On Sept. 5, Justin Bieber released a surprise deluxe version of his studio album “SWAG II” that sent me into a frenzy to find the love of my life.
It caught fans by surprise as it was announced suddenly the morning of the same day it was releasing. Bieber hasn’t released music in years and now in the span of two months, he gifted listeners two albums with a total of 44 songs.
This album offers a different type of listening experience than I’m used to, but it can be appreciated by dedicated fans that have listened to him from the very beginning.
“SWAG II” caught my attention instantly with the first track “SPEED DEMON” having a pop heavy and melodic production.
It was a great start to an album because it catches your attention with the catchy sonics and chorus that listeners are used to hearing from Bieber.
The album can be described as a love diary for his wife Hailey Rhode Bieber, and a confession of feelings for the public to hear.
There’s been theories on social media whether or not Justin Bieber’s marriage is failing, according to a June 24 article from US Weekly.
Those theories can be put to rest after the release of this album, especially in the track “BETTER MAN” when Bieber expresses his gratitude for Hailey.
“When you take my hand, honey I promise you no bitterness / And you turn me to a better man.”
Each song has a story to it and the emotions can be felt with him expressing his true feelings like in “LOVE SONG” with his lyrics.
“Spell bound baby, it’s like magic when you kiss me. I wanna be everything you need me to be.”
He’s willing to do anything for the love of his life and don’t we all want to do anything for the person we love the most?
In the song “I DO” the ’90s soul style of production has a very emotional feel and it’s
clear in the lyrics.
“I mean it when I say I do. Nobody gets to touch you, I do. You will always be the one that I choose.”
In this stage of his career, Bieber is creating art that his fans can relate to emotionally on a romantic level with their significant other, differing from his usual pop style like his last album “Justice.”
With “Justice” being an album that does talk about his wife and his love for her, it doesn’t hit deeper like “SWAG II” and how Bieber will do anything for her to be happy and how she makes him feel.
You have to listen with an open mind and understand that this is something dedicated to his wife and their one-year-old son.
This is not an album the average listener is going to like and these aren’t songs you’re going to hear when you turn on the radio.
These are slower songs that talk about love and don’t have an upbeat production that you’ll hear when the radio is on.
Songs like “MOTHER IN YOU” isn’t something you would typically hear on the radio, the acoustic production and the deep meaningful experience he’s sharing when he met his son after birth.
These are songs made specifically for his family.
There are a few special tracks such as “DOTTED LINE” which are acoustic songs that you can tell weren’t recorded in the studio.
While other songs are recorded in the studio with clear audio, this track stands out because it sounds like a snippet which was created in real time.
A slight disappointment was not hearing the fan-made remix of the song “YUKON” in the deluxe version of the album.
A fan combined the lyrics to “YUKON” with the melody from the song “UP!” by LoveRance and 50 Cent, which was trending on social media.
It’s only disappointing because having an official release of the song instead of hearing it on social media or SoundCloud and YouTube would be more convenient for listeners.
This would add that stand out track to help the album reach more audiences and climb the charts even more.
The album also features artists like Tems on “I THINK YOU’RE SPECIAL” and Bakar on “DON’T WANNA.”
These features didn’t make up for the “YUKON” remix not being featured, but they were nice additions especially since Tems fits into the album with her similar style of music and emotional songs.
“STORY OF GOD” is the final track of the album, sharing his faith with listeners and expressing how he’s grown closer to God.
“And then there’s him. It’s the cool of the day, that’s when he comes. You always know when he is near. The air changes.”
Although it’s nice of Bieber to share his religious views, it seemed a little out of touch with the album that talks mainly about his wife, but he does tell the story of this song in the perspective of Adam in the Bible.
Overall, “SWAG II” is a beautifully constructed album that came at the perfect time, right before the fall season and is a perfect album for late-night drives with your significant other.
