Shocker!

Most albums are good. Most albums I have, I respect as a good album and I enjoy most of the songs. There may be only one or two songs that I skip over on a regular basis—the rest I really do enjoy. There is nothing outrageous to report.

Then, there are few and far between albums where every song is worth listening to. Achtung Baby by U2 is an example; Songs About Jane from Maroon 5 is another. One song ends and I am just as excited to hear the next song begin. I can let the whole album play without ever rewinding or fast-forwarding. Just listening . . . .

Shockingly, Timbaland Presents: Shock Value is one of those albums. Are you shocked? (Pun totally intended)

I first heard this album in a McDonalds in Paris. I was using their free wireless on my laptop and I was seated at a counter with stools and televisions showing music videos above. (This is also where I first heard Muse). Anyway, I glanced up and noticed a video of a stage performance with Nelly Furtado. I looked back at my computer and then looked back up again a few seconds later and saw that Justin Timberlake was now with her. Then Timbaland joined them. What was going on? How were these 3 stars sharing a stage together? I could not really hear the song so I went online and typed in the search bar, “song with Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland.”

The song was “Give it to Me” and it rocked. I loved it and still do. Turns out, this album was not available yet. I could not get my hands on it for a few months. I requested this song at every club I went to. Some DJs had it, some didn’t.

Finally the album was released on April 3rd. I had a friend who was a DJ who had bought the record and the CD version. He didn’t really need the album so he gave it to me. We hung out at his apartment the night he bought it; listening to the whole album, start to finish.

The whole album is a modern “duets” album. Each song features different artists, from Elton John and Fall Out Boy, to Dr. Dre and One Republic. Each song is amazingly different than the next. Everyone knows the song “Apologize” with One Republic and “The Way I Are” with Keri Hilson, but that is not even the half of it.

“Bounce,” one of the best songs, features Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake. It is such a nasty song, in the best sense. It has the epic chorus of “Bounce/Like your ass had the hiccups/bounce . . .” Plus, Missy Elliott really breaks it down in this song, “I’m worth more dollars than make up beauty parlors.” Another good dance song is “Bombay” featuring Amar and Jim Beanz. It has a wonderful Indian hip-hop vibe.

Some more off-the-beaten-path songs are the ones featuring non-hip hop artists. For example, “Time” featuring She Wants Revenge combines heavy beats with the lovably dreary vocals of SWR who occupy the chorus. “One and Only” with Fall Out Boy shows that these guys can be little badasses. It is as if Timbaland inspired the group to get angry at all their emo ex-girlfriends who dumped them to date the star of the football team.

“Throw it On Me” is probably the best of these weirdo collaborations. This song features The Hives and it is has heavy drum and bass, and very hip & jive vocals. Timbaland and The Hives go back and forth, almost trying to compete over who can get the hypothetical girl to “throw it on him” first. In this corner we have the ever so talented Timbaland and in the other, the lovingly skinny-jeaned Hives . . . .

This CD really has it all, the angry song (“Come and Get Me”), the sexy song (“Scream”), the happy song (“Boardmeeting”), the artsy song (“Oh Timbaland”), the sad song (“Apologize”), and even the my-ass-has-the-hiccups song (“Bounce”).

I have recommended this album to many people, I have bought this album and given it as a gift, I have got drunk on champagne to this album, I have worried about a guy not calling while listening to this album, I have partied hard with friends and cried by myself to this album. There is nothing you can’t do with this album.

Enjoy!