Justin Timberlake + Destiny’s Child | Track reviews

“Suit & Tie”
Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z

Justin Timberlake’s a tease. Just when it seemed as if he’d all but abandoned his career in music for Hollywood, the consummate flirt has mounted his long-awaited comeback. But a lot has changed in the seven years since he’s been away; pop music has been pulled in several directions, from Auto-Tune to EDM. Timberlake smartly sidesteps those trends on “Suit & Tie,” an upbeat slice of seductive soul-pop that oscillates between a sunny, horn-streaked, top-down trot and a half-time crawl fit for the bedroom. But he hasn’t exactly freshened up his old formula either—he’s still working with Timbaland, whose low rumble of a voice can be heard a couple of octaves below JT’s in the intro. And he’s calling on another member of the old guard, Jay-Z, who stays classy, rhyming “This is truffle season” with “Tom Ford tuxedos for no reason.” Like Hov, Timberlake doesn’t lack for ego, if he often walks the line between charm and smarm.