In the immediate decade following his boy band peak with *NSYNC, Justin Timberlake was on top of the pop world with the post-Y2K classic Justified and the globe-conquering FutureSex/LoveSounds. The 2010s was a period of diminishing returns, capped by the confusing pivot to rustic themes on Man of the Woods. His big 2024 comeback, Everything I Thought It Was, mostly avoids that downward trend, offering a decent attempt at recapturing his former glory. The emotion and charisma that propelled his solo ascendance is present on the yearning "Drown" and "Flame," which sound like "Cry Me a River"/"What Goes Around¿" in the best ways. Plus his voice is still in fine form. Of the highlights, the team of Angel Lopez, Federico Vindver, and Calvin Harris delivers a pair of immediately catchy jams that help remind listeners of how expertly Timberlake can groove: "No Angels" is smooth, funky, and begging for the dancefloor, while "F*ckin' Up the Disco" soars with Timberlake's recognizable falsetto and an effortlessly breezy disco sheen. The slinky bass of "Play" is a flashback to the FutureSex/LoveSounds loverman era, when Timberlake delivered some of his best Prince tributes; meanwhile "Infinity Sex" and the wild "My Favorite Drug" are rocket ships of swirling disco-space-funk, with the former so catchy it could possibly convince listeners that JT is still burning up the bedroom. Guests include Fireboy DML ("Fire"), Tobe Nwigwe ("Sanctified"), and *NSYNC on their second reunion single "Paradise" (the first landing on 2023's Trolls Band Together soundtrack). Even though it's natural to pine for the quality of his first two solo efforts, it's still unfair to expect Timberlake to come close to those heights. In the end, Everything I Thought It Was is better executed than Man of the Woods and on par with The 20/20 Experience. ~ Neil Z. Yeung