CD Review-Timbaland-Shock Value

By Sara Pintilie/entertainment editor

Timbaland Presents Shock Value
Timbaland Presents Shock Value

Timbaland is seen as a mixed blessing in the music world.

His touch can make an artist lose his or her creative independent roots and become Top 40 material like Nelly Futado.

But that same touch can reinvent an artist and make a record gold or even platinum. This, of course, is most noticeable in Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds.

Timberlake’s album created a great preview of Timbaland’s work but Timbaland’s latest shot, Timbaland Presents Shock Value, just doesn’t deliver to its full potential.

He has some great ideas but sometimes he seems to have trouble expressing them properly.

This results in the quality of his tracks being 50-50.

With half of his songs, all the elements piece together and make an entertaining and infectious song such as “Release,” “Come and Get Me” and “One and Only.”

But the other half just fell apart to the point where it is frustrating.

For example, “Kill Yourself” starts off really creative and ear pleasing, but then the chorus just kills the song.
The mediocre half outweighs the actual decent songs.

But on a better note, his CD has a medley of guest artists. They range from his pal Timberlake to Fall Out Boy to 50 Cent to even Elton John.

The problem with this though is Timbaland, as a singer, gets pushed into the shadows, so the listener almost forgets this is his CD, which honestly, isn’t that unfortunate.

Timbaland’s latest, Shock Value is underwhelming compared to his work on other performers’ CD.
Noteworthy tracks: “Release,” “Come and Get Me”