Review: Everything I Thought It Was by Justin Timberlake

  

 

Justin Timberlake was the biggest male pop star of the 2000s, but ever since his 2013 comeback The 20/20 Experience, he's gradually lost respect and relevancy. 2018's Man of the Woods did not meet expectations, and with 2024's Everything I Thought I Was, it's clear that he's become a legacy artist. Despite the moderate success of lead single "Selfish", none of the other songs have made any real impact and the album was Timberlake's first since his 2002 solo debut Justified not to hit No.1 in America. Timberlake had a good run, and longer than his contemporaries like Usher, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera, but perhaps it would have been a bit longer if not for his ex-girlfriend's scathing memoir and the backlash against his history of so-called "white male privilege". We won't be discussing his personal life, however, as this article is only about his latest album.

     To be honest, calling this an "album" may feel a little off, because it comes across as more of a compilation of random songs that don't mesh well when put together, but I guess that's how a lot of albums are during the current streaming era. Most of the tracks don't feel very connected, and with 20 of them clocking in at over 76 minutes, the album definitely would have benefited from trimming. It normally takes Timberlake longer to release an album than most artists, so perhaps the sheer number of songs here is slightly justified, but none of them really impress. Some songs, namely the opener "Memphis" and the closer "Conditions", induce cringe with their bandwagon trap beats and corny verses laced by Timberlake; he even tries to rap on "Memphis", and it falls flat. At 40-something-years-old, he comes across like an awkward dad trying to be down for teens and young adults in their 20s. "Uh, they say, 'life's a bitch/And then you die'/So please, if you're pennin' my eulogy, just say I tried/And that's word to Phineas, Jess and Si/And if I don't wake up in Heaven, then it was one hell of a ride". Whack.

    Timberlake fares better when he's treading familiar ground on the disco-pop songs "Fuckin' Up the Disco", "No Angels", and "My Favorite Drug", but these songs lack the authenticity and charm of Timberlake's earlier hits like "Rock Your Body" and "Summer Love", sounding more like something you'd expect from Dua Lipa. It's not that any of these songs are bad; they're just below Timberlake's standard. "Selfish" and "Imagination" sound like they'd have been better for Taylor Swift or Nick Jonas. "Drown" is sort of like "Cry Me a River", but without any of the memorable beat-boxing or hip hop elements. "Liar" is pure filler. "Sanctified" is another failed rock experiment. "Play" goes nowhere and the ballad "Alone" is just boring. Most of these tracks were produced by people Timberlake has never worked with before, and none of them click. Sure, he reunited with Danja and Rob Knox on some of them, but they've never been among his better collaborators (and Danja is nothing without Timbaland, anyway). Was Pharrell busy?

    The very best songs here are the ones that were worked on by Timberlake's longtime collaborator Timbaland, even though most of them sound like outtakes from the 20/20 Experience and Man of the Woods. "What Lovers Do" sounds like a classic Timbaland production with its stuttering beats, "Technicolor" and "Love & War" are serviceable R&B slow jams, and "Infinity Sex" brings to mind Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds heyday, right down to the stupid title. Still, the only truly memorable track on this album is "Paradise" (also produced by Timbaland), which has Timberlake reuniting with his fellow 'N Sync members for a sentimental ballad reminiscent of "God Must Have Spent (A Little More Time on You)". As nice as the song is, though, Timberlake suddenly bringing his old boys back is a clear indicator that he's well past his prime. If Timberlake ever releases another solo album, he should cut back on the number of outside producers and stick to working with Timbaland (or maybe not, since Timbo seems to have embraced AI). But people would be more interested in a new 'N Sync album at this point.

        Best song: "Paradise" featuring 'N Sync. 

Moving away from anime/manga talk.

        I first started making articles about Dragon Ball all the way back in 2017 on Wordpress. Since 2022, when I moved to Blogger, I've regularly been working on Dragon Ball articles. Now, I feel it's time to move on. I don't want to still be doing this in my 30s. From now on, I think I'll use this blog to make music reviews. The stuff I write won't be as negative. I think we can all agree that life is more enjoyable when you're not always bashing the things you dislike. I'm done with cartoons and comics. 

