Review: Never Say Never: The Remixes

Album: Never Say Never: The Remixes
Release Date: February 14, 2011

After reviewing "Never Say Never" the song and Never Say Never the movie, it's time to finish off the NSN trifecta with Never Say Never: The Remixes.

And you know what I just realized? Speaking of NSN, we're in an anniversary period here. Two days ago was the one year anniversary of the film first being released in theaters, and tomorrow will be the one year anniversary for The Remixes album release. And I swear I didn't plan it this way.

CLICK HERE TO BUY JUSTIN BIEBER'S NEVER SAY NEVER: THE REMIXES

As I did with My Worlds Acoustic, I'm going to compare the original versions of these songs with the new renderings, in this case, with the remixes.

Never Say Never: The Remixes starts off with the title song, "Never Say Never," featuring Jaden Smith. If you read my review of this single a couple weeks ago, you know that I love the song. It may be one of Justin's strongest songs, up there with some of his biggest hit singles like "Baby."

Now, I listened to the first version, which was released on My Worlds Acoustic, and the one on this remixes album, and I can't tell any difference. There might be the slightest change in the way it starts, but overall, it sounds exactly the same. I don't know, maybe they weren't trying to change it since this was selected as the main song to promote the album and film with. But still a great song.

"That Should Be Me" was originally on My World 2.0. This time, Justin's joined by Rascal Flatts, one of my favorite bands. Incidentally, the very first time I heard this song was when they sang it together during a Rascal Flatts TV special. Listening to both versions back to back, it doesn't sound like much of the arrangement was changed, which is good, because this is such a great song already, strong and powerful. Gary LeVox, the lead singer of Rascal Flatts, provides a fantastic complement to Justin's voice. He doesn't overwhelm Justin, but just provides a certain blending that works and at times a sort of background harmony. I don't think I can pick which version is my favorite; both are great.

The music video for "That Should Be Me" starts off with Rascal Flatts arriving at some sort of a studio and meeting up with Justin, and they start singing the song. Then they move over to another part of the studio and get all prepped and ready for the music video. Then we're in full music video mode from this point on, while still seeing a little of the BTS aspect. Who would have thought they'd make a great pairing? Well, I guess, never say never, right? Oh, snap!

"Somebody to Love" featuring Usher is next. I won't go too much into it because I mentioned it briefly in my original "Somebody to Love" review way back when. But I will say this. I really enjoyed the addition of Usher. His voice, as we all know, is soft and fluid, and he brings that with him to this recording.

Next is "Up" featuring Chris Brown. When I re-listened to the original to refresh my mind of what it sounded like, I immediately could understand why they chose Chris Brown as the collaborator for the remixed version. I don't know much of his music, but the R&B sound to it made me see why he'd be a great fit. And I'm not a fan of Brown, per se, but his voice sounded very smooth on "Up." Justin was still very much at the forefront, and Brown's voice was there to complement it, essentially.

Before I go any further, I have to make a comment here. I thought these were supposed to be remixes. At the end of this review, I'll explain further what I mean and why Justin's team doesn't really know what acoustic or remix means in the common way we know it as.

The original version of "Overboard" featured Jessica Jarrell, whoever she is. For this remix album, they decided to use the live duet that Justin did with Miley Cyrus at his MSG show, which we saw on Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. If you recall, I criticized that performance because they made it more sexualized of a performance than it should be, especially when you consider the meaning of the song. And I'm no fan of Miley Cyrus, so you can see where I'm going with this.

I wasn't a big fan of the original. The metaphors are way overused and it's a pretty generic song. I'm not trying to purposefully hate on the song -- I'm sorry -- but I can't figure out which version I can't stand the most. Miley's voice is grating on the live one. And the original is so generic sounding.

I hope Justin doesn't do any other collaboration with Miley or any other Disney star. The Disney stars of today aren't that big (Miley and the Jonas Brothers, the two biggest, have fizzled out), and Justin was able to make it majorly big on his own without the help of Disney.

Then there's "Runaway Love" (Kanye West Remix) featuring Kanye West and Raekwon. Back when I first reviewed the original, I said that it grew on me over time and I was eventually able to appreciate it. But the Kaye West additions to this remix do not help the song in any way. It made the song sound terrible. What is with Kanye? He interrupts Taylor Swift at an awards show; he interrupts Justin's voice on this track. Go away, Kanye!

The album closes out with a new song, "Born to be Somebody," written by Diane Warren. It's a nice little song that gives it a good feeling to close out the album. It's inspirational and has a great message. It's not that catchy or memorable, but still a nice way to close everything out with.

I'm a little confused by Justin's team here. With My Worlds Acoustic, for an acoustic album, there wasn't much acoustic of anything going on. And then here with Never Say Never: The Remixes, there isn't much remixing going on. It seems like they just did this album so that they could add in other singers. That doesn't mean it's a remix. I think Justin's producers need to look at what acoustic means and what remix means, in the sense of what the common interpretation of those words mean.

This wasn't Justin's best album. If we're grading it on the basis that it's a remix album, the grade I might give it may be a C. If I'm grading it just as an album, I might give it a B or B+.

