Justin Timberlake Engages In A Little Bait-And-Switch (For Charity)
ARTIST: Justin Timberlake feat. Esmée Denters TITLE: “Follow My Lead” WEB DEBUT: Nov. 18, 2008
ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: It’s hard to begrudge Justin Timberlake’s efforts to sell “Follow My Lead,” since the proceeds from the track do, after all, go to a pretty worthy cause. But really, the credits should be flipped: The dominant presence on the song isn’t Timberlake but his YouTube-groomed protege Esmée Denters, whose sorta-nasal voice powers through the somewhat generic pop ably enough. Timberlake’s contribution is pretty much reduced to a rap (!), some backing vocals on the chorus, and a few “yeah”s here and there, which I suppose is proof that he’s learned at least one trick from his mentor Timbaland. (Just don’t go asking Mark Arm about producing a solo album for him, OK, Justin? I need at least one of my grunge-era heroes to retain his dignity in this dark time.)
WHERE TO FIND IT: JT’s MySpace page. (But not Denters’, for whatever reason.)
