Yes, Justin Timberlake is back, but I’m not quite sure just how excited we should all be about that. Safe to say that Timberlake’s first album in seven years, “The 20/20 Experience” may be one of the most anticipated releases of the year, if not the decade. Sometimes the perennial superstar does meets our expectations; a large part of this album is innovative, surprising and refreshing, but there are significant portions where the songs feel heavy and interminable and perhaps like they should have stayed back in the era of the boy band.

The first song on the album, “Pusher Love Girl” is one of the best, deserving its place as the introduction to the new (decidedly old-school) Timberlake. Blending Motown harmonies, throwback R&B grooves and JT’s signature smooth vocals produces something that, while it may have a foot firmly in the past, is decidedly modern and dance-able; I challenge you to sit completely still throughout the song. It’s impossible. This idea of looking back on influences from the past reigns throughout “The 20/20 Experience,” and most of the time, it works. Timbaland produced “Don’t Hold the Wall,” with its eastern samples and Timbaland’s bass vocals sounds like it could’ve come from the late ’90s, but it’s undeniably catchy.

Sometimes JT’s attempts at throwback go too far though. The beginning of “Strawberry Bubblegum” sounds exactly like the deep-voiced R&B parodies he performs with Andy Samberg on Saturday Night Live, and it’s hard to take the song seriously as a result. “Spaceship Coupe” is another that suffers from excessive cheesiness and commitment to a Motown theme.

The album’s ultimate fault however, is its length. It may only be 10 songs, but with an average song length of about seven minutes (three even near the eight minute mark) the album comes off as feeling swollen. Taking inspiration from the expansive rock songs of the ’70s and the false endings of Motown, sometimes the song extension works (see “Pusher Love Girl” again), but most of the time the extra, tacked on minutes are just repetitive samples that distort the sharpness and rhythm of the first parts of the song. “Let the Groove Get In” could have done much better as a snappy dance tune without the bloated ending. However, if you can make clever use of your skip button, you might make an early call for “The 20/20 Experience” as one of the best albums of the year.

JT has stated to the press that this album is just part one of his 2013 offerings, and that we should expect a second release later in the year. We can only hope that the next album carries over the brilliance and dazzling musicality without the low points that mar “The 20/20 Experience.”