CLICK HERE TO BUY JUSTIN BIEBER'S NEVER SAY NEVER: THE REMIXES

To find out the latest TV, movie and entertainment news, visit Bieber Guy's partner sites, TV Watch Online and the TV Watch Online BLOG (follow T.W.O. on Twitter @TVWatchOnline). And check out my new personal blog, Jeff Dodge Blog, where I share my writing journey, thoughts, opinions, recommendations and more. You can follow that blog's Twitter @TheJeffDodge.

To stay updated on everything related to Bieber Guy and when the next blog and/or review will be online, follow me on Twitter @Bieber_Guy.

Bieber Guy My World Reviews: "One Time" (Updated) / "One Less Lonely Girl" / "Love Me" & "Favorite Girl" / My World EP

Bieber Guy My World 2.0 Reviews: "Baby" / "Never Let You Go" / My World 2.0 Part 1/Part 2/Part 3 / "Somebody to Love" / "U Smile"

Bieber Guy Book Review: First Step 2 Forever

Bieber Guy My Worlds Acoustic Reviews: My Worlds Acoustic / "Pray"

Bieber Guy Film Review: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

Bieber Guy Never Say Never: The Remixes Reviews: "Never Say Never"

Bieber Guy Under The Mistletoe Reviews: "Mistletoe" / "The Christmas Song" / Under The Mistletoe Part 1/Part 2/Part 3

Review: Film - Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

Movie: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
Release Date: February 11, 2011

When Justin Bieber was first hitting the talk show circuit to promote his docu-concert film, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, in the first part of 2011, I heard great things about it. And what actually made me want to see it was Ellen DeGeneres. If you know anything about me, you'll know that Ellen is not only my favorite comedian, but also my favorite celebrity and favorite well-known person in general. Justin was on her talk show to promote the film. And Ellen couldn't say enough positive comments about it.

Keep in mind, this was way before I started Bieber Guy and way before I had listened to most of his music. Ellen said that even if you're not a fan, you should still see this movie because it is so inspiring. And out of all these things that she said, it made me want to see it. So you know what? I did just that recently.

CLICK HERE TO BUY JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never starts off with Justin performing "Love Me," which is a fabulous song, by the way. There are interviews with his mother, grandparents and others. He also performs "Bigger."

"U Smile" with the Boyz II Men is next. At his grandparent's house, they still make him clean his room (good for you, grandparents!). We see him hanging out with friends.

The next song is "Eenie Meenie" with Sean Kingston. After this, we are treated to a sort of timeline throughout the film of showing where Justin came from, how he got his start and all that.

They talk about Stratford Star, a local talent competition he participated in, and in which the videos of him went on YouTube. Another song is "Runaway Love."

After he is discovered, we see a video of Justin singing for Usher. L.A. Reid signs him. They record "One Time," which transitions into Justin performing said song on stage. They promote "One Time" on radio and Twitter.

Another song performed is "Somebody to Love" with Usher. By the way, all these performances are done at Madison Square Garden!

One of my favorite moments in the entire film is when Justin's mom and his manager, Scooter Braun, go out on the streets and hand out 10-12 tickets to fans who would want to see the concert but don't have tickets. I was blown away by seeing this because it goes to show that his team have never forgotten that it is all about the fans. And it's cute when they recognize who it is handing over the tickets.

Another fan type moment that stood out to me was when he did "One Less Lonely Girl." Someone on his team goes out into the arena and picks out a girl in the audience who wants to be the One Less Lonely Girl. That girl comes on stage and is serenaded by Justin and given flowers when Justin performs that particular song. Again, it's all about the fans, which I love. Whoever comes up with these sorts of ideas is a genius, really.

At one point, Justin has vocal problems as he's preparing for the MSG show. They call in a specialist and his vocal coach, Mama Jan, is extremely tough on him. I like that she's tough on him. She is able to give some perspective to an immature teen.

Another song performed is "Never Let You Go," where Justin is on a metal heart above the crowd. His voice is particularly strong here. Miley Cyrus joins him on "Overboard," which was very romanticized between them, which I didn't really like. Jaden Smith joins in on "Never Say Never." "Down to Earth" is very moving and inspiring; there was a moment where I actually teared up a little bit. It's my favorite JB song, out of them all. During "Baby," Ludacris does the rap.

There are a few special features on the DVD. There's the Concert Dance-Off, where we see Justin's dancers showing what they can do. We also get the full-length performance of "Favorite Girl." RIP Flip Hair shows when Justin had his locks cut off. And Giving Back shows an extended look at when Scooter and Justin's mom handed out tickets.

I'm not going to beat around the bush at all on this. Overall, I loved this docu-concert film. If I had to give it a grade, I would give it an A-. I loved the MSG performances, as well as the "life story" aspect of showing how he started and everything that led up to that major MSG show, which included home video footage when he was younger (he was a cute little kid!). My only main problem was that during some of the MSG performances, they cut into the songs with interviews. That's all in editing, so that part wasn't my favorite.

