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NOVEMBER 23 . 2002 • Q-NOTES
Q-Culture
31
FAMILY
from page 30
deprogramming seminar. Filmed in tight close-
up, Mathews’ final speech to the camera, in
which he tearfully hopes that his parents will
never have to go through the kind of pain he is
enduring, is a cry from the heart.
Family Fundamentals is a moving and impor
tant film, in part due to Dong’s careful refusal to
condemn parents for their actions. He doesn’t
mock them but simply shows us the results of
their behavior: broken families,, alienated chil
dren. It seems unlikely Brett Mathews’ parents
will ever sec this film. But by bravely sharing his
own anguish, Brett will surely help many others.
info: www.deepfocusproductions.com
GAYETY
from page 30
This PlanetOut story noted too that more
than “70 percent of straight male respondents
also admitted to having visited a gay club in
order to meet single women.”
Boy, no wonder much of the world thinks all
English men arc gay.
I’m guessing the inference here is many
straight women go to gay bars to hang out with
gay male friends. Straight men know this. So
much for women going to those clubs to evade
predatory males.
The final tidbit in this story? “The results
also suggest that 90 percent of straight British
women have had a one-time gay sexual experi
ence.”
Don’t even get me started.
info: leslierobinson@Dol.
com
- DRVID STOUT
Timberlake's solo
turn a stunning
success
I’m just gonna be blunt and say this
straight out: lustified is the best pop/R&B
release I’ve heard in ages and Justin
Timberlake clearly possesses a degree of tal
ent that’s only been hinted at during his
tenure with the mega-successful boy band ‘N
Sync.
Working in close collaboration with super
producers The Neptunes (on seven cuts),
Timbaland (four), Brian McKnight and The
Underdogs (one each), Timberlake evokes
memories of Off The Wall-era Michael
Jackson, classic Stevie Wonder and various
’70s soul singers without subverting his own
identity.
In large part, this is due to the crucial
input of The Neptunes, prodigies Pharrell
Williams and Chad Hugo, who forego the hip
hop party beats that define their style in favor
of a retro-soul sheen — highlighted by live
playing from the duo — that sounds vintage
but never old.
Before entering the studio to record tracks
for lustified, Williams says that he and Hugo
drove Timberlake around Los Angeles listen
ing to old Earth, Wind & Fire albums to get in
the proper mindset for the sessions.
The old skool vibe that the trio mines isn't
evinced just in the album’s soundscapes, but
it permeates the songwriting as well in the
form of razor-sharp melodies and counter
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melodies and sophisticated bridges as catchy
as cbola. Timberlake, who penned all 13 cuts
with his producers, occasionally gets too
cliche or maudlin with his lines, but he’s a
creditable songwriter who will probably be great.
And his development in this area is a cer
tainty if he continues to turn out work like
“Cry Me A River,” the Timbaland-produced
second single that’s a vicious swipe at a dou
ble-crossing past love — who may or may
not be a certain teen pop princess. Over a
dark, jittery beat, Timberlake spits, “You don’t
have to say / what you did / I already know /
I found out from him." He bites even deeper
on the chorus, “Told me you love me / why
did you leave me all alone / now you tell me
you need me / when you call me on the
phone / girl I refuse / you must have me con-.
fused / with some other guy / bridges were
burned / now it’s your turn to cry / so cry me
a river.”
While love is a central theme among the
songs, most don’t approach the subject as
defiantly. "Still On My Brain,” the lone contri
bution from The Underdogs, sounds like an
aural filet sliced right from Timberlake’s bro
ken heart. “Now I could say that 1 don't love
you no more / and I could say that I’ve closed
the door / to our love / and I could tell you it’s
time for us to go our separate ways / but
baby I just wouldn’t be the same / because
your love is still on my brain."
But not to worry, even in these plaintive
moments, lustified is never far from the party.
On the next track Janet Jackson shows up to
coo her trademark sexy come-ons on “(And
She Said) Take Me Now.” Justin and Janet
scorch over a Timbaland track that ends with
two full minutes of futuristic drum program
ming. The cut has hit single written all over it.
Though, really, there’s no track on the
album without strong chart appeal. Which is
one reason it’s going to be fascinating to see
how Jive Records handles the project over the
next year — and beyond.
It’s a safe bet that lustified is going to be
around for a long time and it won’t be a sur
prise to see it achieve classic status in a few
years. Justin Timberlake and his colleagues
have created a work that will probably
change the game and certainly raises the bar
for their contemporaries. As a fan of thought
ful pop music, I couldn’t be more pleased.
The "Top Ten" Dl picks will return in the
December 21 Audiophile column
r
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