Why Bulma is useless in a nutshell.

    Doing things before a story begins doesn't make you important during the story.

    Doing things at the start of the story doesn't make you important for the rest of the story.

    Doing things at the end of the story doesn't make you important for the entire story.    

    Doing a few things during the story doesn't make you important for the entire story, especially when the things you do are brief and only amount to lazy plot devices at most.

    Doing something off-screen doesn't make you important in a story, because if it's off-screen, it's not an actual point of focus in the story.

    You're not getting any real focus or spotlight when the supposedly important things you do are brief or off-screen. 

    Being used for lazy plot devices doesn't make you important.  

    Constantly being used for perverted fan-service or misogynist gags doesn't make you important. 

    Being the parent, child, or relative of someone important doesn't make you important. 

    Oh, and having sex with mass murderers and getting knocked up by them doesn't make you important. 

    The plot in Dragon Ball is utter bullshit and only the fighting matters, because that's all that gets any focus in the series, and that's all people give a shit about seeing. 

    Just made this in case you don't feel like reading the in-depth article. For the in-depth article, read here (or here).

The inspiration for Super Saiyan.

     

The most well-known aspect of the massively successful Dragon Ball franchise is the iconic Super Saiyan transformation. Debuting in the three hundred and seventeenth chapter of the manga published on March 19, 1991 in Weekly Shounen Jump, the first Super Saiyan transformation had Son Gokuu's hair spiking upward and changing color. Also changing the color of his eyes and giving him a prominent fiery aura, the transformation made Gokuu significantly stronger as he could finally defeat the evil Freeza, who had just killed his close friend Kurilin in front of him. Gokuu's rage from seeing his friend slaughtered triggered the transformation, and it's one of the most iconic anime/manga moments of all time. There would be many other Super Saiyan transformations in Dragon Ball and the concept would often be homaged or parodied in many other works. But the question is, what truly inspired series creator Toriyama Akira to come up with such a flashy transformation?

    Toriyama's usual explanation for its iconic design was that he wanted to save ink. His assistant would often complain about having to always ink Gokuu's usual black hair, so Toriyama wanted to make his job easier. Appearing as white in uncolored pages of the manga, Toriyama said he eventually made it blonde because he wanted it to look glamorous (here's a translation). In addition, the hair spiking upward was an exaggeration of piloerection. As for why he decided to have Gokuu transform at all, he said it was the most effective way of showing that Gokuu had gotten stronger, and also because he was inspired by a TV show with a hero who would transform when he'd fight; Toriyama would watch this show with his son. These were the answers Toriyama himself had given, but was there more to it than he let on? To get the answer, we'll have to rewind time a bit. In 1964, during the "Greatest Robot on Earth" story arc of the iconic Astro Boy manga (known as Tetsuwan Atom in Japan, literally "Iron-armed Atom" or "Mighty Atom"), titular protagonist Astro Boy (or Atom) undergoes a transformation when he's upgraded to have 1 million horsepower. His synthetic "hair" (or whatever it is that looks like his hair) begins glowing and he becomes significantly stronger, becoming able to challenge his enemy Pluto. This transformation would never be used again after this story arc, not even in any of Astro Boy's many adaptions.

    Tezuka Osamu's Astro Boy is widely considered to be the most iconic anime/manga franchise of all time. Toriyama himself admitted to being a fan of it as a child, so could Astro Boy have been the inspiration for Super Saiyan? Perhaps he had the read the "Greatest Robot on Earth" story arc as a child, but it doesn't look like Astro Boy was the one to popularize the trope of characters changing their hair to get stronger. As said before, Astro Boy's 1 million horsepower transformation would never be seen again. Although I'm not too knowledgeable of manga from back then, it doesn't seem like there were other notable examples of character changing their hair to get stronger during the 1960s. In that case, what series popularized the trope? From what I can tell, it seems like it was Cutie Honey. Created by Nagai Goh and first serialized in 1973 by Weekly Shounen Champion, this manga marked the first time a female character was the protagonist of a Shounen. Protagonist Kisaragi Honey is an android who uses a device from inside of her body to transform into her alter-ego, Cutie Honey. Turning into Cutie Honey makes her go from a blonde to a redhead, and as Cutie Honey, she has many other transformations, many of which have different hair colors.

