Beat Street: Believe, Justin Bieber
In the video of One Time, one of the first tracks from Canadian singer Justin Bieber, a grinning 15-year-old Bieber cheekily sets up a wild party at mentor Ushers house. In Believe, his third studio album, Bieber firmly distances himself from any trace of that boyishness.
Bieber co-writes many of his songs, and to his credit, the album isnt monotonous: theres a variety of vocal sounds and music to be sampled. That said, familiar figures such as the rapper Ludacris, who appeared in the hugely successful Baby, do figure again. A number of songs in the album are nods to hugely successful pop songs. Boyfriend flips boy band N Syncs Girlfriend over for a catchy-but-familiar tune. Another track that lifts its name from an existing pop song is As Long As You Love Me.
The original Backstreet Boys version was, for many, the introduction to that grand entity called English Music. Biebers version ends the similarities at the title; the song is replete with electronica gimmicks and overly breathy vocals. Besides, Bieber claims, As long as you love me/we could be starving/we could be homeless/we could be broke: the exaggeration jars. Other songs that seem recycled for their titles and ideas are One Love and title track Believe. Believe is all soaring strings and choral backing: it would succeed in its attempt to be an anthem were it not filled with platitudes such as where would I be/If you didnt believe.
One breath of fresh air comes in Catching Feelings, a groovy and mellow song in the way that good pop is. Bieber tones his excited vocals down to a humming, light sound, one thats aptly suited to the understated guitar accompaniment. The mildly funky Motown feel of Die In Your Arms is a pleasant surprise. But every now and then, the album falls back into songs like Thought Of You, a mindless, mechanical uptempo-and-falsetto-filled song. For those who dont belong to the singers rapidly growing base of enthusiastic teenagers, there might have been some cuteness to be found in the b! oyish vo cals and toothy grin that characterised Biebers earlier albums and music videos. With Believe, Bieber attempts to tread slightly more mature territory: this is a risk, and one that falls flat when Biebers trying to be suave or more confident than he is, such as in Take You.
Its pleasant that the album isnt all puppy love. This extends beyond the covers overt Elvis styling (complete with pout). But Biebers step into mature music territory doesnt make for musical freshness; Believe doesnt move beyond all-too-common pop themes. Fans can look forward to a new sound. As for the not-yet-converted, should you happen to stumble on the CD in a friends car, it isnt all cloying dance-pop. It still is, however, Justin Bieber. The album may be one giant step forward for Bieber, but its a miniscule step ahead, if at all, for good music that stands on its own.
Believe, Justin Bieber, Universal Records, Audio CD: Rs 395
