Yahoo! Music Review

Released on 25/03/07
Label: WEA

Or to give it its full title, this is Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake turning in his best Michael Jackson impression and Timbaland filling up all available space with an immense squelchy synth riff and Madonna saying "tick tock tick tock tick tock" like she's auditioning for an "Amerie" soundalike contest and Justin Timberlake saying "Ma-donna. Huh!", just in case you've been distracted by all the sparkly tricks circling around this single like the rings of Saturn and have, like, forgotten who you're listening to. Which would be understandable. Or to give it its abridged title: "Madonna not featuring The Kitchen Sink."

Which isn't to say it's a bad single. It's a great single. But there's no escaping the fact that the best bit is definitely the first 50 seconds when Timbaland layers melodrama upon melodrama before unleashing that planet-sized synth riff, and that when Madge and JT barge in, it's a little bit of a disappointment. Still, you soldier on, propelled through the tick tock tick tock tick tocks and Ma-donnas (Huh!), by that deliciously relentless riff and the knowledge that this is popular culture finally imploding and you'll want to be paying attention when the wheels eventually fall off. "We've only got four minutes to save the world!", declares JT. This single is 4.04. Go figure.

    by Ian Watson