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Life & Arts

Legendary producers make their marks 
once again on LPs

Music Notes 

Eli Jabbe

Timbaland, who is one of the music world's most recognizable names, is preparing to release his latest album/compilation, Timbaland Presents: Shock Value. The elite producer has worked with artists from many genres, and most recently has struck gold with albums where he produced the majority of the songs: Justin Timberlake's Future Love/Sex Sounds and Nelly Furtado's Loose. Those two albums were some of the top albums of last year, critically and commercially.

That wasn't the first time Timbaland produced entire LP's: In the middle of the 1990s he produced all of the songs on albums from r&b star Ginuwine, among others. 

Timbaland has constantly expanded his sound and worked with plenty of artists as the years have passed. His album reflects the diverse cast he has worked with: from Dr. Dre and Justin Timberlake, to Nelly Furtado and The Hives, even heavyweights Elton John, Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z. 

The first single, "Give It To Me," features those same hit makers that he produced for last year: Timberlake and Furtado. All of them, including Timbaland, have a verse that is sung over a catchy beat. The song is good, and sounds like it will definitely receive a good amount of airplay, but there are bound to be some more interesting collaborations on this aalbum. The album is already complete, according to Timbaland, who is on tour with Timberlake currently, and it will set new boundaries. 

Timbaland told his fans, "My mission is to blow up the boundaries and tear down the limits. I'm taking my music outside of the box. I'm not getting away from what I'm known for; I'm just going to a place where it's all about the music, not about the labels on the music. That's why I call it Shock Value, from the artists to the production, it will shock the system." 

With so many types of artists, this album should have something for everybody. It is scheduled for a March 27 release, and the first single was released a few days ago.

In comeback news, Macy Gray, the eclectic singer who was popular at the turn of the century, will release a new album next month. Her first LP in four years is titled Big and will feature production from Will.i.am and Justin Timberlake (who isn't known for producing). The two will also appear as guests, in addition to Nas and other artists. 

dcshobiz@mail.uh.edu 
 

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