Cabaret (Justin Timberlake song)

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"Cabaret"
Drake
from the album The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2
ReleasedSeptember 27, 2013
Recorded2013
StudioJungle City Studios (New York City)
Genre
Length4:33
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Timbaland
  • Justin Timberlake
  • Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon
  • Daniel Jones (add.)

"Cabaret" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter

Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon and Daniel Jones, with additional writing from James Fauntleroy and Drake. "Cabaret" is a pop and soul song which features beatboxing, handclapping, guitars and keyboards in its composition. Music critics noted its similarity to Timbaland's earlier works with singer Aaliyah and Timberlake's 2006 single "My Love". Lyrically, it finds the singer comparing his love to a burlesque
and features sexually oriented lyrics.

"Cabaret" received generally positive reviews from contemporary critics who praised Timbaland's production as well as Drake's rap verse on the song. As a result of the strong digital downloads following the release of the album, the track debuted on the charts in South Korea and the United States. It peaked at number 18 on the US

Gaon Chart, selling over 3,800 digital copies for the week in the latter country. Timberlake included "Cabaret" on the set list of his fourth worldwide concert tour entitled The 20/20 Experience World Tour
(2013-2014).

Writing and production

"Cabaret" was written by Timberlake,

Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, James Fauntleroy and Daniel Jones. The song was produced by Timbaland, Timberlake and Harmon while Jones provided additional production. Elliot Ives recorded the song at the Jungle City Studios in New York City. Timberlake arranged and produced his vocals. Harmon provided keyboards for the song, while Ives played the guitar. The track was engineered by Chris Godbey and mixed by Jimmy Douglass, Godbey and Timberlake; for the process they were assisted by Matt Webber. The keyboards were provided by Harmon and Jones.[1]

Composition and lyrical interpretation

"Cabaret" is a

MTV Buzzworthy agreed with Anderson, however, labeled "Cabaret" "as a much more 'dirty-minded'" version of the former.[7] ABC News' Allan Raible noticed the song's beat has a classic sounding Timbaland beat, which—according to him— "the kind of beat Aaliyah used to turn into gold".[8] Arasia Graham of HipHopDX stated that "Cabaret" sounds like a 2013 answer to Timberlake's 2006 single "My Love".[9]

Mikael Wood of

Lil Boosie's "Let Me Ease Your Mind".[15]

Critical reception

Drake
's rap verse on the song received praise from music critics

"Cabaret" received generally positive reviews from

The Huffington Post wrote that "the song is smooth and has an addictive hook".[17] John Meagher of Irish Independent labelled the song "highly potent" and noted that it features Timberlake's "typical heavy-hitting approach".[18]

Los Angeles Times's Wood praised Drake's verse and wrote that he "takes the sex talk to a level that Timberlake the boy-band veteran still can't".

Entertainmentwise's Amy Gravelle stated that Drake is featured on the track to add substance and style and proves that he was the "hottest" rapper at the moment.[2] A reviewer of Capital FM stated that the song proves why Drake was the rapper on everyone's lips and further described "Cabaret" as a smart team-up between the artists backed by Timbaland's classic beats.[20] On the negative side, Lanre Bakare of The Guardian criticized the rapper's verse calling it "predictably self-indulgent".[21] Vibe's Stacy-Ann Ellis noted that although Drake gives some "lover-boy swag" to the song, Jay-Z outperformed him with his verse on "Murder".[22]

In a review of The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2, Craig Manning of website

New Zealand Herald opined that the song would be a lot of sexier without the overpowering bass pulses in its production and "some odd lyrics".[25] Adelle Platon from Billboard dubbed the song "frisky" and Drake's verse "fit for a nightclub rendezvous."[26] HotNewHipHop's Trevor Smith said "Cabaret" "it's a fitting addition to a solid catalogue that Timberlake has been developing since stepping foot (sic) in the game."[15]

