Timbaland presents Shock Value II
by Tysa Banks
Let’s be honest, Timbaland (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter) has been bringing us beat after beat for years now and Shock Value II is just another fine addition to his collection. Some people may say that since Aaliyah passing, Timbaland hasn’t been quite the same. Those people would be right I believe, as even Timbaland himself admits he lost most of his creativity when she died. But who could complain about his creativity with Timbaland working with such artists such as Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, and Chad Kroeger. These are only three of the well known artists on his new album, Shock Value II.
Justin starts the album out with a flirty warm up song, “Carryout” in which he gives takeout (from a restaurant) a whole new meaning. Katy Perry is fantastic as usual in “If We Ever Meet Again,”it almost has a Black Eyed Peas kind of flow to it. I don’t think Timbaland would mind being compared to the Grammy winners, but the song leaves you beaming from ear to ear with it’s joyful tone. JoJo does her own flirting in “Lose Control,” and her strong and underrated voice harmonizes very well with Timbaland’s.
Surprising on this album is the last song, “Timothy Where Have You Been.” Perhaps the most sentimental song on the album, Timbaland gets honest with us and pours his heart out about his past. He teams up with the calming voice of Nic Cester from Jet and soothing background vocals from JoJo. Actually, I take back the surprise I just stated and instead pick “Meet in the Middle” as the most shocking song on the album, as I had no idea that the talented singer Brandy (Norwood) had debuted just this year with her rapper alter-ego Brand’ Nu. Believe it or not, she is actually a decent rapper! I was amazed just listening to her break it down plus provide background vocals. Timbaland really knows how to bring out the best in every artist he comes in contact with. He continues to work his magic in “Undertow,” in which he combines the voice of The Fray and Esthero together into perfect harmony.
It’s hard to imagine that a predominately rap and hip hop artist can mix together songs with completely different artists with varying styles together to make such a unique sound and beat. It’s astonishing. I suppose that is the reason why the title is Shock Value II. Timbaland is brilliant at bringing the hip hop out of people. According to him, we all have a little rhythm in us. Thanks to his latest release, he has peeked my interest in Eshtero now, among others. This is what he’s good at is bringing unheard of artists into the light while simultaneously showing off well known artists in a different light. It’s quite intriguing to hear a different style from an artist we are used to hearing in their signature style. Does this album produce a lot of Grammy worthy tracks? Maybe not and perhaps it’s not as good as his prequel, Shock Value. Some may even think of it as amateur in comparison but is it fun to listen to? Absolutely. Give Shock Value II a listen. It serves its purpose.
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