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Justin Bieber’s Justice review: Bieber returns to his pop roots on his ‘80s-inspired sixth studio album (8/10)
For over a decade, Justin Bieber has served as a leading force in popular music, consistently shape-shifting his sound and image throughout his time in the spotlight. From his early days as a YouTube cover artist and teen-pop sensation, Bieber’s name and talent firmly cemented him as one of the biggest stars of our generation. His sound - originally catered to the Radio Disney/Tiger Beat tween audience - began to evolve into R&B on 2013’s Journals, EDM on 2015’s Purpose, and a blatant move away from pop on last year’s Changes - so much so, he wrote a statement about his dissatisfaction with the album not being nominated in its intended R&B fields.
At times throughout the last ten years, “Justin Bieber” the celebrity eclipsed “Justin Bieber” the artist. His personal battles dominated headlines for years, and Changes served as Justin’s first “adult” record navigating his new marriage. Unfortunately, its repetitive tone and messy lyrical content marked the first full-length misstep of his career - music that often felt like “you had to be there” to grasp its supposed depth. Thankfully, Justice marks a true return to form - and a much-welcomed one.
Justice (released March 19, 2021) is Bieber’s sixth studio album and showcases who Justin is at 27-years-old - optimistic, inspired, and still madly in love with his supermodel wife, Hailey. Justice is the much-needed follow-up to Purpose and intelligently draws upon today’s ‘80s revival across its 16 tracks. More than anything, Justice is unmistakably a pop record, ironic coming from the man who just months ago made it clear he had moved on from his home genre.
On Justice, Bieber’s trusted collaborators each contributed elements of their own signature sounds, which surprisingly mold incredibly well with Justin’s vocals. Andrew Watt, who just won Producer of the Year at the 2021 Grammys, co-produced “Deserve You,” “Die for You (feat. Dominic Fike),” and the already-released hits “Hold On” and “Anyone.” Louis Bell - who worked on Miley Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts, Halsey’s #1 hit “Without Me,” and Taylor Swift’s Lover - co-wrote the much-hyped “Peaches (feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon).” And Skrillex returns for more following “Where Are Ü Now” on album opener “2 Much” and the infectious “Somebody.”
Even with the previously mentioned star-filled production and writing credits, the true behind the scenes champion of Justice is Jon Bellion, Long Island-native and fellow pop artist who had a hand in some of pop’s biggest moments of the last half-decade (see Eminem’s “The Monster,” Jason Derulo’s “Trumpets,” Maroon 5’s “Memories,” and Miley Cyrus’ “Midnight Sky” and “Prisoner"). For those already familiar with Bellion’s signature sound, his influence on Justice is undeniable. In fact, the only downside of these collaborations is that the Bellion-assisted songs may have been better off with him on lead vocals. As some Sia or Julia Michaels-written songs recorded by others often sound like a strong attempt at karaoke, Bieber does his best Bellion impression on singles “Holy” - the gospel-infused hit featuring Chance the Rapper - and “Anyone” most notably.
Some album cuts are reminiscent of earlier Bieber moments: “Loved By You” is sonically reminiscent of 2019’s “I Don’t Care,” but the former features a much stronger, more vulnerable message. "Love You Different" is the younger sibling of 2015's Sorry, but the tropical-pop production style sounds a bit dated six years later.
After a full listen to Justice, listeners leave with a clearer idea of who Bieber is - and where he is heading - than in years. It's his strongest top-to-bottom project to date since Purpose, yet the album’s confusing name and Martin Luther King Jr. samples are odd features outside of the title’s immediate context. Whether Bieber will continue to genre-hop is to be seen, but Justice is a much-needed reminder of both how dynamic pop music can be in the new decade and how much it can benefit from Bieber’s artistry.
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About MarsNY-based, 26-year-old, music-obsessed and loves to write about it. Archives
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