plenty of soulful vibes of course. Lots of strings and classical sounds combined with modern beats. There’s some typical JT style r’n’b, such as Gimme what I don’t know (I want), Take Back The Night and a track called Amnesia, which kind of reminds of Cry Me A River vibe and lyric wise.  It’s a flashback of the ‘feistier’ Justin Timberlake as we did hear a lot of love songs in the 20/20 Experience. Speaking of love songs, every JT album has to have a couple.  If that’s what you want to hear then be sure to check out Not A Bad Thing. It’s one of my favourite tracks, and it’s real and raw lyrically, the kind of honest and open song that I think wins him so many fans. You Got It On is another love song to look out for. It has a smooth, warm tone complete with sultry strings and perfect harmonies. There’s a few things we didn’t get in 1of 1, such as Drink You Away, a soulful yet country sounding mid tempo R’n’B tune.

I am a big fan as you’ve probably guessed by now, but I can’t be biased. There’s an eyebrow raiser in the midst of these 11 gems and it’s called True Blood. I would say it’s the album’s standout track, just like Let The Groove Get In was for me in the last one. I got that, but I just don’t really get this. I’m all for artists doing something different and experimenting but True Blood just makes me think of vampires and not in a good way! Timberland no doubt has something to do with this one, you can hear it all over the beat.
There’s a surprise appearance from Drake on sexy r’n’b tune Cabaret, which is my favorite song off the whole album, and I must say it was the perfect song for him to feature on. His verse is good- nothing too out there or different from what we’ve been hearing from him lately.

All in all, Justin Timberlake has made a very impressive comeback. 2 of 2 compliments 1 of 1 perfectly, with a darker, less ‘just married’ vibe than 1 of 1. If you are a JT fan this won’t disappoint as it doesn’t stray from his typical signature style. If you’re not such a fan you might not appreciate this for the same reason…but less face it, most of us are JT fans…so enjoy!

Guess who's back!

Hi Guys!

It's been over a year since I posted anything on my blog and I want to write a really honest, open letter to explain why.

2012 was a big year for me. I graduated from University and after three years studying Creative Writing with Journalism, I was ready to take everything I'd learned about writing and use it to start a career doing something I really love. That's when I started blogging, applying for internships, going on work experience at radio stations and really trying to put myself out there. I wasn't going to let any negative statistics about graduates and finding work (you know the ones I'm talking about!) deter me from living my dream. Then after about six months, it started to feel like I'd applied for everything, written about everything, been rejected by everyone and pretty much gotten nowhere. I felt uninspired and I got writer's block, and the less I wrote, the less confidence I had in my writing.

This was a really depressing time for me. I missed writing, but I couldn't do it. I'm literally only just picking myself up from this writer's block now. I thought these things only lasted days, sometimes weeks or months in extreme cases, but guys, I had writer's block for a whole year. It sounds crazy to me too, but it's true. When you literally cannot do the one thing that you love to do, something that you have always been able to do as well, it's frustrating. However- I now think that maybe I had to go through this to become a better writer. 

I managed to find work in retail, where I discovered I had more of an interest than I thought in fashion and trends. I gradually changed my style and started being more open and daring with my clothes and I started paying attention to what people in the media were wearing as well. My taste in music also changed. Commercial, mainstream music started to do my head in. It all sounded the same to me. Artists I used to love, some of which I have written about in detail in this blog, no longer inspired me. Watching the music industry destroy certain artists, and watching people buy into these artists, who to me, were nothing but money making puppets for the industry is frustrating to me. I went through a stage where I loved rap, and I can still listen to some of it now but that got annoying for a little while too. I felt like most rappers were talking about the same thing, bragging, look at all my money, bitches and hoes, boring!!!

I rediscovered my love for garage, music from back in the days where it wasn't so much about money. It was about making music that people genuinely loved. It was about making anthems that people still dance to in clubs ten years later. Most of the music we hear now is forgotten about in ten weeks! I also started listening to house music, deep house and soulful house. Music that really is all about music without too many lyrics to distract us from what is really important. Most of the music I listen to now is from undiscovered, kind of underground artists and producers and this is what I prefer. No corruption! 

So that brings me to where I am right now. I feel inspired again. Of course there are still artists that I have always been a fan of who are considered mainstream and commercial that I am always willing to give a chance, so I'll still be posting about them. My musical taste is always changing and evolving as I discover new things that inspire me so there's going to be a noticeable change in the type of music and things that I blog about and I hope you enjoy it.

JJ xxx

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