Personally, I think Justin Bieber is the absolute worst.
Now, his new album? Fantastic.
“Purpose,” which is Bieber’s senior studio album after an almost two-year hiatus from the music industry, is a change of sound from his previous albums. He’s “Sorry” for his past endeavors, and wants to start anew.
Here’s what Bieber accomplished during his recent span of one week in Europe: He walked out on a live performance after one of his fans spilled something on stage and blocked performer from trying to mop it up, then later in the week flipped a chair while storming out of a restaurant, and followed it all up by storming out of a live radio interview.
The thing is, it doesn’t matter if you’re not a good person — you can still make enjoyable music, and that’s exactly what Bieber does on “Purpose.”
The album from start to finish sounds as if Bieber went to a summer camp hosted by The Weeknd and Skrillex, as it has an R&B and EDM type of flow.
Upon originally hearing singles “What Do You Mean” and “Sorry,” I truly thought Bieber was staying only in the pop category with this new album, until I heard “I’ll Show You.”
“I’ll Show You” is a dark and moody sort of tune — it’s something you would expect from The Weeknd. In the chorus, it displays elements of a pop song, but the rest of the song is more downcast — it’s exactly something I’d listen to while driving in the rain in order to feel more dramatic.
One of my favorites songs from the album and a definite high point is the tune “Love Yourself.” With songwriting help from Ed Sheeran, Bieber has made the perfect breakup song. The beat is made up of a single electric guitar accompanied by a horn, a style that sounds similar to OMI’s “Cheerleader.” With lyrics such as “And all the clubs you get in using my name” and “My mama don’t like you and she likes everyone,” it makes you wonder what girl other than Selena Gomez he could be referencing.
Justin Bieber also has some popular artists featured on his album, musicians such as Big Sean, Travi$ Scott and Halsey. The best feature out of the bunch is Big Sean in “No Pressure,” the song sounding like something from Justin Timberlake in his “Justified” era.
“Purpose” could be the turning point for Bieber, and maybe he’s an artist we should take seriously now. Bieber even teamed up with his manager Scooter Braun, as well as “Sorry” video choreographer Parris Goebel to create a 13-part video series (released two days after the album) that illustrates the entire album through dance.
Now that is cool. Nice job, Bieber.
_MOVE gives “Purpose” four out of five stars._