Timbaland is still the real deal then in the world of fakers and pros he mysteriously subverts. A year dedicated to supporting the duo of Timberlake and Furtado, and here he's unleashed again at the forefront of his sound.
Give It To Me sees the great man lead his forever-indebted pals on a haunted waltz through the most beguiling avenues of hip hop, sharing a line or two each (of verse), and by the end you once again end up empathising with the superstars. Of course it's not an entirely comfortable ride, and during the albeit minimal pal-preening I yearn for the free humour and avant-magic of the likes of Yea Big and the manic underground, but a sultry loop and hot groove later I'm back in the thrall.
Is Timbaland the most successful pop artist of the moment, tearing up pre-conceptions as he does and throwing them back in the faces of consumer culture? I certainly can't think of any rivals. How "real" Timberlake and Furtado would be without his presence is a major doubt, but here they join him in lambasting detractors with a thrilling direction. The magic of Timbaland, and the magic of the appropriately-titled, imminent Party Shock Values LP, no doubt.
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