    Cutie Honey is an ecchi manga, and it's hard to find transformation pages that are safe for work. It seems like she gets naked whenever she transforms. I'm not trying to get this blog flagged. I'll take a risk and post a gif from the 1973 anime that gets the point across. These are some of her transformations in the anime. The show apparently did well in ratings, but was cancelled due to the salacious content. Now who could have seen that coming? Shounen is stupid as hell. Anyway, it makes sense that a series starring women would popularize hair transformations, because hair care is traditionally seen as a feminine interest. But since Cutie Honey starred women, it probably influenced Shoujo series more than Shounen, which normally star boys or men; for example, Sailor Moon is a Shoujo and it was very influenced by Cutie Honey. And Cutie Honey itself is obviously influenced by Shoujo (it was even originally going to be one); transformations have always been a big part of Shoujo, so I'm sure a lot of them had hair transformations before Cutie Honey did. The Dragon Ball character Lunch transforms whenever she sneezes; her hair color changes between blue and blonde, and this was probably an influence from Shoujo, if not a female-led Shounen like Cutie Honey. As far as female-led Shounen go, though, Cutie Honey was definitely a pioneer. Since Dragon Ball doesn't star women, however, this raises the question of whether there was a male-led Shounen predating Dragon Ball with hair transformations. And as it turns out, yes, there was, and it was also created by Nagai Goh.

    Serialized from 1976 to 1978 by Weekly Shounen Magazine, Shutendouji was an action manga that combined traditional Japanese folklore with science fiction. The protagonist was Shutendoh Jiroh aka Shutendouji, a 15-year-old high school student who turns out to be a demon (or "oni", colloquially translated as an ogre). When his demon powers first awaken, his hair spikes up and he grows horns on his head. Later on, his anger from seeing his comrades die triggers a transformation that makes him significantly stronger and causes his hair to change color (or at least, it looks like that way on the B&W pages). He gains an aura that makes him glow brightly, and he even gets a sword that he uses to fight. Nobody can look at those pages and not think of Dragon Ball, and this series predated Dragon Ball by 8 years. In colored illustrations, we even see that he has golden/blonde hair (although I don't think his hair color actually changed in the manga. In the 70s, he seemed to almost always be colored with red hair. He was given yellow/blonde/golden hair when the manga was first rereleased in 1985, but on these colored pages, he seemed to have blonde hair even when he's not in the glowing transformation. We can see on the original B&W version of these pages that his hair was shaded like it is when he's in his normal state, so if he's given blonde hair on the colored version of these pages, that would suggest his regular hair color is blonde. Note this colored illustration of him with blonde hair in his normal state, too. In any case, his hair color started turning from brown to blonde as far back as at least the second OVA in 1990, which you'll see in the next paragraph). He looks just like a Super Saiyan, and this series predates Super Saiyans by 15 years. Admittedly, though, while Nagai's other series like Devilman, Mazinger Z, and Violence Jack are all well-known among anime/manga fans, Shutendouji is considered to be one of his more obscure works. 

