While
Justin Timberlake and
Nelly Furtado spent a good part of 2006 blowing up the charts with their amazingly produced hit singles,
Timbaland actually saved the great stuff for himself&well, almost. His new solo album,
Shock Value is really a collabo-packed record with perfect production and genre-crossing chart toppers.
Hit single, "Give It To Me" featuring Justin and Nelly is already burning up top 40 radio stations. The song is basically a diss single (in case you're wondering, Timbo's throwing jabs at Scott Storch, who produced Justin's "Cry Me A River"). But Timbaland doesn't need to verbally boast to prove he is one of hip-hop's finest -- his beats tell the story itself.
Timbaland hooks up with newcomer Keri Hilson on "Way I Are." Lyrically, the song is a "Promiscuous"-like back-and-forth between the two, and musically, Timbaland combines heavy bass lines and synthesizers for a club beat that will have everyone dancing. Another great dance track is "Bounce," where longtime friend and producer, Missy Elliot comes back to team up with Timbaland. Missy even throws in a small reference to Britney Spears, which kind of makes you giggle ("Hold up! Hell no/Like Britney Spears out with no draws/In the club I drink it up").
Cutting in splices of Kurtis Blow's classic "The Breaks," Timbaland's partner-in-crime Magoo returns in "Boardmeeting." The team manages to use a slow clap and hyped up synthesizers to create a sliding dance beat. The song leads perfectly into the next track "Fantasy" -- a Ciara-esque pop song.
