RELEASED 14TH FEBRUARY 2020

Favourite track: Intentions

An album full of love songs with hard beats, atmospheric instrumentals and FX that is soooo listenable accompanied by some great vocal work

Justin Bieber is back with a new album and…I rate it. I haven’t been a major Bieber listener over the years, however his success as a Pop artist is undeniable and his fan-base is still very much alive and loyal. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a Justin Bieber album all the way through so maybe I haven’t given his music a real chance. The 17-track album Changes shows Bieber on the cover with all his torso tattoos on display with a tint of red over the whole thing. It seems mature and perhaps that’s the message he’s putting out there now that he’s married and his focus (and image) has changed considerably from when he started out.

The first track ‘All Around Me’ opens with atmospheric instrumentals and beautiful guitar echoing throughout as he sings on top. The structure is a mix of Pop and RnB. It’s a romantic song that looks at how what he thought in the past is totally changed after meeting this person and his vocals shine through in this. ‘Habitual’ has a great opening with vocal FX and then a Drake-style light topper beat. The vocals are softer here – kind of reminds me of ZAYN’s style – and when a harder beat does come through it layers up well. I love the beat in ‘Come Around Me’ and it’s a catchy song. He’s really going for it with the falsetto and it works. Quavo features on ‘Intentions’ which was one of the hits of the album. I love the production of this and it’s a catchy tune without a doubt. The style is very Hip-Hop/RnB and I could imagine Post Malone singing this. ‘Yummy’ (one of the main hits of the album) has been a massive success and I didn’t like it at first…but it did grow on me. So upbeat, catchy, playful and cute.

‘Available’ opens up with choral vocal FX and then a Trap style beat. It’s a good track overall. Post Malone and Clever feature on ‘Forever’ which has a HARD bass and beat along with lighter synth sounds. This one is about how he wants to experience everything with this girl and how he loves being with her even though he thought he would never be able to commit. ‘Running Over’ (ft. Lil Dicky) has a video game sound effect to provide a melody and then a harder bass and beat. It’s all about how he is crazy about this girl. ‘Take It Out On Me’ has this slow, Weeknd-style beat as he tells her how she can take it all out on him when she has a bad day as he will be there to work it out. I like the toy-box opening in the track ‘Second Emotion’ ft. Travis Scott. It’s musically complicated with lots going on as well as a Trap beat – not a surprise when Scott is on a track. Bieber sings/raps a little fast here which adds a little variety to the album.

Another hit ‘Get Me’ (ft. Kehlani) has a dancy beat and bass. It’s about how this girl understands him totally and how they connect so well. Kehlani sounds great and compliments the track so well. ‘E.T.A’ opens with acoustic guitar with a beautiful melody and some excellent vocals. Another acoustic one – ‘Changes’ talks about how he wants to be “the best of me” so he can “be the best for you” where he admits he is going through a lot. ‘Confirmation’ has a lovely melody and echoing atmospheric production which strips back to slow right down. ‘That’s What Love Is’ is another romantic tune with guitar as he tells her he wants no one else by his side. ‘At Least For Now’ builds into more of a Pop song with piano chords and guitar. The final track is a remix of ‘Yummy’ with Summer Walker which is brilliant as she really adds to it and her vocals suit this song sooo damn well.

An album I would listen to when doing my makeup or on my way to something.