As Justin Bieber’s comeback album, Purpose, takes on the unenviable task of presenting its star as both a commercially viable pop icon and a vulnerable human being who’s genuinely sorry for all the awful shit he did in 2014. It succeeds at the former, but fails unequivocally at the latter. Though I came out impressed by Bieber’s vocals and the consistent production, I didn’t feel one note of pity for him.
His apology songs (“Life Is Worth Living,” “Purpose”) feel sincere. But they don’t hide just how much Bieber sounds like an asshole on this record. “Love Yourself” is one of the meanest post-breakup songs this side of Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May,” with Bieber viciously digging his claws into a girl for… what? Liking how much she looks? Not liking his friends? It’s never clear, and given the crowd Bieber’s been partying with lately – his creepy dad Jeremy, D-list stars/drunk drivers Khalil and Lil Twist – I don’t exactly blame her for that.
Then there’s “What Do You Mean,” another entry in the fabled canon of “no means yes” songs. “Sorry” tries to shrink the record’s apologetic sentiment down to the scale of a romantic relationship (“I made those mistakes […] maybe a couple hundred times”), but when he claims “I’m missing more than just your body” on the chorus, it defeats the purpose of the sentiment. The focus is on the word “body,” and I can imagine Bieber stammering his way through the question: “what else do you miss?” “Your personality, your… um, smile,” I imagine him stammering, flop sweat pouring down his face.
Purpose is at its best when it leaves out the mea culpas and just presents Bieber as what he is: an indomitable pop star. “I’ll Show You” is the best thing here not because Bieber claims “I’m not made out of steel” on the chorus but because his icy, detached performance makes him sound like he is. Bieber’s vocal chill (in both senses of the word) is Purpose‘s strongest suit, and the album’s best songs take advantage of this, like the R&B stunner “Company” or the post-Yeezus industrial trap “No Sense.”
In fact, his voice is the only reason the songs where he explicitly atones for his past questionable behavior really work. On a musical level, “Life Is Worth Living” and “Purpose” are facile piano ballads, not far from the sparser moments of Adele’s 21. But Bieber’s voice, rather than rocketing skyward, remains at a hushed coo. His restraint gives these songs a palpable sense of introversion, as if he’s simply mulling over his thoughts rather than screaming for the world to forgive him.
Purpose makes it obvious that Bieber’s sincerely sorry. What’s less clear is how much he’s learned.
Listen to Purpose’s title track below.