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JennYTimbaland - Shock Value 2 Album Review
March 1st 2010 21:48
Release date: December 4, 2009
Genre: hip hop, pop, soft rock, dance
Length: 73:16
Label: Blackground / Mosley Music
After the hugely successful Shock Value, it wasn't surprising to see Timbaland come back with a sequel with even more mainstream guests such as Miley Cyrus, Brandy, Daughtry, and Chad Kroeger. Will that mainstream-friendly cocktail prove even more successful than the first one? Read on to find out.
Shock Value 2 opens with a great Intro (with DJ Felli Fel). The track is less than a minute long but still makes you want to stand up and dance.
The great beat continues into Carry Out which features Justin Timberlake. The track abuses the Auto-Tune effect but after a couple of listens, it is barely noticeable since it fits well with the beat.
Lose Control (featuring JoJo) is in the same vein as Carry Out. Once again, the Auto-Tune takes care of Timbo's voice while the beat keeps banging in the background. I didn't really like this track mostly due to JoJo's high-pitched voice in the chorus. It becomes quite annoying after a couple of listens.
Meet In tha Middle, featuring Bran'Nu (Brandy's alter-ego), is a nice hip hop song. The beat is solid, in tune with Timbo's sound of the past three years. It was the first time I heard Brandy rap, and it wasn't too bad. Good track.
Listening to Say Something, I still don't see the big deal with young sensation Drake. To me, it seems like he doesn't know if he should go the Chris Brown way or simply focus on his rap. I'm afraid he'll end up just like Bow Wow (remember him?) - a kid with great potential who became a candy-pop rapper. As for the song itself, the beat didn't really sync with Drake's singing and Timbo's rapping. Timbaland's part gets better after a couple of listens but this is just another average track.
When I read that Tomorrow In The Bottle featured Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, I was skeptical but willing to give it a chance considering Timbaland's superb remix of OneRepublic's Apologize in Shock Value I. At first listen, Tomorrow In The Bottle is a mess. Timbaland's Auto-tuned voice doesn't mesh with the beat and Kroeger tries to do as much as he can with a musical style that doesn't suit him. Sebastian's part keeps the song from being a total embarrassment and Kroeger's part sounded better at the end when most of the instrumental was muted down.
We Belong to the Music (with Miley Cyrus) is one of those happy-go-lucky songs that you either love or hate. I personally found it too Disney-ish despite some suggestive lyrics. The chorus was rather weak as opposed to the verses on which Miley did a great job (with the computer's help of course). Timbaland was mostly invisible on this track coming in only during the intro and the bridge.
The first single, Morning After Dark (with Nelly Furtado & SoShy), is exactly what I expected to hear on this album a bonafide club hit. It felt like a sped up version of Give It To Me on Timbo's Shock Value I.
If We Ever Meet Again (with Katy Perry) felt a lot like We Belong to the Music. Personally, I didn't really like it. The guitar riff at the beginning was very promising but it got ruined by the beatboxing in the background and the chorus. The verses were alright. I suppose it would make for a good club track.
Can You Feel It (with Esthero & Sebastian) is another great club track. Esthero does a great job, it's like she blends in perfectly with the music. I recommend listening to this track and most of the album for that matter with headphones on. It's truly a different experience from basic speakers.
Ease Off the Liquor has a similar sound to most of the tracks so far. The album is starting to get a bit repetitive music-wise but the Spanish instrumental from the bridge to the end brings a nice breath of fresh air.
After Timbaland's excellent work on OneRepublic's Apologize on the first Shock Value, I couldn't wait to hear the rock part of Shock Value 2. It begins well with Undertow, a piano-driven ballad featuring The Fray and Esthero. Timbaland gets the first verse here but it's Esthero who steals the show once again. Isaac Slade is also great, his voice is perfect for the chorus.
Jet's Timothy has always been my favorite song from their debut album Get Born. On Timothy Where You Been, Timbaland uses only the original's song chorus in a track about his achievements, much like Dr. Dre's classic Still D.R.E. Although I was disappointed by the track, the instrumental was pretty good.
Long Way Down (featuring Daughtry) is a decent song. It doesn't really stand out but it's not bad either. Just a filler track.
Marchin On (Timbo Version) (featuring OneRepublic) is probably the second-best rock collaboration of the album after Undertow. Another hit for the Timbaland-OneRepublic team.
When I looked at the guests featuring on The One I Love (Keri Hilson & D.O.E.), I expected another The Way I Are but was sorely disappointed. The track was underwhelming on every level as if everyone was simply going through the motions.
The album concludes with Symphony (featuring Attitude, Bran'Nu & D.O.E) which is basically a rap song, tailor-made for listening all the way up when driving around town. Brandy is the track's weakest link but gets the job done. Symphony ends the album on a high note after the tepid affair that was The One I Love.
In the end, Shock Value 2 is exactly what it says it is the sequel to Shock Value I. The sound is the same, the guests are the same with a couple of new additions. Musically, the album is good if a bit repetitive - with a couple of misses here and there. Lyrically, it's all very superficial, but I doubt Timbaland fans were expecting something deep out of this record. My final score is 3.25/5. Good enough to bump in the car or at parties but I wouldn't listen to it every day.
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