Let me preface this by saying, I have YET to get through to the end of the album. I have listened to each song (that my ears have allowed me to reach thus far) multiple times. I first stopped at #3 "Don't Hold the Wall," prematurely calling it 'my favorite' before FINALLY arriving to the distant #7. I've changed my mind a couple times, but I believe I've solidly landed my "Spaceship Coupe" on planet FAVORITE with "That Girl."At a length of 4 minutes and 47 seconds, it's clearly the shortest track on the album, especially if you remove the 33 seconds of lead up skit preceding the actual song. I have already spent (at least) 30 minutes listening to it - I may already know all the lyrics (yes, it's that serious).
I gotta say, tho, "That Girl" snatches me from the moment he says "1, 2, 3 ... " and the horns blow. I am immediately transported to some smoke filled hole in the wall 'juke joint' at a small pub table with my eyes closed, just grooving (and, of course, snapping my fingers) like "that's my jam." The song is instantly reminiscent of ballads of yesteryear when the only place you could hear songs of such a smooth, mellow, R&B flavor, was in a small club with a small stage where all the band members have to cram behind the lead vocalist and his big silver microphone atop a lone silver mic stand.
The song takes that old school flavor with a live band then combines it with the smooth, but bas-heavy, synthetic beats that Timbaland concocts so well. It gives you the "jukin'" of today along with the mellow ballad we can only dig into our grandparents' crates of records to find.
There are some songs that seem to be weird, and even some lyrics that make you go, "huh?" before you begin to actually enjoy it. I think, however, even the songs that you question, will grow on you when you package them all into the love story woven through the melodies and music JT's falsetto always brings about. There are also others that immediately seem to require your enjoyment, intermingled with the songs that make you want to fall in love again or go home and hug your significant other, having realized even another level of the love you had already achieved.
OK maybe that is reaching just a bit ... But despite my (SLIGHT) exaggeration, I still speak truths of his (and Timbaland's) talents. Perhaps I'm the perpetual lover, but I am sold on songs like "Mirrors" but even more so sold on the complete work with the love ballad, the "runt" of the album, "That Girl."
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