Timbaland’s much-anticipated album’s content is hard to predict

Timbaland is a word that ignites a chain reaction in consciousness of music lovers brining to their minds numerous names, associations and memories. This is a man whom many worship as R&B forefather. He is a producer of many albums by the world’s leading hip-hop performers and sometimes delivers powerful records of his own involving most celebrated musicians and singers. In 2007, Timbaland released a vey impressive studio work under the title Shock Value. It was an audacious step out of those boundaries that Timbaland had himself established working with other artists. Two years later, this project was resumed. Even the title remained the same, only with a Roman figure added. Timbaland’s supporters are well aware of their darling’s tendency to experiment; and they know that those whom he invites would not say no. Therefore, it was useless to try to foresee what Timbaland’s upcoming album would be like. Only thing needed was to be patient and wait until he issued this record. And finally he did.

Shock Value II amazes with the variety of artists

The first part of Shock Value shocked listeners with the assortment of performers who had seemed to be unable to work together inside one project. What was even more incredible is the fact that Timbaland’s cooperation with rock-musicians appeared more interesting than his work alongside those he should have understood better. Shock Value II is the same story. For instance, one of the album’s most impressive tracks is Undertow featuring the wonderful The Fray, as usual, with lots of piano. This song, indeed, should please both Timbaland’s and The Fray’s fans. This is not where the rock-presence ends on the album. Tomorrow In A Bottle was recorded with the help of the popular Canadian band Nickelback’s singer and guitarist Chad Kroeger. It is interesting that the song also highlights Timbaland’s younger brother Sebastian. Besides, the making of Timbaland’s new album also involved the promising American formation Daughtry who made their rock-music contribution to the track Long Way Down. Naturally, we were right to expect another product from the well-tested tandem of Timbaland and Justine Timberlake. This time, they offered a very catchy number called Carry Out. One should also pay respect to Nelly Furtado’s work on Morning After Dark, the first official single off Shock Value II.

A top quality experiment from an established maestro

It is easy to guess that we did not mention many other people who took part in the creating of Shock Value II. It is required to mention that each guest musicians did his or her best to meet the expectations of such a respectable person as Timbaland, which erases the possibility of finding a weak song on the whole record of Shock Value II. Sure’ it was risky to gather such a company from different fields of music as they could have easily turned the album into a collection of completely separate tracks. This work is a sheer experiment, a kind of new creature, yet unknown to science waiting for the time and the audience to decide if it deserves the right to live on. But the conclusion that we are able to make now is that Shock Value II is an interesting and valuable product because few know when the maestro will deign to deliver another solo album as he is too busy working on other projects. It was on purpose to skip the talk about the execution quality. Timbaland is unquestionably a symbol of quality, a level many other performers only dare to dream of reaching.

Alex Bartholomew
08.12.2009