    Toriyama said he stopped reading manga after graduating elementary school (although this is questionable, because he also said he was in a manga club at his high school. While he may not have read it as much, it's safe to say he did read manga occasionally as a teenager). It wasn't until after he already became a professional mangaka in 1978 that he started reading them again, in order to get a better understanding of what Shounen readers wanted. He'd mainly just read the series that were serialized in Weekly Jump, so he may have not caught eye of Shutendouji back then. However, fast-forward to 1989. Not only is this the year that Dragon Ball Z began airing in Japan, but it's also when Shutendouji was adapted into a series of OVAs that were released until 1991. Here's a scene from the second OVA, released on July 1, 1990. There's no way you can see this without thinking of DBZ ... and it came out almost a year before Super Saiyans debuted in 1991. The chapter in which Gokuu turns Super Saiyan came out on March 19, 1991. Technically, this wasn't the first appearance of a Super Saiyan; it was just 10 days earlier on March 9, 1991 that Gokuu turned into a Super Saiyan in the fourth DBZ movie Super Saiyan, Son Gokuu (better known as Lord Slug in America). The Super Saiyan form that appeared in the movie still spiked the hair up and had a golden aura, but it kept the hair black. Because it looks so different from the Super Saiyan that appears in the story proper, it was retroactively labeled "Pseudo Super Saiyan". 

    Some people dismiss it as a non-canon transformation that Toei made up, but Toriyama was involved in the development of the movie. He designed Slug and his henchmen, and most importantly, he was the one who suggested having Gokuu's hair spike up as a Super Saiyan in the movie. It can be assumed that the movie's version of Super Saiyan was the prototype design before Toriyama decided to make it blonde in the manga. The second Shutendouji OVA came out on July 1, 1990, a week before the third DBZ movie Super Decisive Battle for Earth (better known as Tree of Might in America) came out in theaters on July 7, 1990. The fourth DBZ film entered development around the time the third one was released in theaters in July 1990, which also happened to be around the time the second Shutendouji OVA was released. Less than a year later, in March 1991, Gokuu turns into a Super Saiyan both in the manga and a movie, basically looking just like Shutendouji (minus the horns) in the former. It seems highly likely that Toriyama or someone at Shuiesha or Toei saw the Shutendouji OVA and got the idea to have Gokuu get golden, spiky hair in his Super Saiyan form. Another thing, Future Trunks debuted and turned into a Super Saiyan in the manga on July 2, 1991, not long after the form debuted in March of that year. He uses a sword like Shutendouji did. Now where could Toriyama have gotten the idea for a teenage swordsman who transforms by getting golden spiky hair? It all points to Shutendouji. 

    While Shutendouji may not be one of Nagai's most popular works, it still had OVAs coming out from 1989 to 1991, and as well as a videogame in 1990. Clearly, it had a fair amount of popularity from the late 80s to early 90s, so it's very likely Toriyama or somebody he was working with saw it. The similarities are too strong to ignore, and the timing is too convenient. Also of note is the anime Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel, which aired from 1983 to 1984. Episode 45 "The Psychic Boy of Sorrow" featured a psychic boy named Makoto whose hair spikes up and turns yellow when he gets angry (his skin would turn red, too). This anime came out after Shutendouji's manga, but before Dragon Ball and long before Super Saiyans. With not one, but two series that predated Dragon Ball in having yellow hair transformations, it's plausible to theorize that there could be even more. Note that it's not even just the appearance of the characters when they transform; it's also the fact rage serves as the trigger to their transformations. Also, remember that piloerection has been a trope in anime/manga for the longest time; it's meant to convey intense emotions such as anger and shock. Sometimes, when a character with black or darker hair undergoes piloerection while in stress or shock, their hair also turns white (and note that Shutendouji's glowing transformation and Super Saiyan are white in the standard black and white pages of their respective manga). It's normally done for the sake of gags, but it makes sense that this would lead to someone playing it straight and using it for a genuine transformation. Toriyama was evidently not the first to do it. 

    And there you have it. I gotta say, though ... Nagai's works are fucking disgusting. Goddamn, I thought Toriyama was bad, but this guy is even worse. Not necessarily in terms of writing, but there's so much fucked up, nasty shit in his works. "Look, here's another woman getting violently raped or murdered!" Dude was literally drawing women getting fucked by dogs. Good thing most of his works are obscure. Shounen was disgusting in the 70s.