Live performances

Timberlake performing during The 20/20 Experience World Tour in 2014

Timberlake included "Cabaret" on the set list of his 2013-14 worldwide tour entitled The 20/20 Experience World Tour.[27] In a review of the concert that took place at the United Center in Chicago on February 16, Claudia Perry of the Chicago Tribune wrote "the whole apparatus returned to the A position (hey, Timberlake likes golf) while he performed 'Cabaret' and 'Take Back the Night'."[28]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2.[1]

Locations
Personnel
  • Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley — production
  • Justin Timberlake — vocals, mixing, production, vocal production, vocal arrangement
  • Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon
     — keyboards, production
  • Drake
     — vocals
  • Daniel Jones — keyboards
  • Chris Godbey — engineering, mixing
  • Jimmy Douglass — mixing
  • Elliot Ives — recording, guitar

Charts

Following the release of The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2, "Cabaret" debuted on charts in South Korea and the US. The song debuted at number 50 in South Korea,

R&B Songs chart.[31]

Chart (2013) Peak
position
South Korea (
Gaon Chart)[29]
50
US
R&B Songs (Billboard)[31]
18

References

  1. ^
    Sony Music Entertainment. 2013.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link
    )
  2. ^ on November 17, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  3. Montreal Gazette
    . Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Newman, Melinda (September 30, 2013). "Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2': Track-by-track review". HitFix. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  5. ^ Zaleski, Annie (October 1, 2013). "Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience—2 of 2". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Anderson, Kyle (October 9, 2013). "The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2 (2013)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  7. ^
    MTV Buzzworthy
    . Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  8. ^ Raible, Allan. "Review: Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience'". ABC News. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  9. ^ Graham, Arasia (September 30, 2013). "Justin Timberlake — The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  10. ^ a b "Review: Justin Timberlake edgier on '20/20 Experience — 2 of 2'". Los Angeles Times. September 30, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  11. Boston Globe
    . Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  12. ^ Henderson, Eric (September 28, 2013). "Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  13. ^
    Allmusic
    . Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  14. ^ Krewen, Nick (October 1, 2013). "Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience — 2 of 2: review". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  15. ^ a b Smith, Trevor (September 23, 2013). "Justin Timberlake - Cabaret Feat. Drake (Prod. By Timbaland)". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  16. ^ Leconte, Julia. "Justin Timberlake — The 20/20 Experience 2 Of 2 (RCA)". Now. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  17. The Huffington Post
    . Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  18. ^ Meagher, John (October 4, 2013). "Music Review: Justin Timberlake - 20/20 Vision". Irish Independent. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  19. ^ Hanratty, Dave (September 30, 2013). "Album Review: Justin Timberlake — The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  20. ^ "Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience 2 Of 2' Track By Track Album Review". Capital FM. September 29, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  21. ^ Bakare, Lanre (September 26, 2013). "Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience Part 2 – review". The Guardian. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  22. ^ Ellise, Stacy-Ann (September 30, 2013). "Review: Leftovers Struggle To Hit The Spot On Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience — 2 of 2'". Vibe. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  23. ^ Manning, Craig (September 30, 2013). "Justin Timberlake — The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  24. ^ Ezell, Brice (September 30, 2013). "Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience (2 of 2)". PopMatters. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  25. New Zealand Herald
    . Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  26. ^ Platon, Adelle (December 27, 2016). "Justin Timberlake's 14 Best Hip-Hop/R&B Collaborations". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  27. ^ Zemler, Emily (January 21, 2014). "Justin Timberlake Touts Suits, Ties and Tequila at Newly Renovated Forum: Concert Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  28. ^ Perry, Claudia (February 17, 2014). "Review: Timberlake does it all with flash at United Center". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  29. ^
    Gaon Chart. Archived from the original
    on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  30. ^ "Gaon Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  31. ^ a b "R&B Songs: Oct 19, 2013 - (Biggest Jump)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2014.