Arch-Angel Timberland

The cherubs are wrapped in white, clicking fingers, snapping shoulders, popping hips and beat-boxing. Arch-Angel Timberland is spinning the heavenly turntables and Justin fronts the mystical choir. God smiles on them, and the angels dance. The musical revolution that is the Timber Team seems blessed by the skies. With the stylishly ethereal production, video clips graced by the Queen of the Heavens, Scarlet Johannason and almost ethereal beats, Justin has graduation from pop mediocrity. He gave us a new form of love song; he gave us a new reason to pause on MTV, as our eyes glaze over the cinematographic glory that is What Goes Around. Early century circus freaks turn fiery hula-hoops in the background of a glittering, candle-lit mansion. We watch Justin and Scarlet fall in love. We watch her cheat. And we watch the sharp teeth of Karma bite mythological scarlet woman and she falls to her death in an exploding car. Well, yeah. The bitch cheated on him.

It’s an epic video clip. A nine minute mini-drama of love, betrayal and explosions. You can even forgive the interludes of awkward acting because the thing just looks so delicious. Justin has always had talent. He’s a smooth dancer, sings like an angel and performs with an understated sex appeal that seeps into his music. He started, as so many other musical bigwigs, as a Memphis child. He did his stint at the Mickey Mouse Club and then joined boyband N’ Sync in the nineties. After the group broke up, Justin teamed up with Timberland to produce his solo debut album, Justified, in 2002. The album did well, of course. Justin can always rely on his fan girls for sales. He bitched about Britney in Cry Me A River, did the Latino dance thing in Señorita and mimicked Michael Jackson in disco inspired Rock Your Body. He took a few years off after Justified, played golf, appeared in a few movies. And then, one day while jamming in the studio with Timberland in co., trying to come up with something distinctive and new for the radio, they stumbled across a guitar riff that would snowball into What Goes Around. The song spurned the innovative ‘FutureLove/SexSounds’, released in 2006. It’s a thrilling mix of sophisticated dance tracks, love/pop songs and R&B twists- and there’s nothing quite like it on the charts. Timberland has reached a godly status as a producer, and Justin is, well, he’s bringing sexy back.

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