Not So Shocking Album

By Elizabeth Chaddock

On Dec. 8, Timbaland tried to duplicate the success he had with his first edition of “Shock Value” with “Shock Value II.” However, this time around, Timbaland presents us with something less than astonishing. Few of the artists featured on this album are actually “shocking” when featured in the same song as Timbaland. The album features guest artists such as Justin Timberlake, Daughtry, The Fray, Nelly Furtado, Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, Drake, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, OneRepublic, Keri Hilson, Jo Jo, and Brandy (who raps on the album under the name of Bran’Nu). The only somewhat surprising collaborations are those with Daughtry, Nickelback, Perry, and Cyrus. The album was also disappointing because, earlier this year, Timbaland had promised collaborations with Madonna, Beyonce, and the Jonas Brothers. After he creating so much hype for this album, none of these artists actually appeared on the final cut of the album. The song with Cyrus, titled “We Belong to Music,” has been touted by Timbaland as having great hit potential; however, the song is rather cheapsounding and ordinary and does nothing to stand out from the crowd, apart from Cyrus’ star power. His recordings with Cyrus and Perry seem to be a ploy to appeal to the younger, teenage crowd. The album is filled with auto tuning, flat lyrics, and hooks- a formula that shouldn’t necessarily shock anyone. He does include excellent beats and rhythm, which are perhaps his best musical attribute. While there’s no “Apologize” or “The Way I Are” on this second album, his collaborations with Kroeger and Daughtry seemed to reach for that same level and quality. The song with Kroeger of Nickelback and rapper Sebastian, titled “Tomorrow in the Bottle,” at first seems odd, but somehow it works. Kroeger’s vocals and the decent lyrics seem to save the song. In addition, Australian rockers Jet offer an unexpected folk sound in “Timothy Where You Been?” Timbaland’s rapping roots stand out on “Symphony,” and he copies Jay-Z’s style on “Say Something,” which features the Grammy-nominated rapper Drake. Finally, some of the catchiest songs on the album are new collaborations with old friends. Some of these are “Carry Out” with Timberlake, “Morning After Dark” with Furtado, and “Marching On” with OneRepublic. Timberlake gets creative on Timbaland’s favorite track, “Carry Out,” which compares women to take out food. It seems that all the “shock” was done on the first album. His Hip Hop and R&B ventures sound like they have all been done before. In order to continue to surprise people with his musical prowess, Timbaland must be more adventurous with his collaborations. There are so many amazing artists out there; Timbaland has no excuse to continue to recycle his collaborations and sounds, when he is claiming to be innovative. At its core, this album is the result of Timbaland going main-stream. Unfortunately, this may be the end of his reign as a revolutionary musician.