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Justin Timberlake Channels Michael Jackson Well on ‘Take Back the Night’ Single

justin timberlake, take back the night

Feels good, don’t it? Justin Timberlake has dropped the first single from his upcoming sequel to The 20/20 Experience. “Take Back the Night” arrived today (July 12) at noon EST. The six-minute song has a distinct Michael Jackson vibe, throwing back to soul’s post-disco evolution, infusing dance floor rhythms with impeccable class. Featuring hand-claps and ambient room chatter, the song taps right into its subject matter, as our host makes a welcome return to singing about moving and grooving. Smooth synths. Bright horns. Playful percussion. It’s a keeper.

Timberlake teased the track — which he co-wrote with Timbaland, Jerome “J-Roc” Harmon, and James Fauntleroy — earlier this week with a quick video revealing the song’s title. Timbaland and Harmon also co-produced the song with JT. The 20/20 Experience Vol. 2 is due September 30 via RCA Records, but fans can pre-order the album right now via iTunes and Timberlake’s official website. Both records will also be bundled together as The 20/20 Experience — The Complete  Experience

According to an official announcement, the new full-length features 11 tracks as well as a “special surprise from Justin.” Timberlake is quoted as saying, “I originally recorded a massive amount of material and decided on the 20 tracks that I wanted on the album over a year ago. But, when I was mixing and going through all of the songs there were so many that I loved — I couldn’t resist… I had to throw in something extra on the 2nd half.”

So far, JT’s comeback has been a massive success. The 20/20 Experience sold nearly a million copies in its first week and only just recently fell from Billboard‘s Top 10 distinction, where it held a 14-week residency until the end of June.

Timberlake is playing the Yahoo! Wireless Festival in London this weekend (gigs booked for July 12 and July 14) and next week he’ll kick off his joint stadium tour with Jay-Z, the boastfully titled “Legends of the Summer” spectacle. The two “Suit & Tie” titans will play arenas across North America for a full month, from July 17 to August 16. Timberlake will return to the stage in September for Brazil’s Rock in Rio festival and London’s iTunes Festival. After that, the former NSYNC singer will embark on a solo world tour that’ll keep him on the road through February 2014. Find details below. 

Justin Timberlake tour dates: 

July 12 – London, England @ Yahoo! Wireless Festival
July 14 – London, England @ Yahoo! Wireless Festival *
July 17 – Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre *
July 19 – Bronx, NY @ Yankee Stadium *
July 20 – Bronx, NY @ Yankee Stadium *
July 22 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field *
July 26 – San Francisco, CA @ Candlestick Park *
July 28 – Pasadena, CA @ Rose Bowl *
July 31 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ BC Place *
August 4 – Hershey, PA @ Hershey Park Stadium *
August 6 – Detroit, MI @ Ford Field *
August 8 – Baltimore, MD @ M&T Bank Stadium *
August 10 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park * 
August 11 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park *
August 13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park *
August 16 – Miami, FL @ Sun Life Stadium *
September 15 – Rio, Brazil @ Rock in Rio
September 29 – London, England @ iTunes Festival 
October 31 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
November 13 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
November 15 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
November 16 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
November 18 – Memphis, TN @ Fedex Forum
November 19 – St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
November 21 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
November 29 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
December 2 – Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Center
December 4 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
December 5 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
December 11 – Indianapolis, IN @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
December 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
December 14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Consol Energy Center
December 15 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
December 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
December 19 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
January 13 – Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
January 17 – Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
January 22 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
February 9 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
February 10 – Omaha, NE @ CenturyLink Center

* = with Jay-Z