Timbaland

By Sarah Bungay

Shock Value II

Interscope Records

Pop

B-

Shock Value II is the sequel to Timbaland’s 2007 album Shock Value, and, like most follow-ups, it comes up short in comparison to the first.

The first single, “The Morning After,” has the familiar electro-pop sound of Nelly Furtado, but there is also a fresh twist added by a new artist, the rather boldly named SoShy.

If you’ve ever listened to a Timbaland song before, it’s obvious that the bulk of his success relies mainly on his collaborative choices. On his last album, he mixed a wide range of genres from ’80s new wave to rock.

On his follow-up, he continues to use his security blanket team of Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake. On some tracks, he also goes in a different direction by working with artists such as Miley Cyrus, Daughtry, and former rising star, JoJo.

The album starts off with a 49 second intro featuring DJ Felli Fel which is more enjoyable than what follows. The first track, “Carry Out,” features, yet again, Justin Timberlake, and the only thing that the Timbaland/Timberlake combo seems to offer is a repetitive beat and a new means of talking dirty.

On a much better note, the work with Chad Kroeger of Nickelback and Sebastian is a nice addition to the album. Kroeger’s coarse voice mixed with Sebastian’s soothing tone strikes the perfect balance.

Timbaland features The Fray for the first time with “Undertow.” It might as well be called “Apologize Part II.”

However, perhaps the album’s best track is “If We Ever Meet Again,” which showcases Katy Perry. In true Perry style, it’s catchy as hell and her vocals are much better than even her earlier hits, including her most recent collaboration with 3OH!3.

If you liked Timbaland’s previous effort, you will probably enjoy this one, even if it’s somewhat less shocking than before.

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