FORT WORTH, Texas – Justin Timberlake should pick up the phone and give Prince a hearty “What’s up?!” It’s the least he could do, because the spirit of Minnesota’s favorite purple son hangs over Timberlake’s much-anticipated second solo album like a Minneapolis winter. Even the CD’s title – “FutureSex/LoveSounds”- could have been lifted from Prince.

But as easy as it is to knock Timberlake for being derivative, falsetto growl and all, it’s hard not to be swayed by the persuasive minimalist funk and hip-hop grooves that he and a team of producers (including Timbaland and Rick Rubin) have concocted. “FS/LS” finishes the job that Timberlake’s poppier 2002 debut “Justified” started, by banging the final nail into the boy-band coffin and pushing it overboard.

On his recent tour, Timberlake toured with a full band, often coming up with a rich R&B vibe that had more to do with the “70s-era groove machine Chic than with what’s on the charts today. He even threw in a bit of grungy rock riffing.

Unfortunately, only some of that willingness to vary from expected formulas shows up on “FutureSex/LoveSounds”, where the first single, the more basic and booming “SexyBack”, offers a taste of what the album is about. But he varies his approach enough to be intriguing. Whether it’s the R&B/rock blast of “Damn Girl” (with Black Eyed Peas’ Will.I.Am), the pared-down beats of “Chop Me Up” (with Timbaland and Three 6 Mafia), or the romantic hip-hop of “My Love” (with T.I.), Timberlake has a knack for putting an inviting twist on what could be ordinary tracks.

The album’s highlights, though, show that his more organic instincts are dead-on. “(Another Song) All Over Again” is a tasty, Stevie Wonder-style, pre-hip-hop love ballad, while “Losing My Way” combines mild social commentary with a gospel choir.

The stunner is “Love Stoned/I Think She Knows (Interlude)”, which begins as hand-clapping, string-flavored funk and then flows into a shimmering dream of gossamer guitar and soaring melody. If only the rest of the disc were “this” good, he’d have a classic on his hands.