Timbaland

Timbaland
Shock Value


Timbaland deserves to be cut some slack. Being the undisputed working top producer in music (yes, music--not just hip-hop/R&B), he reinvents pop's sonic territory every other month, and has been doing so for oh, about a decade. Check the record: His collabos go from Justin Timberlake (FutureSex/LoveSounds) and Jay-Z ("Big Pimpin'," "Dirt Off Your Shoulder," etc.) to Nelly Furtado ("Promiscuous") and Bjork (her upcoming album Volta) without a hitch or glitch, always retaining his signature sound. Timbaland's worldwide appeal is so hardwired into our consciousness that it's easy to forget that he was once just a "beat-maker" for Missy Elliott--and of course, he has always been much more that just that. He's so overrated that he's underrated and back again.

And that brings us to the main problem of Shock Value: Nothing is shocking. It's the Timbaland you know and love letting loose in the studio with his A-List pals. Everybody and their mother knows that he can one day create a groundbreaking operetta (hip-hoperetta?) that will change the way we look at pop albums, much like Quincy Jones golden-era work with Michael Jackson (some already say that his recent production on JT's sophomore album is a huge step in that direction).

But for now, Timbaland's strongest suit is producing high-powered singles; in this aspect Shock Value doesn't disappoint. "Give It To Me" is strength-in-numbers, with Timberlake and Furtado speaking their mind with the most infectious of melodies. "2 Man Show" is so unbelievably unexpected (a duo with Elton John where Timbaland sings, not the Crocodile Rocker) that you can't help but admire it out of sheer ballsiness. Outpacing both tracks is "Bounce," a star-studded attraction with Timberlake and Dr. Dre. It's the logical sonic step that "SexyBack" hinted at: New-wave booty bass.

As an album, it's hard to pin down Shock Value. It's much too ramshackle, scatterbrained and off-the-cuff to enjoy in one sitting. Almost every song could stand alone as a single, and the album should be listened to piecemeal for the best effect. If Shock Value has one constant, it's this: In Timbaland's wonderful world of playing the Pied Piper in multiple genres, nothing is shocking.