THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE - 2 of 2
| Justin Timberlake
THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE - 2 of 2
The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2 is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was released on September 27, 2013, by RCA Records. The album is considered the second half of a two-piece project, being supplemented by his third studio album The 20/20 Experience (2013). Its lead single "Take Back the Night" was released on July 12, 2013. Coinciding with the release of The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2, the record was packaged with The 20/20 Experience and released as a compilation album titled, The 20/20 Experience The Complete Experience. Upon its release, The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2 received mixed reviews from critics. The third single "Not a Bad Thing" charted within the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart. "Drink You Away" reached Country radio in November 2015, after being performed at the Country Music Association Awards. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
Show All-
Pitchfork
The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2 is not only superfluous, it actually erases some of the gains made by its predecessor.
-
Rolling Stone
an experimental blockbuster.
-
AV Club
The record’s creative high points only magnify the anemic quality of these songs.
-
Variety
“2 of 2” is a funkier, dirtier affair, full of minor keys and suffused with a leering after-party vibe
-
NME
Pieces from the cutting-room floor cobbled together on the cheap.
-
Pretty Much Amazing
Justin Timberlake has set a remarkably high bar for his complete 20/20 Experience – and he nearly clears it.
-
Consequence of Sound
Part one of The 20/20 Experience had moments — “Mirrors,” natch — but its most valid criticism was that its highs simply did not live up to JT’s unimpeachable first LPs. Part two, on the other hand, suffers most from overreaching.
-
Genius
this just feels that he just did this to get his check and hit the door.
-
MTV
Justin grooving into the night (and subsequently taking it back) above Timba's beatboxing and mad scientist urban-pop beats.
-
Daily News
compared to JT's first serving, this smells like sloppy seconds.
-
Drowned in Sound
The 20/20 Experience as a whole is 100 per cent the product of a multi-talented artist seeing clearly. The finish is dazzling, but damned if it ain't hollow.
-
Idolator
It’s the first real blemish on JT’s catalog, and more than disappointment, The 20/20 Experience – 2 Of 2 elicits frustration, because it was so unnecessary. Justin Timberlake didn’t need to do this, and that’s exactly how it sounds.
-
QRO Magazine
a decent album
-
Vulture
All in all, it’s a big bummer.
-
All Music
Taken in one shot, the complete version plays out like an excessively expanded edition of a three-star album.
-
Brent Music Reviews
I don’t think it’s bad, but the overstuffed tracks do take away from the album. I do dig the production switch-ups and Timberlake’s vocal abilities.
-
The Lines of Best Fit
Justin Timberlake has made one of the grandest, most bold albums that mainstream music has seen for a long, long time.
-
Water Cooler Convos
On part 2, the upbeat collection, Timberlake upgrades the funk factor and works to make some good ol’ feel good music.
-
Hip Hop DX
Vocally, Justin sounds just as good as he did seven years ago: maybe even better.
-
Pop Crush
a soulfully executed and urban-infused album mixing R&B and pop
-
UPROXX
Part 2 is the weaker half of The 20/20 Experience, but it simply has too many good songs to be slept on.
-
Music OMH
This feels like an unnecessary and slightly cynical afterthought, much like a lot of pop music. It isn’t necessarily all bad in terms of quality. But it is utterly dispensable.
-
Neon Tommy
Stylistically, "2 of 2" is more varied than "1 of 2." Timberlake has some throwbacks to his older stuff, but still keeps in tune with "1 of 2" as well.
-
Slant Magazine
In that sense, this volume’s shady undertones are a better match for Timberlake’s inability to self-edit than the first half’s chipper gloss.
-
Chicago Tribune
There’s a snappy single album of sharp pop music tucked inside the two “20/20 Experience” bookends, but it’ll take listeners some work to find it.
-
Tiny Mix Tapes
Pared down and stripped to its primal rudiments, the latest Timberlake saga could have been something truly epic; instead, it just feels unnecessarily immense.
-
Indie London
It’s a really strong collection of songs to bolster an already hugely enjoyable 20/20 Experience.
-
BBC
Unfortunately, most of 20/20 falls into a rut; it sets the mood, but then fails to create tension.
-
The Star
2 of 2 provides slightly more nutrition than the first 20/20 Experience.
-
Pop Matters
Part Two works despite its eyes being bigger than its stomach
-
Entertainment Weekly
Apparently the producer saved his haymakers for round 2, because he’s in full classic-Timba mode here.
-
Golden Plec
This is bloated and self-indulgent in the extreme.
-
Cosmopolitan
Brave, infectious and very, very sexy. He's come a long way from The Mickey Mouse Club.
-
Rock on Philly
The sexy level is definitely turned up on this album. I would play this album on repeat for days.
-
Daily Bruin
He’s evoking as much glamour and groove as he has been for the last year, but the inside feels lackluster and worn from the exposure.
-
Love Is Pop
the good songs on 2 of 2 are superb enough that they outweigh the clutter and bloat of the songs that either overstay their welcome or just don’t quite go anywhere to begin with.
-
Thomas Bleach
‘The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2’ is stronger than the first instalment of this album series and see’s Timberlake showing different sides to him and the way he sings.
