No matter how you feel about him, Justin Bieber is not a name that is new to anyone. The long-time superstar has recently released a new album called “Justice”, his sixth studio album. This album, like the previous one “Changes”, shows a lot of maturity compared to Bieber’s earlier works. Even his fourth album “Purpose” is a lot more pop-sounding and juvenile compared to the two later works. I’ve honestly always been a fan of Justin’s music, but I think his new, more relaxed sound works a lot better with his voice and can appeal to a wider audience. There are definitely still some pop tracks, but they still have more mature sounds and lyrics than his previous albums. The one critique I have of this album is the MLK quotes featured. In my opinion, it feels a little tone deaf to take King’s message about injustices in America and throw them into an album about your rich, white, privileged wife. It feels to me like an attempt to seem politically correct without giving any real thought to the true significance of what King was trying to portray.
My favorite song off the new album is “Peaches”. This song is a love song, presumably about his wife Hailey. Both this new album and the preceding “Changes” contained mostly music about her. I personally like how he writes so much music about Hailey. Some of my friends said that they thought two entire albums about his marriage is overkill, but I think it is cute. It also feels more genuine that he is writing about his actual life and feelings instead of writing to appeal to an audience. One thing that makes this song so good is the features. I am also a fan of both their music separately, so I was excited to see them featured on the album. Both Giveon and Daniel Caesar have places on this song. Both are R&B singers, so both of their voices and styles fit well with the song.
The other song I really liked from this album was “Unstable”. This song features The Kid LAROI, and like “Peaches, I thought this feature worked very well. The Kid LAROI has a voice that is very similar to Biebers, so his voice fits the song perfectly. This song is one of the sadder tracks on this album, which is another reason why The Kid LAROI was a great choice. While his music could be considered more hip-hop than “Unstable” is, his lyrics are similarly emotional.
Justin Bieber is definitely a celebrity that has established himself as controversial due to past behaviors, which is why this album makes me feel conflicted. It absolutely sounds good, but I am struggling to overlook the obvious attempt to prove to people that he now a God-loving married man and not a rowdy teenager. I think if it were not for the featured Martin Luther King Jr. quotes I would fall for this, but for now I am feeling conflicted and unconvinced.
