Justin Bieber - Purpose
Critic Score
Based on 28 reviews
2015 Ratings: #882 / 1008
Year End Rank: #40
User Score
Based on 926 ratings
2015 Ratings: #560
Liked by 42 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

83
Entertainment Weekly

A definitive statement of young manhood, full of deeply meta references to fame and maturity and persecution by the press.

80
GIGsoup
“Purpose” is Justin Bieber’s best album to date. With a new found mature, edgy sound, this album is one to remember.
80
The Telegraph
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
Billboard
Bieber isn’t trying to rock the club; this is psych-up music for the man in the mirror.
80
Clash

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
The 405

Purpose is high-stakes pop; a defining moment in his already affluent career and declaration of adulthood to a sea of non-believers.

70
Rolling Stone

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
FasterLouder

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
Complex

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
Spin

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
Pitchfork
As much as this record is part of his long campaign of rehabilitation, he struggles to convey a remotely sympathetic perspective.
60
The Observer
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
The Young Folks

While Purpose is musically sound, it’s lyrics aren’t exactly introspective. In fact, they’re all pretty much the same.

60
Sputnikmusic
Bieber tends to perform best when he plays to the strengths of his subtle and leisurely singles.
60
The Sydney Morning Herald

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
NOW Magazine

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
NME

It’s not quite redemption – only time will tell if he’ll curb the recklessness – but it’s certainly a start at reinvention.

60
HipHopDX

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
AllMusic

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 Guardian

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
Pretty Much Amazing

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
Tiny Mix Tapes

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
The Needle Drop
Justin Bieber shoots for a more mature sound on his latest record.
50
Slant Magazine

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
Spectrum Culture

“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
A.V. Club

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
The Arts Desk
It’s the sound of Bieber excitedly handholding us through a maze of clichés he’s just discovered.
33
Consequence of Sound

Bieber lacks the showmanship, spunk, comedic timing, or vocal chops of the other Justin to deliver a slam dunk and not just a statement.

undermyskin
72

Justin was inescapable when this album dropped I feel like this is his only album that I can take seriously

pizzagrande
61

Sexy man = sexy album. Mans fell off after he grew that mustache

KillBill
40

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

sewerquinn
17

he fr think he yeat with that u

Gliebs
70

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,.

Luke_G
51

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

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Track List

1Mark My Words
2:14
50
2I'll Show You
3:19
63
3What Do You Mean?
3:25
72
4Sorry
3:20
68
5Love Yourself
3:53
64
6Company
3:28
65
7No Pressure
4:46
feat. Big Sean
56
8No Sense
4:35
53
9The Feeling
4:04
feat. Halsey
57
10Life Is Worth Living
3:54
50
11Where Are Ü Now
4:02
71
12Children
3:43
60
13Purpose
3:30
55
Total Length: 48 minutes
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Added on: October 9, 2015