I’m really looking forward to this. Timbaland’s long awaited new album, Shock Value 2.

I have been excited about this since hearing (and playing on repeat, constantly) his multi-platinum record Timbaland Presents Shock Value way back in 2007 when he collaborated with the likes of Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtdado, Keri Hilson, The Hives, Fall Out Boy, Elton John, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre and Missy Elliot, to name a but a few- some big players, at the height of their career. Next month he brings his latest tracks to the table. The tracklist is as follows:

  • 1. Intro By DJ Felli Fel
  • 2. Carry Out – With Justin Timberlake
  • 3. Lose Control – With Jojo
  • 4. Meet In Tha Middle - With Bran’ Nu
  • 5. Say Something – With Drake
  • 6. Tomorrow In The Bottle – With Chad Kroeger And Sebastian
  • 7. We Belong To The Music – With Miley Cyrus
  • 8. Morning After Dark – With Nelly Furtado And Soshy
  • 9. If We Ever Meet Again – With Katy Perry
  • 10. Can You Feel It – With Esthero And Sebastian
  • 11. Ease Off The Liquor
  • 12. Undertow - With The Fray And Esthero
  • 13. Timothy Where You Been - With Jet
  • 14. Long Way Down - With Daughtry
  • 15. Marchin’ On – With OneRepublic [Timbo Version]
  • 16. The One I Love - With Keri Hilson And D.O.E.
  • 17. Symphony - With Attitude, Bran’ Nu & D.O.E.



Again, there are some real strong artists here who, as Timbaland says, will bring something entirely different to the record, which is very different from their usual styles. I will no doubt rush out to buy this album when it arrives on December 8th, and I will surely get my hands on a promotional copy to listen to, but my only real fear is if it will be as much of a success as Shock Value?



Hip-Hop and R’n'B was huge in 2007, with the styles and beats Timbland created being all the rage at the time- for example, look at Maneater by Nelly Furtado, Apologize by OneRepublic (The Timbaland remix) or even The Way I Are by Keri Hilson- tracks that were on our radio every minute, playing on the phone of every teenager at the back of the bus and being talked about in all the magazines; these were the signature Timbaland tracks, which fitted in perfectly at the time (albeit, a style and wave of music crafted by the producer himself). But, that was 2007, and this is 2009- two years of a delay from when Shock Value 2 should have been released- and again, musical styles have changed, in terms of listenership, anyway. Of course, we’ve not neglected the sound of Timbland or other R’n'B artists: not at all. We have however begun to listen to more electro stylings and beats created by producers such as RedOne.



Take a moment to look back at the tracks he’s been behind over the past few months, or the year even. He’s ‘Done a Timbaland’ and has made his sound dominant on commericial radio. ‘How?’, I hear you ask. Well, do you know when you hear ‘RedOne’ at the start of a song- this is him being credited as being the man behind the track. He’s mentioned at the start of the floor-fillers Just Dance by the global sensation Lady GaGa, on Takin’ Back my Love by Enrique Iglesias, Fire Burning by Sean Kingston, amongst others. He’s also produced tracks such as Get Sexy by Sugababes, along with material for New Kids on the Block, Space Cowboy, Usher, Little Boots, Alexandra Burke and more: all of which have his signature electro sound on them, mingled with simplistic beats.

You get the picture- his style of production is very much the music of the moment. Therefore, I wonder, despite Timbaland having huge names on this record, will it still be as much of a commercial success as  Shock Value? Times have changed, tastes have adapted, and being honest, Timbaland has stepped back out of the limelight. Whilst DJing a few months ago, I played a song of his, only to hear “Oh God, that is so overplayed. I’m really sick of hearing his stuff…”. Everyone has their moment of fame in the music industry, bar a select few who stay consistently current for a long period of time.

Timbo- is yours up?