Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > December > 15 > Entry
CD review: Timbaland ‘Shock Value II’
Timbaland performs with SoShy at last month’s American Music Awards. Photo by the Associated Press
Timbaland
“Shock Value II”
(Blackground)
Grade: A
Before the “Shock Value” series, Timbaland never had a signature CD as a solo artist, unlike fellow superstar producers Dr. Dre and Kanye West. Producers can showcase their talent in that setting, free to unleash their creative id without compromise and look for inspiration in unlikely places. “Shock Value II” is the CD Timbaland has been building his entire career toward, the work of a great musician at the top of his game.
After more than a decade of consistent success, he doesn’t need to justify his musical decisions. “Shock Value II” reflects that - featuring everyone from Daughtry and Chad Kroeger to Miley Cyrus, the Fray, Drake and Justin Timberlake. Timbaland tweaks the music for each artist but keeps a consistent sound - a futuristic mash-up of R&B, rock, pop and rap destined to be copied endlessly.
And with such a diverse and talented guest-list, the album feels like a compilation CD of the year’s biggest hits. Nearly every song could conceivably be released as a single; in theory he could have a big hit in four different genres - rap (“Say Something”), rock (“Marching On” or “Long Way Down”), pop (“Undertow” or “Lose Control”) and R&B (“Carry Out”).
For the most part, each song celebrates a different aspect of how great he (and his guests) are. Drake pokes fun at girls from his past (“I should wanna go back to the one I started with / But I’m addicted to this life it’s gonna be hard to quit”) while Daughtry reminisces on his meteoric ascent (“I hear it’s such a long way down / And the climb back up is something I can do without”).
Timbaland serves as a unifying force, as a DJ introducing each act while occasionally delivering a rap verse. He’s nowhere near as talented on the mic as Dre and Kanye, but he doesn’t detract from the music. He doesn’t have much to say; “If you assume my life is wonderful, then y’all right” is about as introspective as he gets on “Shock Value II.” It’s an album designed to play from start to finish at a house party, and it will many times over the next few months.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Reviews
Comments
Austinites love to be heard, and we're giving you a bullhorn. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use profanity, ethnic or racial slurs, or take shots at anyone's sexual orientation or religion. If you can't be nice, we reserve the right to remove your material and ban users who violate our Visitor's agreement. Click here to report comment abuse.
By Pat
December 16, 2009 2:54 PM | Link to this
What’s with the paltry amount of copy under “Reviews” here? Your last post was six days ago, a virtual eternity on the intertubes. And why doesn’t the Statesman review local acts? The ratio of national to local reviews here is astounding. One would hardly know this paper was even based in Austin once the ACL fest is concluded. This ain’t no way to salvage your declining readership.