Album Review: Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience

As someone 100% sure that he would not provide anything better than his last album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, I sat with it for multiple listens before giving a knee jerk reaction and had an open mind.

The 20/20 Experience is a result of artistic restlessness and being unsure of how to move forward. When you can't move forward and paint the next progressive musical picture, the easiest thing to do is pull from the past. Reworking old R&B/Soul records and adding a 2013 mainstream finish is the meat & potatoes of the album. Unfortunately, what worked for and what was so cool about the first single  "Suit & Tie" just doesn't work for 10 more tracks of the same structure and format.

I had a conversation with a friend (a big Justin fan) this morning, and she described the album as "time consuming". I think a better description is self indulgent and empty. The production on The 20/20 Experience is a lot better than some of the actual songs and melodies. The slick production gives off the appearance of something extremely grand, but behind Timberlake's glitz & glam, it's really just average. The song lengths are afterthoughts I'm sure. I'd be willing to bet the original form of the tracks, and album in general, was thin & lean. To make up for that, they added transitions to every song & overproduced it through fun (and at times retread) production quirks. I think it was actually a very insecure thing to do, and to some degree it's a little desperate in trying to make every song eventful. There's a lot of polish here, but the polish is see through. When all else fails, beatbox and add in a couple 808's for 2 more minutes I guess.

With all that being said, I think it's a decent effort. The songs that standout are "Don't Hold The Wall' and "Strawberry Bubblegum".

“Everything in our life, every person in our life…every relationship…everything is there for a reason and when you really pay attention, there’s certain little clues we get; it’s so crystal clear what the next step is. It’s like a puzzle; everything is in it right place and as we grow, we take the next step, the dots get connected and eventually we become what we’re supposed to be.” - Beyoncé Knowles

Something that I am realizing more and more each and everyday.

So I decided to take a personality test...

My Results:

Paranoid 78%

Schizoid 38%
Schizotypal 62%
Antisocial 26%
Borderline 30%
Histrionic 18%
Narcissistic 18%
Avoidant 86%
Dependent 46%
Obsessive-Compulsive 42%

Eccentric Personality Disorders: Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal

Individuals with these disorders often appear odd or peculiar.

Paranoid Personality Disorder - individual generally tends to interpret the actions of others as threatening; preoccupied with suspiciousness/paranoia. They are stuck between their need for others and their mistrust of others.

Schizoid Personality Disorder - individual generally detached from social relationships, and shows a narrow range of emotional expression in various social settings; emotional zombies who stopped feeling due to trauma(s) and/or can't feel due to organic depression.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder - individual is uncomfortable in close relationships, has thought or perceptual distortions, and peculiarities of behavior; preoccupied with seeing themselves and/or the world as strange/odd.

Dramatic Personality Disorders: Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, and Narcissistic

Individuals with these disorders have intense, unstable emotions, distorted self-perception, and/or behavioral impulsiveness.

Antisocial Personality Disorder - individual shows a pervasive disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others; Preoccupied with disdain/contempt for others and often a need for control/power over others.

Borderline Personality Disorder - individual shows a generalized pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and observable emotions, and significant impulsiveness. Core issue is an inability to regulate emotions.

Histrionic Personality Disorder - individual often displays excessive emotionality and attention seeking in various contexts. They tend to overreact to other people, and are often perceived as shallow and self-centered. Core issue is attention addiction.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder - individual has a grandiose view of themselves, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy that begins by early adulthood and is present in various situations. These individuals are very demanding in their relationships. Core issue is entitlement.

Anxious Personality Disorders: Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive-Compulsive

Individuals with these disorders often appear anxious or fearful.

Avoidant Personality Disorder - individual is socially inhibited, feels inadequate, and is oversensitive to criticism. Core issue is an inability to resolve their codependent need for connection with their codependent fear of rejection and/or discomfort/anxiety around others.

Dependent Personality Disorder - individual shows an extreme need to be taken care of that leads to fears of separation, and passive and clinging behavior. Core issue is the need to be parented by others (i.e. avoid growing up / becoming self-sufficient).

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder - individual is preoccupied with orderliness, perfectionism, and control at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency. Core issue is mental and behavioral rigidity/inflexibility.

After taking it, I was confused at what the results said about my personality and took my results to my Psych professor. She said to me, "Looks like you're afraid of being betrayed and don't trust people because you're afraid of opening up to people and showing your real side because you're afraid they'll judge you and it upsets you because you're a really nice person but just paranoid at the thought of rejection in general."

I was actually freaked out about the accuracy of her statement and it made me take more in depth look of things discuss in class and apply it to myself. Seems like a lot of my decisions/actions comes from the kind of relationship with my parents. Looking at the Ainsworth theory, I was an insecure/anxious child due to the fact that I did not have a close relationship with my mother. This caused me to grow up and not properly develop trust, due to the avoiding relationship I had with my caregiver. 

I know there is more to discover, but as I learn more and become closer to the core of my issues I am starting to gain a better sense of self.

Sometimes when there is no one to talk to, I record myself talking aloud so that I can get all my thoughts out and try to figure out the issues that I’m having and try to find the answers.


I've had some of my best "Ah Ha" moments by taking this approach.

I love dry humor (The Office, Parks and Recreation) and a lot of people I know are more in your face, tell a joke people so most of things I do they don't really get. It's vice verse though because I don't like in your face, on the surface humor so most jokes people make, I'm like, "Oh."

There's a twisted comfort in self-imposed alienation. You say how much people don't understand, but you really don't want them to. I guess it's because when you're completely understood by society, then society's rules/standards apply to you. Maybe. Meh. I don't know.

I just don't know. Some people just try so hard to be different. Being misunderstood is trendy.

Random Thought

It’s a fascinating thing, the person you become when you die. No matter how eventful and full your life was all that matters is the fact that you’r gone. You’re a tombstone now. How you died is the most notable or memorable thing you did, or what anybody talks about. Even if people reflect on the highlights of your life, it’s always gotta end with some depressing statement like “they were gone too soon”, “I can’t believe there gone”, “too bad they’re not here anymore, or “where were you when you got the news?”