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Telegraph: JT pop's leading light
Justin Timberlake, O2 Arena
Review
I've got a secret to tell you. The greatest music comeback of 2013 wasn't David Bowie's. It was Justin Timberlake's. Seven years after "FutureSex/LoveSounds," last year's two-part "The 20/20 Experience" was like a gust of fresh air, blowing aside the dominance of electronic dance music in contemporary pop. The albums developed a prog soul-pop, with winding song cycles full of texture and intricacy, welded together with primary coloured hooks. Coupled with a role in the Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis," this completed Timberlake's transformation from a member of boy band *NSYNC to a pop culture sophisticate.
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This 30-song O2 Arena extravaganza, part of a year-long world tour, confirmed Timberlake as pop's leading light. The 33-year-old gave a two-hour masterclass in the art of arena performance: all soaring vocals, choreography, stagecraft, and immaculate pacing. The night began with Timberlake singing a cappella, his voice clear and crisp, before his huge live band rose from below the stage and tore into the lithe electric-soul thrust of "Pusher Love Girl." The crowd stood as one.
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Dressed in a slick tuxedo and penny loafers, and singing with a deft falsetto, at times Timberlake seemed like the lovechild of Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, with a dash of "Purple Rain" era Prince added by the rocking live arrangements.
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He has such magnetism. Head cocked, eyebrow raised, and hip protruding insouciantly, there was an arrogance to him that was far preferable to the usual gushing gratitude affected by pop stars.
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It was all exhilarating, drilled to perfection: a pop juggernaut locked in top gear.
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The swooning finale was provided by R&B ballad "Mirrors," a No. 1 single last year. With any luck, we won't have to wait seven years to bask in Timberlake's reflected glory.
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