Timbaland – Shock Value Review

There are producers and then there are the uber producers. Y’know the guys…the ones who’s names are shouted out the most and their beats transcend the actual song or heck, the artist that is actually supposed to be featured on the song. There are only a handful of them, guys such as The Neptunes, Rick Rubin, Dr. Dre and Timbaland.

In case you haven’t heard of Timothy Mosley, he’s the guy that produced, oh, about half the songs on heavy rotation at every radio station. Justin Timberlake’s My Love featured Timbaland’s ridiculous synth-crescendo beat and Nelly Furtado’s casual sex romp Promiscuous was sung over Timbaland’s hide-and-seek loops. These were only two of the tracks from two of the top albums of the year which were mostly produced by Timbaland in addition to tracks here and there with other artists like Omarion, The Pussycat Dolls and Redman.

Timbaland’s beats have always been creatively stunning. Think Missy Elliott’s Get Ur Freak On and, possibly the best rap beat of…at least the last ten years, Jay-Z’s Dirt Off Your Shoulder. He turns synthesizers, drum kits and weird samples into an art form so you can imagine the excitement and anticipation surrounding his own solo album, Shock Value.

I must say I wasn’t impressed with the first single, Give It To Me featuring Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado. The haunted house/jungle fever beat was interesting enough but it paled in comparison to more inspired compositions from the aforementioned songs. All the vocals also seemed like they might be an afterthought, like they were added after Timbaland remembered this track needed people singing. It’s a good enough club track and gets the ladies to pop their booties but you expect more from a virtuoso.

However, I was pleasantly surprised that Timbaland left the really good material for his next singles. While a few of the tracks are good, there are some outstanding…stand-outs.

Way I Am is destined to be the next new single and is everything that Give It To Me should’ve been. The beat is epic. It starts high and only gets higher…a suitable companion to Justin Timberlake’s My Love, beatwise. The beat just makes your ass want to move. The lyrics are forgettable but the delivery is perfect, similar to Timbaland’s collaboration with Furtado on Promiscuous but while Furtado’s track oozes with seduction and sex, Way I Are is all about power and swagger. Expect this to be playing at every club and out of everyone’s car stereo. It’s a guaranteed #1.

The other stand-out for me is his track with The Hives, a Swedish band known for their high energy performances which pack more insanity into half an hour than most other artists get in three. The track Throw It On Me is no different. It’s a high energy rock blitzkrieg that just barely lasts two minutes but will have you sweating if they ever play it at the club. Timbaland does his best Busta Rhymes impression while Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist growls the chorus. It’s a sort of song that kicks down the hotel room door and doesn’t stop thrashing around until it’s smashed all the mirrors and thrown all the TVs out the window.

If The Hives weren’t unlikely a collaborator enough, Timbaland also has a track on Shock Value with poster-emos, Fall Out Boy. Just as he made Throw It On Me sound like a song The Hives would, in fact, do, Timbaland brings out his inner Fall Out Boy and manages to make One and Only not unlike This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race. It’s not as good of a song as the other two I’ve mentioned so far but I’m almost sure this will also be a big hit since it crosses genre borders. However, it is too much Fall Out Boy and not enough Timbaland for me.

The much anticipated track with Elton John was a bit of a disappointment since Sir Elton simply plays the piano and does absolutely no singing. It’s probably one of the weakest songs of the album, if not the weakest.

There are other great tracks but since this is album isn’t supposed to be released until April 3rd and this post is getting a bit long, I’m going to leave the rest of the details. I will say this though: there are some tracks that just seem…over-produced, like Timbaland was really straining himself to come up with something truly original and then just dwelled too long on the details. However, his attention to detail and creativity have been good to him in the past so while there are two or three forgettable tracks, the album is pretty solid and sure to receive heavy radio play this summer.

Oh, I guess I should mention that I did in fact get Shock Value from a torrent site on the 21st and I intend on purchasing an actual copy when it’s released. If only I could just mail Timbaland my $15 rather than giving the evil RIAA my hard earned cash.

Conclusion:

If you’re looking for introspective, intelligent rhymes, political statements, or social commentary, you won’t find any of that here. Let’s get it straight: the beats are the real stars of this album. You won’t find any memorable lyrics or in-depth storytelling here but if all you want to do is shake your ass, then Timbaland is one of the best in the biz. This is the summer blockbuster or the sweeps reality show. Check your brain at the door and move that booty.

in Entertainment