Justin Timberlake started out as a Mouseketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club, then became part of the popular late ‘90s and early ‘00s boyband *NSYNC, then went on to be one of the biggest solo acts in the world. Timberlake has released hit after hit after hit for over a decade. And his newest album, Man of the Woods, is no exception.

Released on February 2, 2018, Man of the Woods marks Timberlake’s 5th solo album, and his first one since having his first child with Jessica Biel in 2015. “Say Something” featuring country artist Chris Stapleton is a mix between pop and country, with essence of both throughout the song. It’s different than the poppy and upbeat sound that we’ve been used to since 2002, but it somehow works. “Filthy,” with help from Timbaland, and “Higher Higher,” produced by The Neptunes, are more like a throwback to Timberlake’s earlier classics, like “SexyBack” and “Suit & Tie.” It’s nice to know that even after all of these years, he still likes to go back to his classics. “Morning Light,” a duet with Alicia Keys, could be known as THE track on this album. It stands out, it’s very expressive and different than other songs on this album.

Man of the Woods is almost like a rebranding for Justin Timberlake. Although it’s different from his other albums, there are songs on there that sound like his classics, like nothing’s changed. It’s his first album in five years, so there will be differences. This album deserves a 4.5 out of 5 stars, purely because of the throwback aspect as well as how different it is than Timberlake’s other four albums.