Given this astronomical success, you can imagine the excitement of major-label executives when Timbaland announced his first solo disc in nearly a decade. Not only does the disc feature his incredibly popular beats, but there's also an all-star cast of guest vocalists. Everybody from 50 Cent to M.I.A. to Justin Timberlake to Fall Out Boy to Nelly Furtado to The Hives to Elton John was willing to spit on his tracks. Holy shit! Is Top 40 radio ready for this?!
Indeed, when it comes to popular music, Timbaland Presents: Shock Value delivers on its promise. Almost every last one of Tim's latest tracks could, conceivably, be a hit. Were the album's tracks divided into individual singles and slowly released over the course of the next two years, it's likely that almost all would worm their way into the Billboard 100.
Listening to all these songs at once, however, deadens their individual impact. At first listen, it's difficult to tell one song apart from the next -- Timbaland's consistent musical aesthetic makes each track sound much like the last. This is particularly problematic in the case of Shock Value, which features no fewer than 17 tracks in a row. It may require several listens for one to appreciate each track's individual strengths and weaknesses. Luckily, such efforts are worth it. Shock Value finds Timbaland's production skills to be in top form.
There isn't a weak beat to be found on Shock Value, though some songs will certainly stand out from the pack. "Way I Are," in spite of its atrocious grammar, is easily one of the most danceable songs released so far this year. Advance single "Give It to Me" showcases one of Timbaland's most seductive club beats to date. "Bombay" is an excellent and surprisingly successful fusion of traditional Indian music and slick hip-hop. "Apologize" is an oddly compelling combination of melodramatic Coldplay-pop melody and a catchy R&B rhythm section. "Bounce" is a fuzzy power-bass monster that will doubtless shatter a few dance floors in the future.
Timbaland - "The Way I Are" (feat. Keri Hilson & D.O.E.)
Still, Shock Value will never sit quite right if you take the time to listen to the lyrics. Timbaland's slick, well-realized beats do little to mask a dearth of lyrical content. No matter how good a song's production is, there is almost nothing that can mask the worthless nature of lines like "Bounce/ like your ass had the hiccups", or "I piss and take a shit on your beat for fun."
In fact, most every line in Shock Value is cringe-worthy. Timbaland seems to have nothing to talk about except sex and how endlessly awesome he is compared to everybody else. Sure, it's great to hear Justin Timberlake stutter, "If sexy never left/ then why's everybody on my shit?", but that single amusing line hardly compensates for the rest of the schlock that permeates Shock Value. Then again, we live in the era of "Fergalicious." These days, the message behind your music is hardly a factor in your success, and it's not going to hold a power producer like Timbaland back.
When you finish listening to the album and peel your headphones off, it becomes apparent that Shock Value is a bit of a misnomer. Timbaland's latest doesn't really shock at all. Rather, it's the kind of album that you'd come to expect from one of hip-hop's greatest connoisseurs: a collection of catchy, radio-friendly tunes. Somewhere, an Interscope executive is getting a raise.
Originally published for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2007/apr/12/a-slew-of-catchy-hits-but-little-shock-value/
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