Purpose
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CRITIC REVIEWS
83
A definitive statement of young manhood, full of deeply meta references to fame and maturity and persecution by the press.
80
“Purpose” is Justin Bieber’s best album to date. With a new found mature, edgy sound, this album is one to remember.
80
Bieber’s offering is less of a mainstream crowd pleaser and all the more interesting for it, a quirky, atmospheric electro R’n’B concoction with sci-fi sounds and offbeat vocal samples that focus attention on the star’s soft, supple and seductive singing.
80
Bieber isn’t trying to rock the club; this is psych-up music for the man in the mirror.
80
The fact that 'Purpose' features some of the hottest writers and producers in the game right now means there's enough going on to hold your interest throughout.
75
Purpose is high-stakes pop; a defining moment in his already affluent career and declaration of adulthood to a sea of non-believers.
70
Bieber is the comeback kid, with "Sorry" as his theme song. He spends Purpose learning lessons, begging for forgiveness and vowing to be a better Bieber.
70
All the bangers in the world can’t save Purpose from its weak-sauce lows; and, for all the confidence shown in the marketing of this being his reinvention, it’s worth noting he’s still only 21 years old.
70
He lays his soul bare in joyless lyrics stripped naked, requiring very little interpretation, filling the crags with buoyant, sun-drenched productions from Skrillex, Blood, and Diplo.
70
By giving us the best album of his career, and subsequently re-ascending to Top 40’s mountaintop, Bieber’s answered his own question: In pop music, it’s never too late to say you’re sorry.
62
As much as this record is part of his long campaign of rehabilitation, he struggles to convey a remotely sympathetic perspective.
60
It sounds just great, this late-night, soul-searching session in Bieber’s boudoir. If only the man himself were worth our ear time.
60
While Purpose is musically sound, it’s lyrics aren’t exactly introspective. In fact, they’re all pretty much the same.
60
Bieber tends to perform best when he plays to the strengths of his subtle and leisurely singles.
60
It's pretty good, actually. This will be a surprise, even if you had heard the singles ... and enjoyed them enough to almost forget the prat singing them.
60
The Canadian pop star's fourth record leans heavily on an overbearingly dull redemption narrative following a (let's face it, more interesting) period of erratic behaviour. You couldn't write a more clichéd child-star trajectory, and yet Purpose is his most cohesive and best-sounding album.
60
It’s not quite redemption – only time will tell if he’ll curb the recklessness – but it’s certainly a start at reinvention.
60
It’s when Bieber’s honesty feels less-than-honest and the tracks feel less-than-groundbreaking that this album falls short of the heights it should by all means be capable of reaching.
60
A bumpy, oddly compelling restart, Purpose should hook open-minded pop fans who previously paid him no mind, and it could even win back some of those who wrote Bieber off years ago.
60
The musical direction owes much to co-producer Skrillex, whose unexpectedly subtle electronic palette complements Bieber’s affectedly breathy voice. The voice soon palls, but the songs are often interesting.
58
Although Purpose isn’t quite Bieber’s Off the Wall moment, it is an intriguing album pulsating with life—affirming that this is, in fact, an artist worth paying attention to.
50
Purpose is an album obsessed with apology, a cheap redemption narrative that hasn’t even been asked of the most unforgivable pop stars. It’s an arc undermined by the music.
50
Justin Bieber shoots for a more mature sound on his latest record.
50
If Bieber wants to sell us on forgiveness and the self-improvement angle that lyrics like “be a better me” seem to promote, maybe having the conviction to follow through on his intended musical reinvention would've been the best possible good faith gesture.
50
“It’s like they want me to be perfect,” Bieber sings on the mildly petulant “I’ll Show You.” Actually, Justin, there’s where you’re wrong. We don’t expect you to be perfect—we just expect you to make good pop music. And there simply isn’t enough of it on Purpose.
50
Purpose is certainly successful at demonstrating Bieber’s ability to evolve and dabble in more mature music. But because the album is so hell-bent about pushing forward an agenda of redemption and establishing him as a serious artist, it lacks playfulness.
40
It’s the sound of Bieber excitedly handholding us through a maze of clichés he’s just discovered.
33
Bieber lacks the showmanship, spunk, comedic timing, or vocal chops of the other Justin to deliver a slam dunk and not just a statement.
Justin was inescapable when this album dropped I feel like this is his only album that I can take seriously
All Out 2010s: A series of reviews of the pop albums that were symbols of the 10s (Inspired by the user @IEnjoyMusic's dive)
Hello There, I'm KillBill the chicken, and I'm going to complete a series of reviews for some pop albums that housed some of the biggest and most characteristic hits of the decade. You see, I'm going through the "All Out 2010s" playlist on Spotify and I'm going to pick an album from one of the biggest hits of each year. We've reached the middle of the decade ... read more
The good songs GO OFF on this record. I'm not sure if that is nostalgia or if they are actually that good, but the album has its low points too. Basically all the songs that weren't radio hits are pretty forgettable,.
Is this album’s purpose to be as average as possible? Because that’s what this is.
Best Track: Where Are Ü Now
Worst Track: Mark My Words
Contributions By
patton, royalflush, thisisabtlgrnd, lemuriams, philthy, erik, Leo Aguilar, MarkC, PaulYordan01, Guigss, QuetBecome a Donor
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Track List
| 1 | Mark My Words 2:14 | 50 |
| 2 | I'll Show You 3:19 | 63 |
| 3 | What Do You Mean? 3:25 | 72 |
| 4 | Sorry 3:20 | 68 |
| 5 | Love Yourself 3:53 | 64 |
| 6 | Company 3:28 | 65 |
| 7 | No Pressure 4:46 feat. Big Sean | 56 |
| 8 | No Sense 4:35 feat. Travis Scott | 53 |
| 9 | The Feeling 4:04 feat. Halsey | 57 |
| 10 | Life Is Worth Living 3:54 | 50 |
| 11 | Where Are Ü Now 4:02 | 71 |
| 12 | Children 3:43 | 60 |
| 13 | Purpose 3:30 | 55 |
Total Length: 48 minutes
Year End Lists
| #2 | / | Digital Spy |
| #3 | / | People |
| #4 | / | Stashed |
| #5 | / | Complex |
| #7 | / | Idolator |
| #10 | / | Cosmopolitan |
| #13 | / | Dazed |
| #17 | / | Entertainment Weekly |
| #26 | / | Popjustice |
| #44 | / | Noisey |
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Added on: October 9, 2015