The absent-but-not-forgotten prince of pop is back with a vengeance, bringing along monopolies on falsetto and slickness. You likely noticed Justin Timberlake beneath a spotlight for the first time in quite a while at the Grammy Awards, with the debut of his leading single Suit & Tie. Seven years, seven movies and two off-color Andy Samberg collaborations later, true pop fans can start crooning once more.

One thing I take away from The 20/20 Experience is that it is never too late to move forward in one’s career. The song played incessantly on the radio, Suit & Tie, is strong and reliable — not basic JT, but classic. Alongside that is the notable Let the Groove Get In, affixing his signature suaveness to some Latin-American pulsing.

But the classic JT moves that appear in his third studio album don’t stop there. There’s got to be a handshake with a colossal player in the rap game – in this case, Jay-Z. The rap folds with the pop in a way I’ve only ever attributed to JT, though he’s not the first to do it.

You can count on The 20/20 Experience to test your patience as well, given that a song shorter than six minutes is an endangered species. But the debonair air increases with each passing number, and Timberlake’s voice isn’t easy to get tired of, much less when grafted with the down-tempo beats that compose most of the album.

It has been a long seven years, but one can hope The 20/20 Experience is merely the tip of the iceberg of a lasting career for Timberlake. With luck, he’ll keep the falsetto coming.

MAX ASAYESH-BROWN, St. Petersburg High