    Bonus: Komatsuzaki Ran, protagonist of the manga Crimson Fang Blue Sonnet (serialized from 1981 to 1987), has her hair go up and turn red (on B&W pages, it goes from black to white) when she unleashes her psychic powers. This series was adapted into OVAs from 1989 to 1990. Her transformation is fairly Super Saiyan-like, and its manga precedes Super Saiyan by 10 years. Although it was serialized in a Shoujo magazine, it featured graphic violence akin to Shounen.

Why JC Chasez's solo career flopped.

    It's 2025 and Justin Timberlake's reign as the biggest male pop star is long over. His Everything I Thought It Was album released last year flopped, partly overshadowed by rather scathing claims in his exgirlfriend Britney Spears's memoir, as well as his DUI arrest. He hasn't released a successful album in over a decade now, so he's clearly a legacy artist by this point. Still, he had a good run and nobody can deny he ruled the 2000s. But forget about Timberlake. I'd like to talk about his fellow former 'N Sync vocalist JC Chasez and why his solo career flopped. This is an article I've wanted to make for years, and I feel now's an alright occasion (but yeah, the 20th anniversary of Schizophrenic last year would have been better lol). 

    There were many so-called "boy bands" (or rather, "male vocal groups", as they're more accurately termed) in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the biggest were the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. While Backstreet Boys sold more records overall, 'N Sync held the record for fastest selling album in a week (since Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991) with the tremendous success of their sophomore album No Strings Attached in 2000. A five-piece group, the lead singers were Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. Both had already been on the New Mickey Mouse Club, so it's no surprise they were more talented than everybody else in the group. Of course, Timberlake was easily the most popular member of the group, being younger and famously dating pop superstar Britney Spears.

     But while Chasez was only the second most popular member of the group, most people agreed he was the best singer; even Timberlake himself admitted Chasez was better. Boasting an impressive four octave vocal range, Chasez could sing a ballad like no other and sang lead vocals all by himself on a few 'N Sync songs ("Sailing" on their 1997/1998 self-titled debut and "Bringin' the Noise" on 2000's No Strings Attached). He was also the only member to feature on Blaque's hit single "Bring It All to Me" in 1999. Despite his talent, Chasez lacked the confidence to go solo, which was further exacerbated by the fact Timberlake beat him to the punch. Benefiting from his recent breakup from Spears, Timberlake's 2002 debut solo album Justified was a success, featuring hit singles produced by the likes of Timbaland and the Neptunes. With Timberlake now a star in his own right, people wondered if Chasez could follow in his footsteps.

    It was only after receiving encouragement from producer Dallas Austin that Chasez gained the confidence to embark on a solo career. Austin produced Chasez's debut single "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)" for the Drumline soundtrack in December 2002, and while it was only a modest hit, peaking at no.35 on the Hot 100, it convinced Jive that a solo album of his was worth investing in. With his record label's support, Chasez finally began work on his solo album at the start of 2003. Released on February 24, 2004, Chasez's debut solo album Schizophrenic ended up being a total flop, only selling around 120,000 copies and failing to yield any hit singles. Chasez would leave his label and no follow-up album would be released. 'N Sync eventually broke up and Timberlake went on to become more successful on his own while everybody else who was in the group faded away into obscurity.

    That raises the question of where it all went wrong for poor ol' Chasez. "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)" wasn't a huge hit, but no.35 isn't terrible for a song that was only for a soundtrack; it showed that Chasez had some potential for a solo career. Beyonce's debut single "Work It Out" was for the Austin Powers in Goldmember soundtrack in 2002 and it did far worse, not even cracking the Hot 100. Despite that, Beyonce still became a superstar. Granted, she was the youngest member of her group just like Timberlake was the youngest member of 'N Sync. Her fellow Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland also attempted to go solo, but it didn't pan out despite having a hit debut single like Chasez did ("Stole" off of Rowland's debut solo album performed moderately, peaking at no.27). It's rare for musical groups to produce even one solo star, let alone two; notable outliers like the Beatles, the Jacksons, 'N Sync, Destiny's Child, One Direction, and Fifth Harmony aren't the rule. That's not to say Chasez shouldn't have bothered trying at all, but the odds were always stacked against him. 

