‘Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids’ Works Overtime To Convince Us Of JT’s Greatness

Since emerging from the multi-platinum boy band NSYNC, Justin Timberlake has worked overtime to prove to us that he is the real thing. Never mind The Mickey Mouse Club pedigree and manufactured ’90s pop of his previous group, JT is a true artist, don’t you know? He can do it all. He can sing, he can write, he can dance, he can act, he even plays an acoustic guitar a little and his best friend is Timbaland, isn’t that cool enough for you?
Maybe I’m just a cynic —well, actually, I’m totally a cynic— but I always felt Timberlake tried a little too hard to show us how talented he was. He’s like the kid in high school who isn’t just class president, but also the star of the play and is on the basketball team and also has the prettiest girlfriend. Enough already, we know you’re awesome. His recent concert film, Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids (now streaming on Netflix) doubles down on trying to show us how artistically endowed he is, and cynicism aside, succeeds for the most part.

Timberlake shares the film’s title with The Tennessee Kids, his backing band for The 20/20 Experience World Tour. It’s a noble gesture, as he actually takes a backseat at the film’s outset, introducing us one by one to the members of the group, which takes almost 8 minutes. Filmed at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena on the last night of the 14 month tour, Timberlake tells them before they hit the stage, “Tonight, when you’re up there, look to your right, look to your left, that’s who this show is for. It’s for all of us.”
Directed by Oscar winner Jonathan Demme, Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids captures the spectacle of the modern arena pop concert. Every detail, from sets to lighting to outfits has been meticulously thought out. Timberlake and crew go for a classy “Suit & Tie” vibe. If you turn the sound off, you could put on Sinatra at the Sands, and think it was the same concert. Well, besides all the hot backup dancers.

Though best known for his Academy Award winning-1991 thriller Silence Of The Lambs, Demme also directed the highly lauded 1984 Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense. It’s said Timberlake and Demme discussed the movie as a lead up to filming, and both films have a crisp, clear-eyed sheen and gradual build up, emulating the dynamic of the best live concerts.
The Tennessee Kids are a truly top-notch ensemble and Timberlake lets them shine throughout the concert. A common complaint about modern music is that a lot of it is canned, the use of pre-recorded backing tapes is so common artists are often not sure how much of their live vocal is heard by their audience. In contrast, The Tennessee Kids throb and pulse and ooze with obvious live instrumentation, which fits the neo-soul flavorings of Justin’s 20/20 album cycle.

Timberlake himself is every ounce the likable star throughout. He sings high, he sings low(er), he dances in choreographed routines and in seemingly spontaneous outbursts of excitement. He is also obviously enjoying himself. While his studio recordings rely on modern production touches, such as programmed drum loops and synth bass, music director Adam Blackstone’s live arrangements draw out intros and insert segues and breakdowns for maximum effect.
Things really start cooking a few songs into the set with “My Love,” off 2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, which teases the audience with false starts and stops before delivering the hook and culminating with a screaming guitar solo. Another highpoint is when Justin straps on an acoustic for his 2015 country/soul crossover number “Drink You Away,” which blooms into a gospel vocal circle, giving his backup singers a chance to show off their pipes.
You do get the sense, though, that Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids is asking us to place Timberlake in the pantheon of greats like Michael Jackson and Prince, multi-talented stars who seemingly did everything well. This is rather explicit in the film, which includes a cover of Jackson’s “Human Nature,” and in the end credits features a dedication to “Prince Rogers Nelson.” While there’s no disputing Timberlake is one of the most talented artists of the 2000s, such a blatant ask tends to cheapen any comparisons, and in no way can Timberlake ever match the transformative artistic contributions of these two musical heroes. But to be fair, I’m not sure any modern artist can, besides maybe Beyoncé.
That said, Timberlake’s version of the MJ classic is one of the concert’s highlights, hitting all the right emotional spots. His cover of Bell Biv Devoe’s new jack swing anthem “Poison,” on the other hand, is less successful, its reliance on the original’s drum machine beat being no equal to the power of his live band. And for all the drama and excitement of The Tennessee Kids’ arrangements, after an hour or so the effect reaches diminishing returns as every number is brought to a moment of forced climax.

Timberlake’s 2013 hit “Mirrors” is the film and concert’s true apex. This is where Justin should be showing us he’s all in, at 100%, delivering the performance of his life, however, though the choral vocal arrangement and the crowd signing along undercuts much of the song’s emotional weight. Maybe I’m just being hard on the guy, but the problem is, I remember. I remember when Michael Jackson appeared on the Motown 25 special and the very next day every kid in America was trying to do the moonwalk. I remember when Prince capped off the 1985 American Music Awards with a stunning 6 minute version of “Purple Rain,” ending with a face-melting guitar solo. If you want to be in their league, you need to leave it all on the stage and be carried off because you’ve got nothing left to give. Emotions can’t be faked, climaxes can’t be forced and the title of greatness can’t be self-proclaimed. You need to earn it.
[Watch Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids on Netflix]
Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician and, admittedly, kind of a jerkface when it comes to discussing music.  Follow him on Twitter:@BHSmithNYC.