Timberlake swings for the fences on risky, risque Filthy
First single from Man of the Woods released
So much for going country. On Tuesday, Justin Timberlake announced “Man of the Woods” — his first album in five years — with a mawkish, down-home trailer of him frolicking through fields in flannel shirts and cradling his son around a raging campfire.
The overearnest clip had many people on Twitter speculating that this was the Tennessee native’s attempt to reinvent himself as a folk troubadour in the mould of Bon Iver, and cross over into the country charts as Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga awkwardly tried last year.
That could still be his intention, although we won’t know for sure until Man is released in full Feb. 2 (two days before Timberlake headlines the Super Bowl halftime show).
But his futuristic first single, “Filthy,” which dropped early Friday morning, suggests his sights are far above the MasonDixon Line.
Co-written and produced by Timbaland and Danja, “Filthy” is a bedroom-ready slow jam as its title suggests, punctuated throughout by squalling, metallic synth warps and a thick, gloppy bass line.
Bursts of thrashing guitars and drums sporadically infiltrate the nearly five-minute track, which could easily be confused for an outtake from Timberlake’s sprawling and similarly sultry 2013 musical effort “The 20/20 Experience.”
Filthy’s accompanying music video casts the pop/R&B crooner as a Steve Jobs-esque tech giant unveiling his latest breakthrough: a dancing robot.
At first awestruck, the assembled crowd is left bewildered as the android’s moves become increasingly suggestive with female dancers, reflecting the song’s come-hither chorus of, “Go on and put your filthy hands all over me / No, this ain’t the clean version.” Corny? Yes, but it works.
Overall, Filthy is an audacious introduction to Timberlake’s next era, although we have a feeling that its jarring tempo changes and unclassifiable sound will impede its chances at top-40 radio. If anything, it feels more like a teaser than a proper single, and has us wondering what other curveballs he might throw our way on “Man in the Woods.”