     With such low chances of success, you would think Chasez wouldn't reduce them even further by taking high risks with his music, but he did exactly that. Asking Jive for complete creative control on his album, Chasez was allowed to do whatever he wanted and he opted to go for a highly sexual vibe. There are songs about having sex all day long, having sex in 100 different positions, one night stands, masturbating, and girl-on girl dancing. It's clear that Chasez wanted shock value by making such a drastic departure from the more family friendly music he made with 'N Sync. For a solo artist just starting out, this was obviously the wrong decision right from the start. Total creative control isn't something that should just be handed out; artists should prove themselves by first becoming successful under guidelines. 

    Chasez hadn't achieved much of any solo success when he was given full creative control on his album; "Blowin' Me Up" was not a significant hit by any means and you would think its unimpressive performance would have convinced Chasez not to go totally sexual on his album, seeing as the song was notably raunchier than anything 'N Sync had ever put out. At least Timberlake was smart enough to wait until his second album to really get his freak on (and even then, he did so more tastefully than Chasez did. There's nothing on FutureSex/LoveSounds that sounds as utterly embarrassing as "ALL DAY LONG I DREAM ABOUT SEX"); Chasez simply couldn't keep it in his pants. Any pop singer is taking a risk when they put out highly sexual songs. When you're coming out of a squeaky-clean boy group that already produced one solo star, erotic songs aren't in your best interest. Sex only sells when it's handled carefully, and when you're already likely to fail as a solo singer, you should play it safer. Some sex songs are fine. "ALL DAY LONG I DREAM ABOUT SEX" and "SOME GIRLS DANCE WITH WOMEN" are not.

    Titling his album "Schizophrenic" and making the cover art him in a straitjacket didn't help matters, either; it should have been blatantly obvious that he was gonna offend mental health groups by doing so. You don't name your album after a mental disorder accompanied by a photograph of yourself in a straitjacket, as if you're making light of said disorder. Chasez said it was to reflect the album's musical variety ... but couldn't he have just named it "Chameleon" or some other crap like that? It could have also been named after the song "Everything You Want" or "100 Ways" if the intent was to reflect the album's eclecticism. Compare Justified's cover art to Schizophrenic's, and it's obvious which album flopped. On top of making himself look like a degenerate pervert, he made himself look like an ass. How could he lack such self-awareness? You'd think someone in his camp or Jive would've told him, "Hey, man, you gotta think of another name and use a different cover, because this is just asking for trouble". Clearly, Chasez was surrounded by yes-men.

    But indeed, true to its name, Schizophrenic features songs of many different styles as it's basically one big tribute to all the music Chasez listened to throughout his life up to that point, from the 1970s all the way to the early 2000s. There's George Michael-type pop rock on "Something Special", Prince-type funk rock on "100 Ways", Led Zeppelin and Lenny Kravitz-type funk rock on "If You Were My Girl", Police and Sting-type reggae rock on "Everything You Want", Bee Gees-type R&B on "Build My World", Michael Jackson and Jamiroquai-type disco on "She Got Me", Seal-type soul on "Lose Myself", Giorgio Moroder-type synth-pop on "One Night Stand", Corey Hart-type new wave on "Come to Me", and Gary Numan and Cars-type new wave on "All Day Long I Dream About Sex". There are also homages to more recent music, like the 'N Sync-type teenybopper pop tribute "Right Here (By Your Side)". "Mercy" is also very 'N Sync-influenced with its grimy electro-pop soundscape. Basement Jaxx contributed the electronic "Shake It" and it's very much in their own style. Oh, and there's whatever the hell "Some Girls (Dance With Women)" is supposed to be. The only song that seems entirely like Chasez's own unique style is probably the adult contemporary ballad "Dear Goodbye", and it's certainly one of the album's best cuts.

