Get Lucky, just to be clear, is not a One More Time or even an Around The World. Rather, it tries to make a mark on its own in a time when EDM tracks, characterized by those dubstep breakdowns, have dominated the scene. Get Lucky is decent that has this fascinating guitar riff by Nile Rodgers. Pharrell’s vocals provide a great touch, I have to say. They are simple and do not overpower the delightful instrumental. The beginning does not actually sound like a typical Daft Punk track but rather a disco track that is not cooked with EDM elements. The dynamic droid duo only comes in toward the latter part of the song with their ”We’re up all night to get lucky” bit. It is a clear departure from previous sounds and I actually welcome it. Initially though, I have this track pegged at 2.5/5 but as the play count continued rising, the rating eventually rose. It is a simple Daft Punk track that still manages to evoke positive feelings into the curious listener. It may not be a One More Time but it still provides fun. It still must be said that Get Lucky just does not match the richness of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger but still, what a comeback.

Mirrors

I guess the reason why Suit & Tie disappointed big time would be that Justin took a long hiatus and came back with that. It felt like a thunderous slap on the faces of people who were eagerly awaiting his comeback… the comeback that should have refreshed the industry. Thank goodness though for Mirrors. All the disappointment that came in Suit & Tie immediately washed away.

Clocking at 8 minutes and 6 seconds (yes, it is longer than What Goes Around), Mirrors takes you on a relaxing albeit long listening journey that you thought will be over by 5-minute mark though the song keeps going on. The good side in this is that it gives you the opportunity to listen to a great Justin Timberlake track for a long time. The bad side though is that some parts of the track are actually skippable parts. Still, that should not stop you from enjoying a track that is definitely some miles ahead of Suit & Tie. Thank you, Justin for finally delivering a track that makes abusing the replay button feel so liberating.

The problem with this post not getting published right away would be that honestly, I listened to Wildest Moments a lot before moving on to the other tracks of the album. In all honesty though, Devotion is one delicious effort that surely should brighten Jessie Ware’s prospects of becoming an established pop musician.

The title track has some jumpy percussions to boot as well as some carefully picked guitar sounds. Storytelling-wise, the subject matter may be as typical as ever but it is done in a convincing manner. The story basically concerns two lovers who had a sizzling romance before the romance starts to disintegrate slowly. Meanwhile, the best track of the album (yes, I am saying it this early), arguably of course, would be Wildest Moments. For people who have accustomed themselves to the sounds provided by the one and only Adele, Wildest Moments will surely be their so-called cup of tea. It is a well-crafted ballad that has some stinging drum beats to boot. Again, romance is clearly the subject matter with Ware singing “Baby, in our wildest moments, we could be the greatest / Baby, in our wildest moments, we could be the worst of all.” A convincing display of emotion is obviously present.

Another soulful track will get the hearts of the ballad-loving folk jumping. Taking In Water is as stunning as it gets. Backed by choir-esque “Woah-oh-oh”, the ballad showcases the proper way of conveying those emotions. It reminds me so much of Adele minus the belting of those high notes. This track effectively displays the right way of controlling yourself in a song. What’s glaring here is Ware does not resort to those high note theatrics and instead settles for a smoother rendition of her tracks and this actually works.

Sweet Talk may not have those stinging percussions from Wildest Moments but it still does not fail to charm the listener. The keyboard sound of the track reminded me of music coming from the 80s especially Carl Carlton’s cover of Baby I Need Your Loving (weird, I know). Rousing strings kick off Night Light and the track even is backed by the funky yet lovely bass line. The track has that  sing-along-able quality that people will surely love.

110% is quite different from most of the offerings in the album but happens to be one of my favorites. The “Still dancing on my own” lyric may remind you of Robyn and that is absolutely fine. The track is, in a word, refreshing. It enables you to take a break from the slow-paced offerings of the album.

After listening to the album, I guess I now know why people have been giving Jessie Ware those insane amounts of praises. Devotion is in a class of its own. The songwriting and storytelling are superb. Devotion is definitely one of Jessie’s finest moments as a musician (lazy attempt at a pun but there you go). It definitely is one of those gems that end up putting your assumptions to shame after thinking you never thought it will be a gem. In my case, I just happened to give it a chance simply because of seeing Wildest Moments on YouTube. Boy, I never regret doing such after listening to it in its entirety.

Best Track: Wildest Moments
Also Listen To: Devotion, Running, 110%, and Taking In Water

Say it again.

Justin Timberlake has a new single.

That should do it.

Suit & Tie, however, is not SexyBack. It is not Rock Your Body either. The point is it is not like Justin’s previous singles. It does not exactly mean that Suit & Tie is a better single than the aforementioned tracks though. What matters is Justin Timberlake is back with new solo material.

Is that all that matters though? By the looks of Suit & Tie, it seems like it. Suit & Tie is not a revolutionary pop track that is going to set the world on fire. It is far from that. Sadly, this new offering from Timberlake is boring and sounds even dated. The beat is decent but after a few listens, it gets tiring and the listening experience suffers as a result. For people who expected a lot from this ‘comeback,’ be prepared to feel disappointment.

Timbaland’s presence was totally unnecessary. Jay-Z’s presence, though welcomed by yours truly, also feels a bit unnecessary. Most likely, the names are there so that more listeners will tune in and subsequently, buy the track. Expect it to rank high in the charts because for God’s sake, this is Justin Timberlake.

Again, Suit & Tie is not a good pop track. This is more of an “Allow me to re-introduce myself” track from Timberlake and I guess things will be better soon. Disappointing? Sure. Mediocre at best? Yes.

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