First of all, let me just say, it took me TWO years to get
to this point, nevertheless here I am. I am giving Justin Bieber a second
chance. For all of you who have been following and reading my reviews for the
past two years, you know how much I’ve taken every opportunity to degrade this underserving boy. And for that, I
will personally apologise to Justin (if you’re reading this): I AM VERY, VERY SORRY.
You didn’t deserve it; I was bias and immature.
With that done, let’s move forward and let me tell you why I
got to this point. You know when you listen to a song enough times it either
becomes the ‘Best Song Ever’ or ‘Worst Song Ever’ – well As Long As You Love Me was one of those songs. At first I was
disappointed that it wasn’t a Backstreet
Boys cover, but after a few times, I actually enjoyed listening to it.
After seeing Justin preforming it LIVE on Australia’s
Got Talent I was convinced that I had to give Bieber’s music another
chance. And I’m glad I did! So much so, I even ‘YOLO-ed’ and bought the DELUXE version of the album.
I’ll do the ‘overall’ section here because I think it’s
better that you know what I think of the album as whole before I break it down
song-by-song. First of all it’s an eclectic album ranging from Pop, R’n’B, Hip
Hop, Dance and Techno. In a world where nothing fits into one particular genre,
it’s not too surprising. One thing that many have already noticed is Bieber’s
maturity from his first single ‘Baby’
(2010). Believe is a massive step up
from My World in the sense that he
wrote 11 of the 16 songs on the deluxe version and co-writing 2 other songs on
the album. Adding his own flair to his music, the majority of his album is
written so that it can dance to, showing that Justin and his producers weren’t
just thinking about what it would sound
like, but also what the album would look
like on stage. Believe has shown
Bieber to be following the footsteps of his mentor, Usher along with Usher’s
idol, the late Michael Jackson. It’s reminiscent of Jackson’s classics and
Usher’s 2004 album, Confessions.
Featuring big names such as: Ludacris, Big Sean, Drake and Nicki Minaj, it
shows the scope that Bieber’s derived from and made his own.
Let’s break this down…
All Around the World
ft. Ludacris
The first song on this album is a definitely a summer-party
club anthem. It’s one of those songs that you pump through your speakers when
you want to get the party started and set the mood for everyone to have a good
time. That feel comes from the techno beats that encompass the entire song.
Lucacris’ rap supports the lyrics of the song about loving that one person
who’s beyond compare. It’s a nice reunion since Baby.
This first single from the album got tweens all over the
world saying, “Oh I wish!!!” Who wouldn’t want a boy with ‘swag’ wooing them
with the thought of being their boyfriend? (Especially, if it’s Justin Bieber!)
The verses are seductively said-sung and the chorus oozes with Bieber’s iconic
falsetto. Since the lyrics are so simple it’s catchy and leaves you singing
along no matter where it’s played. I particularly like the, “Na, na, na”
ending.
As Long As You Love Me
ft. Big Sean
As I’ve said – THIS IS MY FAVOURITE SONG on the album. It’s
Bieber’s current single and it’s got this beautiful arrangement where the
silences and the fullness of its musicality holds the song in the balance of
both completion and moments of anticipation. I’m not sold on the rap that
breaks through the song; I don’t particularly like the lyrics and I think it
takes away from the song rather than adds to it. Nevertheless, this song is
still my favourite song.
Catching Feelings
Fourth song in and we get a break from the techno beats and
settle for an acoustic serenade. It’s light on the ear as Bieber sings about
slowly falling in love. It’s not ‘cutesy-ootsy’, it’s actually pretty mature
lyric wise as it covers the persona’s caution in knowing the danger of losing
the girl altogether as a lover and a friend. The lighthearted combination of
percussion and acoustics mirrors the wooing nature of the lyrics and the idea
of swooning.
Take You
Bringing together the techno beats for a bit of a dance and
the beauty in the laid-back dimension that the acoustic guitar has, this song
has a Spanish feel to it. It’s like the tango and the samba all in one. It’s a
real dance between the two different sounds and it’s strongly supported by the
lyrics and falsettos. Justin doesn’t even sound like Justin in this song!
Right Here ft.