    Obviously, Chasez intended for the album to be all over the place; the title alone makes this blatantly obvious. One could say that having all these influences was versatility, but one could also say that he was indecisive and simply didn't know what he wanted to do with his album. Timberlake knew what he wanted Justified to be; he wanted to make an R&B album. Chasez, on the other hand, wanted his album to be, well, everything, which might have made it harder to market. But even with a lack of musical direction, an overabundance of sexual content, an awful title, and an awful cover art, I don't think Schizophrenic was doomed. Nor do I think Chasez dropping out of the 2004 Pro Bowl's halftime show had anything to do with the album flopping (the album's fate was sealed long before the Pro Bowl). The main reason the album failed lies in the singles. Released in November 2003, "Some Girls (Dance with Women)" was chosen to be the lead single and it utterly flopped, peaking at no.88 on the Hot 100. 

    It's no surprise that it did. For one, it's produced by Riprock 'n Alex G. They produced a few tracks on 'N Sync's No Strings Attached and Celebrity albums, but none of the singles. That's not to say Chasez needed household names to produce singles for him, but a team with only a few filler 'N Sync tracks on their resume obviously wasn't going to make hits for him. Making matters worse, the subject matter of the song is stupid. There's nothing wrong with girl-on-girl dancing, but this song fetishizes it from a horny male's perspective. Doesn't help that it isn't the least bit catchy, not even with a verse from Ol' Dirty Bastard aka Dirt McGirt. The song was awful, as was the second single "All Day Long I Dream About Sex". Releasing yet another single produced by Riprock 'n Alex G after the first one flopped was beyond stupid, and when it's literally called "All Day Long I Dream About Sex"? Jesus Christ. Frankly, this article is a little redundant; if anybody wants to know why JC Chasez's solo career flopped, then just watch the music video. A total embarrassment.

     Following Schizophrenic's failure, Chasez began work on his next album by the end of 2004. Titled The Story of Kate, Chasez intended to tone down the sexual content and zero in on a single, specific musical style for himself. In 2006, Chasez enlisted the help of Timberlake to produce a few songs for the album, including the planned lead single "Until Yesterday". At the time, Timberlake was preparing to release his sophomore album FutureSex/LoveSounds, so the fact he took time off of his own schedule to help an old friend out was quite cool of him. However, by then, it was simply too late. Jive refused to release Chasez's second album and it ended up being shelved. Frustrated, Chasez left Jive in 2007 and that effectively marked the end of his solo career. It's no surprise that Jive wouldn't release his next album; they already gave him a chance on his first one and he blew it. Not to mention, Chasez was 31 by this point. The ship for solo stardom had obviously sailed for him, so it was time to let him go.

    Listening to the songs that were planned for The Story of Kate, it's clear Chasez wanted to adopt a more contemporary pop rock sound for himself, but the results were very generic. As unfocused as Schizophrenic was, at least it was the music Chasez genuinely wanted to make. While the album was obviously derivative of older music, it was unlike any other pop album at the time. The planned songs for The Story of Kate may have been more radio-friendly, but they could have been given to any pop singer. The fact Timberlake helped on some of them was essentially Chasez admitting defeat, too. It should have never even come to that point. Schizophrenic could have done at least moderately well if it had different singles. Firstly, none of the songs produced by Riprock 'n Alex G should have been picked. The best tracks on Schizophrenic were the ones produced by Robb Boldt. He was a little known producer (who unfortunately went on to rape a woman years later. True story, his Discogs photo is his mugshot and his crime was raping an intoxicated woman. His full name is Robert Karl Boldt), but I believe he had the potential to become as big as Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes, etc. If only Chasez had more faith in Boldt's cuts on Schizophrenic, because the album could have been a breakthrough for both of them (Chasez and Boldt later worked on music for Paris Hilton's debut album in 2004, but it ended up getting delayed to 2006 and none of their songs were released on it).

