If you’re not yet aware of the teen phenom Justin Bieber than you undoubtedly will be by the end of this week. The 15-year old pop/r&b singer just released his first album today called “My World” which follows up his release of four separate singles over the last five months. The first single “One Time” debuted in July and the next three “One Less Lonely Girl,” “Love Me,” and “Favorite Girl” were all released since October. With the gliding footwork and swagger of Usher and the sweet down-home charm and polished tenor pipes of Justin Timberlake – Justin Bieber is poised to be BIG.
Like many of his fans, my first introduction to Justin was via his YouTube channel which is what secured him his record deal in the first place (go here for the full story on Justin’s unusual rise to fame). My attention is always captured by raw talent and this kid is definitely that. Here’s a sample of one of his YouTube videos from a year ago that has the second most views on the channel.
That should give you a taste of his raw vocal talent. The kid can sing – I don’t think anyone can question that. That brings me to my point. Why, when you find a talented kid with charisma AND a spectacular voice, do you treat his debut album like he’s any other teen pop star? “My World” is overproduced. It’s unfortunate. I wasn’t wild about the electronic R&B and synthesized power-pop direction but I can dismiss that as a difference in stylistic preference. If I’d been in charge of producing Justin Bieber’s first album I’d have thrown it back to the young M.J. days and brought in the 21st century equivalent of the Funk Brothers to play behind him (with even a live kit – the kid could have played it himself!).
What I really can’t wrap my head around though is the fact that they used auto-tune (or a similar effect) on his voice. Not just on one song for a particular effect but throughout the album and in some weird places. Justin can sing so the auto-tune certainly wasn’t to mask his singing ability, but it does in effect – though in reverse – because you can’t tell if he’s actually talented or if it’s another case of studio magic. Why not showcase his raw talent and leave his voice alone? I really don’t understand that decision and it makes me wonder if Justin Timberlake had won out instead of Usher in the Bieber custody battle, would the album have been more akin to my vision for it? To illustrate my point, below is a live video of Justin singing “Favorite Girl” (scan ahead to :45 for the song) followed by the cut off of the album in its final form.
Justin Bieber - Favorite Girl
Though the production is a disappointment on the album as a whole, there are still some great pop songs on “My World.” Two of my favorites are the funky upbeat track “Bigger” (I can just hear it performed live with a full band) and the R&B slow jam “Common Denominator” which could easily be a cut off a Brian McKnight album.
Justin Bieber – “Bigger”
Justin Bieber – “Common Denominator”
Buy “My World” on iTunes –
With so many untalented young kids out there trying to woo the preteen crowd, why you would take a true talent and make him sound like everyone else? Maybe my distaste for synthy auto-tuned pop is a sign that I’m in my 20’s and no longer giggling over Tiger Beat in the grocery store, but in any case, I hope Justin’s next release is “My World” Unplugged.
To close and give you a sense of Justin’s on-stage charisma (since acquiring a record deal) I’ll leave you with one of Justin’s most recent performances on The Ellen Show which opens with a snippet from his latest single “Favorite Girl” and a full performance of his first single “One Time” complete with backup dancers.
For more information visit:
Justin Bieber’s YouTube Channel
Justin Bieber’s Official Website
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