Drake
Reminiscent of Usher’s tunes, you almost forget that this is
Bieber’s album! Drake complements Justin so well in this song that it’s more of
a duet than a ‘feature’. It’s a song that you can slow dance to as it talks about
making promises to be each other’s one and only. Soothing and simple, it’s one
that anyone can sing to and really enjoy.
Fall
A song that’s full of ‘anothers’. It’s another acoustic song; only this time the acoustic guitar is only
accompanied by the bass and snare drum, along with the occasional cymbal –
leaving room for the vocals to control the song. It’s another love song about falling in love with your bestfriend,
except this time the girl’s been scared by previous relationships and the boy
is trying to convince her that he’s different. And it’s another song that I really like. It’s simple and the lyrics are
amazing.
Die In Your Arms
Resonant of the Jackson
5’s, “ABC” (only a little slower), this song carries a soul vibe that keeps
you tapping your feet. It’s an easy-listening song that takes you into that
summer feeling. The choir in the background lifts the dynamics of the song a
bit more as they support the cheekiness of this song. It’s about loving someone
so much that it hurts bad enough to dying in their arms would be heaven. It’s a
cute song that has a 50s feeling to it.
Thought Of You
This song is about the whole idea of ‘love at first sight’
and the power of imagination and thought. The persona is in love with the thought of the girl that he’s perceived.
It’s got a fast paced nature to the accompaniment that paints the picture of
being in a dream and running with the imagination before it disappears and
reality kicks in. It’s literally a song about infatuation where you can almost
see Justin chasing a girl and doing a metaphorical and literal dance of the
heart.
Beauty And A Beat
ft. Nicky Minaj
Another dance anthem that has very strong influences from
Minaj’s own sound. But what I love about this song is that Justin makes it his
own and it really defines the whole artist and featuring artist boundary – i.e.
defining the line that says, “This your part
in my song.” Minaj’s rap stays true
to her cheeky personality and compliments the lyrics of the song about life
being complete with that one person and a dance.
One Love
This song is another one of those songs of only having (as
the title suggests) one love. It’s
another catchy song that’s simple and demands you to sing it out loud and dance
to. Coincidently it’s another one of my favourite songs on the album. (How many
is that now?!)
Be Alright
Through away the decks and the drums; and stripped it down
to an acoustic guitar. That’s exactly what this song does. Talking about being
away from home and letting the people you love that you miss them and you’re
doing just fine, this song gives a glimpse of tour life for Justin. You can
almost see him alone in his hotel room playing his guitar and composing this
song to keep him grounded when he’s away from home.
Believe
A ‘thank you’ song to primarily his mum (and now also to his
fans), this song talks about the one person who’s been there from the
beginning. It’s about the voice that’s kept him going and encouraging him to
dream big and leave out that dream. The choir is brought back and it gives it this
uplifting dimension as you listen to Bieber’s simple thanks. It’s so humbling
to listen to and to think that everyone has a person or persons who do believe
in them no matter how big or small their dream is. And yes, it’s another
favourite of mine.
Out Of Town Girl
This song has a bit of attitude to it from the first beat.
It’s definitely written to be danced to as a pair on the stage. As the title
suggests, it’s literally about falling for a foreigner. So the lyrics talk
about getting to know as much as you can about the girl. Not my favourite song,
but I can hear the appeal to the possibilities of what choreographers can put
on a stage.
She Don’t Like The
Lights
Another song I don’t really like, but then again it’s
another one with potential to look better
than it sounds. The added layer of camera snaps really brings the lyrics and
title of the song to life, but otherwise they’re really annoying – which is
probably the point. It’s another dance anthem, but not one that you’d pump
anywhere. The layers are really for performance rather than clubs or parties.
Maria
Written from a real life experience (as the media snippets
at the beginning of the song state), this final song talks about a lie that
spun Bieber’s world into havoc. Written about a fan who claimed that Justin was
the father of her baby, this song simply says, “Why? Like, seriously, why?” Not
just ‘why’ to Maria, but also ‘why’ to the press. Why on earth would you
believe this girl? It’s got a ‘Billy Jean’ feel throughout it and was first
thing that I thought of when I heard the chorus. Again, this is another one of
my favourite songs.
sL Star Rating: 4
Stars
Next on sL: TBA
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