-
Chicago Tribune
From an artistic standpoint, though, there is no reason for “Part 2.” Justin hasn’t done anything new from “Part 1” and in fact has backtracked into a sonic rut.
-
Entertainment Focus
The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 is a solid record but it doesn’t offer anything particularly new.
-
CHARGED.fm
Overall, this album is one that people should own, even if they don't own the first part of "The 20/20 Experience." It sounds nothing like the first, and it has its own unique sound.
-
Unsung Sundays
It might not be as strong as The 20/20 Experience: Part 1, but it doesn’t need to be. Even when Timberlake isn’t blowing us away with songs like Mirrors, he’s putting our R&B-influenced tracks that blow his peers out of the water.
-
News OK
That puts “2 of 2” at roughly a 50 percent effectiveness rate, where its predecessor was as close to perfect as Timberlake has ever gotten in his career.
-
Little By Listen
Like Part 1, these songs all revolve around simple and repetitive melodies, but unlike Part 1, these melodies are simply no good.
-
Renowned for Sound
exhausting to listen to – because you get so involved in all of the tracks – from the sizzling full-fledged urban songs, to the unexpected expressive middle of the album to the calming, blissful ending.
-
Royal Purple
It was an enjoyable record and one of my personal favorites from Timberlake.
-
West Side Story
JT has once again carefully constructed a masterpiece.
-
Metro
it’s torn between visionary ambition and throwback effects.
-
Unsung Sundays
It might not be as strong as The 20/20 Experience: Part 1, but it doesn’t need to be. Even when Timberlake isn’t blowing us away with songs like Mirrors, he’s putting our R&B-influenced tracks that blow his peers out of the water.
-
Nicholas Hautman
Fortunately, the upbeat, experimental second installment takes listeners back to the Timberlake that we’ve all grown to love.
-
What Culture
Overall, Justin did a wonderful job with this album.
-
Graeme O'Neil
a stunning album that’s a perfect companion to his earlier release.
-
The GW Hatchet
Part two is creative, fun, and doesn’t feel overshadowed by its successful predecessor.
-
Spectrum Pulse
That being said, there is some quality and variety on this album, and Justin Timberlake, despite all of my issues with the man, is an incredibly skilled performer and it saves this album from being a complete disaster.
-
The Front Row Report
If you’re looking to throw an album on and dance to it at the club, at a wedding, or with your sweetie somewhere private this is for you.
-
Alert the Press
Never flat or predictable, this album is a solid companion to its successor, and is sure to rock your world.
-
Fortitude Magazine
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.
-
Panit Northwest
This one has all of the markings of a typical JT album with producer Timbaland pulling from the same bag of tricks he’s used countless times before.
-
The Sault Star
The vibe this time is sexier, more primal and urgent; the beats pump a little harder, the grooves dig a little deeper, the bpms pulse a little faster.
-
The Record News
does its best to recapture the magic of part 1, but by extending the tracks this long many selections quickly transition from fresh and new to filler material.
-
SQ Magazine
‘2 of 2’ unfortunately feels more often than not like an over-indulgence from the very start even if the music found is exceptional in its production and composition.
-
The Ithacan
“The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2” has a completely different sound than its jazzy predecessor, with more synthesizers and explicit tracks, but it falls short of topping it.
-
Snippets
20/20 Experience – 2/2 has its moments, but most of the album falls flat.
-
youknowigotsoul.com
even on his worst day Justin is light-years ahead of his peers. The production is too strong. The energy is too infectious.
-
The Filtered Lens
It’s bold, it’s ambitious and it’s good enough to be a very entertaining pop album.
-
Yahoo!
"2 of 2" doesn't challenge enough, and we want and expect more from one of music's best all-around entertainers.
-
Spotlight Report
the album is a showcase of both the combination of music and the versatility in Justin Timberlake’s repertoire.
-
Potholes in My Blog
well-intentioned but tragically forgettable, perhaps the most forgettable piece of work in Timberlake’s career.
-
Hypersonic 55
while it may not be Justin Timberlake’s best work it is damn good effort.
-
The Guardian
At its best, part two of Justin Timberlake's comeback bid is a tight, tongue-in-cheek affair.
-
Paste Magazine
2 of 2 takes grooves deeper, lyrics freakier, the format hotter
-
entertainment.ie
JT wasn't looking to retread old ground whatsoever and that's what makes The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2 so refreshing
-
Spin
2 of 2 is most certainly a funky record, but it’s hardly a deeply soulful one. That’s not a distinction without a difference.
-
Alligator
The album is a mix of genres, but it is not mixed enough to be completely incoherent.
-
USA Today
Timberlake luxuriates in his grooves, allowing himself the time to toy with them, break them down, then reconstruct them.
-
Chick Advisor
a good album.
-
Newsday
It's a very long ride, but in the end, it's worth the trip.
-
Officially Diva
The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 represent what’s truly missing in music, which is classic R&B and pop music.
-
Stereogum
It’s an album of lush, expansive, indulgent love songs.
Rate This Album and Leave Your Comments