Justin Timberlake prepared for months for the release of his latest album, Everything I Thought It Was, but the response to it has been underwhelming

The pop singer has been on the news since the release of Britney Spears’ memoir, The Woman in Me, which painted him in a bad light, and Justin Timberlake has been trying to stave off the bad press he’s been getting ever since.

Now, one of the most reputable music magazines in the world, Pitchfork, has put out a scathing review, calling his new album an unsuccessful attempt at damage control after his image suffered serious damage from the Britney Spears scandal.

Pitchfork Branded Justin Timberlake’s New Album As A Move To Restore His Reputation After Britney Spears’ Memoir

It’s no secret that Justin Timberlake has been fighting to salvage his reputation ever since Britney Spears’ memoir came out. The pop star revealed secrets about her relationship with the NSYNC alum, and her experience certainly caused people to look at him differently.

According to Pitchfork’s review, his new album is yet another attempt at lessening the damage to his image that the Britney Spears scandal caused.

“Timberlake’s sixth album, Everything I Thought It Was, is designed to buff the dents out of his public image in the wake of a recent memoir by his ex-girlfriend, Britney Spears,” their review said. “She wrote that he encouraged her to get an abortion, told the media she was a ‘cheating sl*t and a liar,’ and generally acted even worse than you might imagine from a cornrowed white dude who’s prone to speak in AAVE.”

This is certainly bad news for Justin Timberlake, who was worried about this very thing before releasing his latest album. According to sources, he was worried and angry about the fact that his new scandal with Britney Spears would outshine his new music.

If this wasn’t enough, the review also compared him unfavorably to his famous ex-girlfriend, saying that “Album opener ‘Memphis’ is a cliché take on the pressures of fame that makes Spears’ ‘Lucky’ look like ‘For the Roses’ (by Joni Mitchell).”

Pitchfork Gave The Album A Score Of 4.9/10

The overall conclusion from the review is that Justin Timberlake missed the mark with his latest album. Aside from criticizing his music, the review also noted that the singer misread the current times in his effort to restore his image as a sensitive family man.

“In an interview to promote the album’s lead single ‘Selfish,’ a wispy mea culpa directed to ‘the owner of my heart and all my scars,’ aka his wife of 12 years Jessica Biel, Timberlake spoke admiringly of music that lays male emotions bare,” the review said.

“Timberlake’s read on contemporary pop could have been true half a decade ago, but today’s radio airwaves are full of men talking about feelings, and the biggest songs last year from male artists were yearning country ballads. No one really wants to hear about gender from an artist who saw fit to name a 2013 single ‘Take Back the Night,’” the review continued, saying that he was using the concept of “softboy masculinity” as a “touchstone” for his “redemption arc.”

The review concluded that Justin Timberlake didn’t achieve his goal of redeeming himself, and added the scathing remark that “Timberlake has been punching below his weight and coasting for a decade thanks to certain stylistic and demographic advantages.”