I've never been one to fawn over Justin Timberlake -- even before The Incident that soured me on all things associated with him -- but my tune has literally changed over the past few days. Thanks to his new tunes on The 20/20 Experience that surfaced on Monday and a slew of live performances on television all week, I've fallen hard for this project. I don't know what has come over me, but my resistance after initial lukewarm feelings about "Suit & Tie" and "Mirrors" has been futile. The song from 20/20 that got me open from first listen was "Let the Groove Get In," and last night's performance of it on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon got me sprung. JT and his band The Tennessee Kids were joined by The Roots for a Brazilian-themed party. The stage was packed with everyone playing an instrument (peep Questlove shaking his maracas) and an essential part in funking up the Afro-Latin groove. "Let the Groove Get In" sounds like Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" had a baby with Afrika Bambaataa's "Looking For the Perfect Beat" in São Paulo. This song is already a heater on wax, but the live version turns it up several degrees. If the music video for this track (assuming that it's released as a single) can capture the fun of this performance, then it'll be a bonafide winner. Also winning is Justin's interpolation of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star" toward the end. Not shown in this video is the conga line that broke out with Jimmy Fallon leading the pack while the credits rolled. Feel free to create your own when you watch, however, because I doubt that you'll be able to sit still once you press play.
- Advertisement -
