Heres a story about Justin Timberlake almost crying that will make you smile.
But this time, the superstar came with an unusual warning.
And hisWoodscollaborators arent worried about the albums appeal thanks to songs like the bubbly title track.
Credit: Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock; Inset: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
When you play it, it just gets into your system, Pharrell Williams says of the LP.
I cant wait to get out there and see [it on tour].
Can you imagine 50,000 people singing the hook to Man of the Woods?
Its gonna be lit.
Timberlake hardly set out to reinvent himself for the follow-up to 2013s two-partThe 20/20 Experience.
In fact, he turned to familiar faces, including longtime collaborator Timbaland, and offered few guidelines.
I actually asked him, What are we doing?
says producer Danja, who worked on 2006sFutureSex/LoveSounds.
And he just raised his arms up in the air and was like, This is it.
He had flannel on, some jeans, some sneakers.
He had a beard.
I pretty much understood from that.
When he told me his sons name, I was like, What does that mean?
He said, Man of the woods, and we just knew thats where it was going to go.
It was all about feeling good and using different textures to make people dance.
His willingness to open up lyrically is why we got what we got, Williams adds.
A familial atmosphere characterized the recording process, as the producers typically worked out of the same studio complex.
He would [often] already have been there writing and recording in another room, Danja says.
He was outdoing us.
So far, fans seem ready to embrace Timberlakes new style.
The funky lead single Filthy debuted at No.
Besides, theres precedent for maybe needing a minute to digest new Timberlake music.
But we figured, Hey, its JT, lets give it a shot.'
