Justice - Justin Bieber: Review
Justin Bieber
is an obviously high profile artist whose contributions have been hard to miss over the last 15 years of the music industry. After an extended absence from studio albums during which he released a number of incredibly successful singles he returned with last years critically maligned but commercially successful Changes. After a trio of singles managed to once again be hits earlier this year Justin is now gearing up for another record barely a year later that represents a sonic and thematic change of pace for him.
Review By Lav:
I like Justin Bieber and I think that he's probably a cooler and more genuine person that people often give him credit for. That being said I've never been a huge fan of his music with a couple of singles standing out as highlights but not many of what I would consider to be worthwhile albums. I was particularly let down by last years Changes which felt like Bieber making more generic and less interesting music than ever before, but I was surprisingly enamored with some of the singles he released in the lead up to this album. Unfortunately at 16 tracks there is a ton of filler on Justice and that's combined with highlights that don't even come close to going toe to toe with the genres best of 2021 so far.
Lets cleanse ourselves of the bad first, and I really do mean cleanse because there are numerous tracks on this record that don't belong anywhere near something this commercial and high profile. Obviously the MLK interlude seems like a pretty major artistic misstep but 2 Much and Love You Different represent the worst of the albums proper songs. A couple of the other worst tracks here come in the form of underwhelming or flat out misplaced collaborations. As I Am is an absurdly tame pop duet where Justin and Khalid try to sound Disney channel as fuck over a total overblown mess. The only thing notable about Unstable is how much better of a performance Justin gives than The Kid LAROI and given how mediocre the song is I think that says quite a lot. Finally Loved By You sees Burna Boy turns up on a sullen, lovesick pop anthem and the results are just as bad as you might expect.
Somebody isn't a horrible track but it's impossible to enjoy given how much it sounds like a super obvious medley of songs from The Weeknd's Starboy era. Deserve You has the strange songwriting concept of having verses that are way more interesting than the hook. The instrumental is on the flatter side and the chorus definitely drags on but I was surprised by how memorable some of the verse refrains were and it makes the track much more tolerable. The closing track Lonely was the only single I didn't necessarily like coming into the record and making it the closer doesn't do the song any favors. While I respect it for being a true piano ballad I do think it's underwritten both with its simple hook and short runtime.
Speaking of singles I was surprised to come away from the bunch mostly positively. Holy is a gospel inspired track that features Chance The Rapper and I was surprised to really enjoy parts of it. The hook is painfully indulgent but undeniably catchy and the rush of instrumentation on the later choruses are some of the most musically satisfying moments on the entire album. The Chance feature isn't terrible but man des it have some eye rolling moments, overall I think the song is decent if not a little inconsistent. Hold On is a jumpy upbeat cut that I find myself enjoying more than not. I think it calls back to a sound earlier in Justin's career and he seems genuine and excited to do it which make for a pretty infectious sensation. Anyone was another single I didn't really expect to like but I have positive feelings about. The chorus features some of Justin's best and most dramatic vocals on the record and the stark percussion feels at home on the song. The verses are a bit dry but overall the song is clearly among the better ones here.
Off My Face is a very simple 2000's pop staple guitar ballad that I found surprisingly engaging. While the instrumentation is almost sickeningly smooth I do find a lot of the refrains pretty memorable and I think Justin's vocals are solid on the track. I didn't expect to like Die For You at all but it turned out to be a bit of a highlight. Yes the track is melodramatic but Justin and Dominic Fike approach it in a way that feels both fun and slightly self-aware. The structure and instrumentation are simple but effective in supporting the duos performances and they have a solid bit of chemistry together. Ghost is a bit of a hit or miss track and I''ll be honest I am maybe a bit more charmed than I should be about the "If I can't be close to you, I'll settle for the ghost of you" refrain. It definitely helps me look part the really awkward transition into acoustic guitar on the hook and appreciate other parts of the instrumental that I like more.
Peaches is so obviously the best song on the record and its one of the best songs Justin has made in years. It really puts into perspective how much unnecessary filler makes its way onto this album and dilutes what can occasionally be some pretty good songs. Both Daniel Caeser and Giveon bring it on their vocals passages and every part of the track is so hooky and memorable. This is one instance where the entire world falling in love with the song 2 hours after it was released was for good reason.
Justice isn't terrible which is a step in the right direction for Justin, but I won't pretend it's the album that will turn me into a big fan of his music or pretend it has any chance of being one of my favorite pop records of the year. There is too much material here that is blatantly under-written and under-thought for a record this major. While I don't necessarily hate the idea of fitting 16 tracks into just 45 minutes it doesn't work out when nearly half the songs on offer have major flaws that ruin almost all the enjoyment meant to be taken out of them. There are some singles and a handful of deep cuts I will hold onto from the record but ultimately the tracklist is just incredibly mediocre as a whole. 5/10
