On 'Resurrection,' Chlöe and Timbaland Trade Spectacle for Reinvention
Their joint mixtape recalibrates expectations and provides Chlöe with the space to bloom on her own terms.
After her critically acclaimed stint as one half of Chlöe x Halle, her hyper-sexualized solo endeavors have confounded fans and raised far more questions than they’ve answered. So eager to recalibrate after a string of flaccid releases—In Pieces debuted at No. 119; its follow-up, Trouble in Paradise, failed to crack the Billboard 200—she’s resurfaced with Resurrection. Billing this project as a mixtape is a convenient way to sidestep expectations. Yet handpicking Timbaland as her accomplice only invites them.
Record labels aren’t in the business of funding failure, so there’s plenty at stake. Any other artist with a Beyoncé co-sign, major label backing, and similar results would’ve been dropped already. So if this is truly Chlöe’s last time at the plate, her fate lies in the hands of a producer who’s sold over 100 million copies worldwide.
I’d take those odds.
The Timbaland of today is a far cry from his FutureSex/LoveSounds peak, a stint in which he, his protégés Nate “Danja” Hills and Jerome “J-Roc” Harmon, and Justin Timberlake remodeled the Billboard charts into their personal platinum playground. In fact, it’s been years since he’s produced an album—let alone a single—that’s shaken the table. Those days of revolutionizing popular music with his signature drum patterns and obscure sampling aren’t ancient history, but nowadays, he’s more closely associated with Verzuz—and backstabbing the same producers who idolized him by embracing AI.
For Chlöe, Resurrection presents the opportunity for artistic salvation. For Timbaland, it’s his best shot at redemption.
Armed with his newest disciples, production duo Mosley, the Grammy Award winner abandons his quest to conquer the future and instead reclaims his sonic palette from the past. The first single, “Talking Dirty,” is a prime example of this new modus operandi. Over an airy vocal sample reminiscent of Aaliyah’s “We Need a Resolution,” coupled with his own stutterstep drum pattern plucked from Missy Elliot’s “Beep Me 911,” Chlöe slithers over the track like the temptress she’s always aspired to be, unveiling her appetite for seduction as she growls into her prey’s ear: “Tonight, it’s me on top; tonight, boy, we won’t stop, so dirty.”
As the mixtape continues, Chlöe stumbles into a standoff on “Priorities.” After her lover accuses her of being selfish for prioritizing her career, he submits his two-week notice and requests “some time alone.” It’s a ploy rooted in the gender politics that far too often derail the ambitions of successful women. But instead of acquiescing, Chlöe flips the script: Either give her a reason to take her foot off the gas or move out the way for somebody who will. “Want me to lay off? Rich bitches don’t sleep; can’t put it on me unless you tryna sign a pre.” Far too often, women are manipulated into abandoning their ambitions in order to protect a man’s ego. On “Priorities,” she makes it abundantly clear that she’s having none of it. Either become the man she deserves or another suitor is welcome to take his place.
Timbaland’s craftsmanship is perfectly suited for declarations like these, as his more measured approach to Resurrection favors her defiance over his typical bombast. The bright congas, digital chirps, and self-sampling are still omnipresent—yes, that’s Ginuwine’s “Tell Me Do U Wanna” interwoven into “On Our Own”—but the production is less spectacle and more about providing Chlöe with the proper runway to unleash her potential. Previous muses like Justin Timberlake or Aaliyah were integrated into his compositions like instruments; Chlöe is treated like a garnish.
The entrée is complete; all that’s missing is her appetite.
While far too many of these songs end abruptly—of 13 songs, only three surpass three minutes in length—and Chlöe’s penchant for singing through her teeth is a bit of a distraction, the end result proves worthy of its namesake. Resurrection proves that Chlöe’s previous missteps were more about scale and perception: She’s been positioned as a star despite never earning that distinction. Sprouting in the shadow of Beyoncé will do that, but she’s her own artist who deserves the opportunity to blossom at her own pace.
The question is, after everything Beyoncé and Columbia Records have poured into their should-be superstar, are they even receptive to treating her like a prospect instead of the franchise?
At the very least, she’s inspired Timbaland to deliver his best material in years.