Justin Timberlake is out of the woods.
After his February album, “Man of the Woods,” dropped and flopped — at least with many critics and fans — JT is hitting the reset button with a new surprise track, “SoulMate.”
The single is not from “Man of the Woods,” which received mixed reactions for its Americana leanings. Instead, Tuesday’s release “SoulMate” finds the singer returning to his “dance, dance, dance” sweet spot — more like “Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” “Suit & Tie” and “Rock Your Body.”
It’s an obvious bid for song of the summer, as Timberlake makes clear at the start of the song: “Summer starts now,” he declares over the percolating beats of the instantly catchy groove.
In a shrewd move, Timberlake collaborated with Nineteen85, who produced some of Drake’s biggest hits. You can even hear echoes of Drake-and-Nineteen85 bangers including “Hotline Bling,” “One Dance” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home” on the breezily soulful “SoulMate.”
Hey, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
