The Score Magazine - Archive April 2016 issue! | Page 29

AMOGH RAO
BIEBER’S GROWTH GAME
PURPOSE
ALBUM REVIEW
With all the rumors about shows in India this year and the kind of hype that his new album has
created, we thought we’d give Justin Bieber’s ‘Purpose’ a closer listen to actually see for ourselves.
Self-realisation and repositioning seem to be a favourite amongst
many iconic pop stars in the past year, right from Selena Gomez’s
Revival to Nick Jonas’s self-titled album. Taking it to another level,
however, is our not-so-teen pop icon Justin Bieber. issues. He does make an honest attempt with Children as he addresses
his generation and the much-needed good influence that he genuinely
wants to provide. Life Is Worth Living, albeit more sullen, still makes
for a decent acknowledgement of his serious lack of past judgment.
Gone are the days of egging, DUI arrests and brothel visits. This album
has shown an acknowledgement of his actions, and some credible effort
with respect to change in musical direction, lyrical themes and most
of all, a brand new sound to fit a brand new Justin. Despite having
to relinquish a major chunk of his pre-pubescent fan base, there’s a
noticeable maturity in the overall feel and musicality of each track,
without sounding completely unoriginal. Mark My Words and I’ll Show You are pretty much wholesomely
comprehensible by their titles alone. He’s managed to give it a human
touch, though mostly due to his ever so buttery vocals that are unique
to this album. Nothing brilliant going on musically with the EDM
work, although the point of the songs’ messages was pretty clear to
start with.
Taking a look at his 3 singles that made it to the chart top, What Do
You Mean and Sorry seem to have a major tropical-house influence,
with vocals in the foreground and a simplistic up-tempo dance
groove, wh ile Love Yourself is much more on the down-low, with an
Ed Sheeran collaboration that’s reminiscent of Outlandish’s Aicha.
The lyrical style and implications are a lot less about a vocabulary
restricted to ‘baby’ and ‘oh’, and more about your far more important
teen breakups and comebacks.
Where Are Ü Now makes for a pleasant listen with the tasteful Skrillex
collaboration, gripping attention with ridiculously processed sounds
and samples while Bieber manages to be simplistically vocal of his
Big Sean’s feature on No Pressure is a calculated expansion of “I’ve
made a few mistakes”, with some RnB thrown in to make the song
digestible. The Feeling is probably a lot catchier, though that’s got a lot
to do with up-and-coming alternative-pop singer Hasley’s contribution
to emphasizing what Bieber has to offer.
Looking at the album as a whole, it was a glorified attempt at righting
some loud wrongs in the 21 year-old’s journey. That being said, in this
Spotify-age where people majorly dig EDM, hip-hop, party house and
their respective permutations and combinations, this album finds its
niche. As mention by The Billboard, Purpose is a party record, even
though the party’s inside Justin’s head.
Songs to check out: Where Are U Now, The Feeling, Sorry
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