Timberlake started writing and recording for his third studio album in the "late part of May, first week in June" and concluded in July 2012.[1] The project was produced in a span of 20 days.[2] In August 2012, producer Jim Beanz reported that Timberlake started work on his new music project.[3] However, at that time, shortly after the announcement, Timberlake's publicist revealed that there were no current plans for a new Timberlake album, affirming instead that Timberlake was working with Timbaland on songs for his upcoming project Shock Value III.[3] Although, originally planned for release in October 2012, its date was postponed because of the singer's wedding with actress Jessica Biel.[1] Timberlake's manager, Johnny Wright, stated that although the project involved artists who are primarily Timberlake's friends, it was tough keeping it a secret, making them use codenames for the project.[1] It was released on March 15, 2013, under the title The 20/20 Experience.[4]
"Let the Groove Get In" was written by Timberlake, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, and James Fauntleroy, and produced by Timbaland, Timberlake, and Harmon. Timberlake arranged and produced his vocals, which were recorded at Larabee Studios in North Hollywood, California. Harmon provided keyboards, while Elliot Ives played guitar. The Benjamin Wright Orchestra and The Regiment played horns, while Terry Santiel provided percussion. Chris Godbey, with assistance from Alejandro Baima, engineered it, and Jimmy Douglass mixed it with Godbey and Timberlake at Larabee Studios.[5]
Composition
"Let the Groove Get In" is a latin song accompanied by canned horns, propulsive percussion and Timberlake's harmonized voice over a pop arrangement made by Timbaland.[6][7] It contains a sample from the recording "Alhamdulillaahi" part of the release Explore Series: Africa-Burkina Faso: Rhythms of the Grasslands (2002), an album that features field recordings collected in Africa during the 1970s.[8] Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly wrote that although the song is built on African hand-drum rhythms, later transforms into a classical Michael Jackson song, similar to the tracks from his fifth studio album Off the Wall (1979).[9]People's Chuck Arnold and Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone, compared "Let the Groove Get In" to Jackson's 1983 single "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" from his sixth studio album Thriller (1982).[10][11]Kitty Empire of The Guardian called the song a sassy and salsa-driven "earworm with a chanted chorus whose arrangements are sublime".[12]
Reception
Writing for ABC News, Allan Raible noted that "Justin feels like a singer standing still ... or coasting at best".[13]Robert Christgau cited it as a highlight of the album.[14]Billboard's editor Jason Lipshutz listed the song among a list of 15 pop songs "that weren't released as singles but should have been."[15]VH1's Emily Exton wrote, "In addition to using a few of his more successful techniques (echoed call-and-response, general clapping) Timberlake dives into the sounds of the Miami Sound Machine, bringing back an electric dance number unlike anything else in his catalog."[16]
Following the release of The 20/20 Experience, "Let the Groove Get In" appeared on the charts in South Korea and the United States. For the week dated March 17, 2013, the song debuted on the South Korea Gaon International Chart at number 31 with sales of 6,204 digital copies.[17] It also debuted at number nine on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart,[18] and at number thirty-nine on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[19]
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