    All of the songs produced by Boldt on Schizophrenic—"100 Ways", "Build My World", "Come to Me", "Dear Goodbye", "Lose Myself", "She Got Me", and "Something Special"—have a raw, organic vibe to them. With the exception of "Come to Me", they seem to have all been made with bands and not beat machines. "Dear Goodbye" is a standout and damn near the best track on the album as I said before, but it wasn't really single material. I believe the George Michael-inspired "Something Special" should have been the lead single; the song was very upbeat and radio-friendly, plus the harmonies remind one of 'N Sync. There was a big audience for that type of pop rock back in 2003-2004. And then, the second single should have been "Build My World". Obviously inspired by the Bee Gees tribute 'N Sync did at the 2003 Grammy Awards (but far from a shameless ripoff), "Build My World" is arguably Chasez's greatest song and I believe it would have been his definitive single; it's the exact type of ballad that would have been a smash on the radio. Finally, the third and final single should have been "She Got Me". It wouldn't have been as big as "Something Special" or "Build My World", but it'd have been a fine song to end the album's promotion with. 

    When you look at the other producers on Schizophrenic (Riprock 'n Alex G and Basement Jaxx), releasing Boldt's cuts as singles should have been a no-brainer; he may have been a nobody, but when the alternatives are Basement Jaxx (niche electronic group) and Riprock 'n Alex G ('N Sync's B-team with no hits under their belt), you may as well give him a shot. For crying out loud, why have him produce nearly half of your album if you weren't gonna release any of his songs as singles? Sure, Riprock 'n Alex G produced the same number of songs on the album ("All Day Long", "Everything You Want", "If You Were My Girl", "Mercy", "One Night Stand", "Right Here", and "Some Girls"), but none of their songs with 'N Sync were popular or even singles for that matter. "Space Cowboy"? "Digital Get Down"? "No Strings Attached" (the song, not the album)? "Bringin' da Noise"? "The Game Is Over"? "The Two of Us"? "Up Against the Wall"? Nobody knows those songs but 'N Sync nerds. It's better to release songs produced by a nobody you've never worked with before (Robb Boldt) than nobodies you've already worked with  (Riprock 'n Alex G). Especially when the former has never even been on a major album before (so they come across like newcomers) and anybody with a working set of ears can tell their songs are far superior to the latter's. Boldt's productions were quality. Riprock 'n Alex G's productions were not.

    With "Something Special", "Build My World", and "She Got Me" as the singles, plus a different title and cover art (this photograph would have made a perfect cover. As for the title, I would have just called it "JC Chasez"), I believe Chasez's debut solo album would have done alright (and make sure to excise "Some Girls" and "All Day Long" because fuck those songs). At least well enough to ensure Chasez would have been able to release another album with Jive. Chasez was never going to be as big as Timberlake, but I think he could have been like an alternative to John Mayer or Adam Levine. Sadly, Chasez sabotaged his own career with laughably stupid decisions and he'd never release another album again. He went on to be a judge for America's Best Dance Crew on MTV for a few years before the show was axed in 2012. Then, he tried mentoring a 12-piece (smh) girl vocal group called "Girl Radical" in 2013. Despite Chasez's hopes that the group would blow up, it went absolutely nowhere. It really looked like he was having a life crisis during that period. Nowadays, you only hear about Chasez whenever 'N Sync gets back together for one-off appearances. They released their "comeback" single "Better Place" for the Trolls Band Together soundtrack in 2023. In 2024, they released "Paradise" on Timberlake's last album, although it wasn't a single (should've been, though). Maybe Timberlake will get back together with his old crew long-term, but nobody really cares anymore. 

    (P.S.: It actually turns out that JC released another album at the end of 2024. I think it was supposed to be about Frankenstein for some reason. A fitting analogy for his dead career, I guess) 

 

Left to right. 
Chip Skylark, Not Justin, Justin, Sephiroth, and the one who was in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.