Review: Timbaland & Magoo, Indecent Proposal

Timbaland is in peak form as usual on what is rumored to be his last solo release.

Timbaland & Magoo, Indecent ProposalAfter a series of label changes and release date postponements, Timbaland and Magoo’s Indecent Proposal finally sees the light of day. The second release from the producer/rapper team infuses Magoo’s Q-Tip-like rhymes and Timbo’s distinct production style with reggae, retro and soul. The album’s proposals are certainly indecent, from the drug-induced celebration of “Drop” (Fat Man Scoop sings “Breathe in, breathe out” like it’s a super-accelerated Yoga session) to “Party People,” in which Jay-Z lays it down over train-chugging percussion, acoustic guitars and Timbo’s signature electronic blips. The haunting “Love Me” is snuggled neatly between two of the album’s most aggressive tracks, “Serious” and “Baby Bubba.” The song’s “hypnotizing melody” is heightened by Tweet’s warm vocal, electronically altered at times like a voice from beyond: “I can stroke your every key/And you give me that do-re-mi-so/And sometimes double-time.” Similarly, the catchy “I Am Music,” originally written as an ode to the power of music and featuring the late Aaliyah, takes on an eerie new light: “You may find me at a shopping mall…I’ll be a feeling when your talent shows.” While Magoo’s nasal voice is often overshadowed by more well-endowed guest MCs (Ludacris, Mad Skillz, among others), Timbaland is in peak form as usual on what is rumored to be his last solo release.

Score: 
 Label: Blackground  Release Date: November 20, 2001  Buy: Amazon

Sal Cinquemani

Sal Cinquemani is the co-founder and co-editor of Slant Magazine. His writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, Billboard, The Village Voice, and others. He is also an award-winning screenwriter/director and festival programmer.

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