Justin Timberlake has had an eventful week: He turned 37 on Wednesday, dropped a new album Friday and danced his shoes off Sunday as part of football's biggest night. The reception to the latter two has been mixed: Man of the Woods is shaping up to be his worst-reviewed solo work by a mile, and his Super Bowl performance unfolded in the long shadow of his 2004 performance with Janet Jackson , when half a second of exposed flesh sparked a major TV controversy and arguably derailed Jackson's career. Ari Shapiro spoke with NPR Music critic Ann Powers about why Timberlake, who once rocketed out of the teenybopper world to become a standard bearer of futuristic pop, now seems so out of step with his moment. Hear the radio version at the audio link and read more of their conversation below. Ari Shapiro: This is not the first time Justin Timberlake has done the Super Bowl halftime show — of course, his 2004 performance with Janet Jackson was overshadowed by that notorious wardrobe malfunction
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