‘Suit and Tie’: Lacking

After a six-year musical hiatus, Justin Timberlake hit the studio and is bringing sexy back yet again. His newest single, “Suit and Tie,” dropped Monday, and it has quickly shot up to the number one spot on the iTunes top singles chart. The Timbaland produced track features a verse by rapper Jay-Z. After keeping fans waiting for something new, there was much hype and high expectations surrounding the new single, and, unfortunately, it seems that JT’s latest efforts have fallen a little flat.

Don’t get me wrong, “Suit and Tie” isn’t necessarily a bad song. I won’t immediately flip the channel when it comes on like I did with some of the top charting tracks from this past year, such as “Gangham Style” or anything by LMFAO. I’m just disappointed because I expected much more from Mr. Timberlake.

Lyrically this song just confuses me. The intro sounds like something that could have come straight from a Lonely Island song, and the remainder does not do much to redeem its opening moments. Any time an artist refers to himself as “daddy,” I cannot help but get incredibly uncomfortable. His characteristic falsetto voice sounds on point throughout, but I wish the lyrics had more substance.

Not only did Justin disappoint, but I was also let down with Jay-Z’s verse on the track. I know he can kill it; I’ve heard his music. I just felt like his verse was pretty average, considering the past work of this rap veteran.

I have to give props to Timbaland from a production aspect for the song. Per its name, the instrumental portion of the track seemed to embody the classiness of a tuxedo, complete with a horn section. There is a lot of variety to the sound, and it has a cohesiveness that doesn’t leave listeners feeling confused.

Like I said, it is not a bad song, but it is just not up to par with the standards that the artist has set for himself. It is mediocre, and left me wanting something more. Here is hoping that the next single is better than this one.