Justin Timberlake: Out Of SYNC, Or Timber-Fake?

Roger Friedman of FoxNews.com was on hand for Justin Timberlake’s gig at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City after the MTV Video Music Awards last Thursday, but wasn’t impressed with the former *NSYNC star’s new material on ‘FutureSex/LoveSounds’. “Like Beyonce’s ‘B’Day’ and Jessica Simpson’s ‘A Public Affair’, this new album by a contemporary pop singer sounds like it was made in some distant corporate factory full of pounding beats and pre-ordered screeching,” he writes, even as Timberlake’s ‘SexyBack’ sits atop the US and UK singles charts. “The songs, like the ones that were cited on Wednesday at BMI’s Urban Awards, were written by committees. Justin also has the disadvantage of trying to appear as a musician rather than simply a singer. This is too bad, because his voice is terrific. He’s developed a really great R&B falsetto, supple enough to take on a couple of well-arranged Philly soul-like numbers and match the vivid rhythm section of his tight, well-constructed 12-piece band. But he tries too hard, simulating keyboard playing that feels unconvincing, considering that two more players are hidden in the dark confines of the band.” Read more.