Justice - Justin Bieber (2021)

⭐ 5.0/10

(Originally written by hoodie_logi)

Idk what to do with this album y'all. Let me start with musically, this might actually be Justin's best work. The songs are catchy, the features are great and overall I really enjoy listening to most of it. Here's my issue. If you followed the promo leading up to this album, all Justin talked about was how his heart of social justice has been awakened. Obviously since the album is called Justice, I was really excited to hear Justin tackle this topic in his music. Coupled with his faith and a promise of tackling some big topics on the album, I was stoked for this.

However, the only instances where "justice" is a discussion or theme on the album was in two separate MLK voice clips, which together total maybe just over a minute of run length. Once again, all the songs on the album are about his relationship with Hayley. And so I was very confused. Why tease an album as you showcasing your heart for social justice, if the album is not about social justice in any way. The album to me, feels like a cheap attempt to ride the wave of popular social justice, and to me that is so so disappointing.

I saw a quote that read something along the lines of "Justin Bieber thinks his music is more impactful than it is" and I think this sums up this album perfectly. I honestly think that Justin may have believed he was actually showcasing his heart for justice on this album, which is also just so disappointing. This album feels cheap, shallow and honestly bland content wise in light of how he marketed it. Again, if he had marketed it as another love album to Hayley, and given it a different name, I think this would warrant a 8-8.5 rating. As a pop album I love it. But this is not what Justin promised, and especially the use of the MLK samples just feel really cheap. I really want to like this one, and I'm sure I'll keep listening to it, but idk the whole thing just feels off to me.