Album Review: Purpose by Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber is all grown up – well, relatively speaking – and ready to show off his big boy bangers in Purpose, an album with results more mixed than his current dye job.

After a year of extensively apologising to all he’s wronged (from his fans, to MTV, to Seth Rogen, to society in general), Justin Bieber is ready to make it all about the music again.

Listening to his new LP, Purpose, you’re reminded that the music is maybe the least interesting thing about him.

Though “Baby” and “Boyfriend” are perfect, hugely appreciated contributions to pop history (and his YouTube discovery to eventual pop icon ascendance warrants his place in our cultural consciousness) Bieber is yet to deliver a consistent, significant whole album. Purpose does not buck that trend.

He starts strong. The James Blake-ian “Mark My Words” leads the way to the infectious, tick-tocking “What Do You Mean?” and the Skrillex-produced island rhythms of “Sorry” (those two being among the best singles of 2015). All three album highlights sound very expensive, which, in Bieber’s parlance, is as high a compliment one can pay.

Things take a turn with “Love Yourself”, a too-cute, SFW kiss-off tune that recalls the acoustic stylings of one Jason Mraz. (It was co-written by Ed Sheeran, which makes total sense.)

“My mama don’t like you and she likes everyone,” is the song’s big diss, as if we didn’t know what Bieber was really capable of. Lest we forget he once yelled "F*** Bill Clinton" at a picture of the 42nd American President while evacuating his bladder into a nearby bucket. Now that’s how you kill a relationship.

The arena-ready groove of “Company” and the Justin Timberlake-aping “No Pressure” (with Big Sean playing the part of Timbaland) are catchy ear-worms that could have been performed by absolutely anyone with identical results. Bieber's voice, now freed from its prepubescent novelty, is basically indistinguishable these days.

Meanwhile, the overly earnest album closers “Life Is Worth Living”, “Children” and “Purpose” actively make the world a worse place. (Sample lyric: “What about the children? Look at all the children we can change.” Children we can change? Into what?) Lyrically, it sounds as if he's trying to parlay his successful apology tour into a rebranding as a "serious" artist. Please, don't.

Beiber’s mid-2015 Skirllex and Diplo collaboration “Where Are Ü Now” is unluckily wedged between that downbeat trio, sucking the air right out of its “expensive sounds”. It’s maybe the most misguided move in album-sequencing this year; like they knew the record's Side B was a mood-killer and was willing to sacrifice “Where Are Ü Now” just to keep people listening to the bitter end.

Justin Bieber no longer has any reason to be sorry. He doesn’t even need to be better. He only needs to release singles... and not albums. Even at a relatively lean 13 tracks, Purpose feels padded with the aural equivalent of seafood extender. Pop albums shouldn’t need to be skipped this frequently.

2.5/5

Purpose is now available.