CLICK HERE TO BUY JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER

To find out the latest TV, movie and entertainment news, visit Bieber Guy's partner sites, TV Watch Online and the TV Watch Online BLOG (follow T.W.O. on Twitter @TVWatchOnline). And check out my new personal blog, Jeff Dodge Blog, where I share my writing journey, thoughts, opinions, recommendations and more. You can follow that blog's Twitter @TheJeffDodge.

The next review will be for Justin's Never Say Never: The Remixes album.

To stay updated on everything related to Bieber Guy and when the next blog and/or review will be online, follow me on Twitter @Bieber_Guy.

Bieber Guy My World Reviews: "One Time" (Updated) / "One Less Lonely Girl" / "Love Me" & "Favorite Girl" / My World EP

Bieber Guy My World 2.0 Reviews: "Baby" / "Never Let You Go" / My World 2.0 Part 1/Part 2/Part 3 / "Somebody to Love" / "U Smile"

Bieber Guy Book Review: First Step 2 Forever

Bieber Guy My Worlds Acoustic Reviews: My Worlds Acoustic / "Pray"

Bieber Guy Never Say Never: The Remixes Reviews: "Never Say Never"

Bieber Guy Under The Mistletoe Reviews: "Mistletoe" / "The Christmas Song" / Under The Mistletoe Part 1/Part 2/Part 3

Review: Never Say Never: The Remixes Single - "Never Say Never"

Song: "Never Say Never" (Single)
From Album: Never Say Never: The Remixes
Release Date: January 25, 2011

Before listening to this song multiple times for this review, I don't think I had ever listened to the entire song the whole way through. And so I will admit that I didn't know that Jaden Smith was featured on the song until I did research. But I'll get to him in a little bit.

I'm not going to beat around the bush here. So I'll just say the truth...I'll give the short and simple answer of what I think of "Never Say Never." In short, I absolutely loved it. In fact, it may be one of Justin Bieber's strongest songs, up there with some of his biggest hit singles like "Baby."

CLICK HERE TO BUY "NEVER SAY NEVER"

You know what? The first time I listened to it for this review, I was only a little bit into the song and it hit me hard. I'm not sure if anybody else thought this, but it sounded like it could have been one of the 90's boy bands singing it, like N'Sync or Backstreet Boys (I can never tell the difference between the two, except that one had Justin Timberlake and Lance Bass and Joey Fatone and the other didn't have a standout star). I closed my eyes and could picture them on the stage performing this. I don't know why I thought this, but I might as well share it, to get it out of the way.

Speaking of the research I did for the review, I also didn't know that this is the theme song for The Karate Kid remake starring Jaden Smith. Now that I know that, it seems obviously as to why he's featured, doesn't it?

"Never Say Never" really is this big power anthem. It really is. It's a song that I can picture being performed on a stage; I can see it now.

To go along with everything I've just said, I think the overall vibe is very powerful and it's definitely a catchy song. The lyrics are positive in nature, and they fit in with the message of The Karate Kid films:

"You see, I never thought that I could walk through fire / I never thought that I could take a burn / I never had the strength to take it higher / Until I reached the point of no return ... I will never say never / I will fight till forever / Whenever you knock me down / I will not stay on the ground."

Lyrics like those could easily turn the song into a cheese-fest. But they didn't, because when you add in the quality of the production with the music and everything, it all comes together quite nicely.

If you've read any of my past reviews, you know that I'm not a big fan of rap, such as the interlude included on "Baby." But for some reason, the Jaden Smith rap worked extremely well. This young voice on the recording brought a different sort of energy that vibed really well with Justin. Is Jaden wanting to go into music like his father?

The music video for "Never Say Never" shows Justin and Jaden in a music studio singing the song. Interspersed throughout the video are clips from The Karate Kid remake. Seeing those clips kind of makes me want to go back and not only rewatch the original films, but to also watch this remake, because I haven't seen the remake yet.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH "NEVER SAY NEVER" MUSIC VIDEO

To find out the latest TV, movie and entertainment news, visit Bieber Guy's partner sites, TV Watch Online and the TV Watch Online BLOG (visit T.W.O. on Twitter @TVWatchOnline). And check out my new personal blog, Jeff Dodge Blog, where I share my writing journey, thoughts, opinions, recommendations and more. You can follow that blog's Twitter @TheJeffDodge (which is my personal Twitter account).

My next review will be for Justin's film, Never Say Never.

To stay updated on everything related to Bieber Guy and when the next blog and/or review will be online, follow me on Twitter @Bieber_Guy.

Bieber Guy My World Reviews: "One Time" (Updated) / "One Less Lonely Girl" / "Love Me" & Favorite Girl" / My World EP

Bieber Guy My World 2.0 Reviews: "Baby" / "Never Let You Go" / My World 2.0 Part 1/Part 2/Part 3 / "Somebody to Love" / "U Smile"

Bieber Guy Book Review: First Step 2 Forever

Bieber Guy My Worlds Acoustic Reviews: My Worlds Acoustic / "Pray"

Bieber Guy Under The Mistletoe Reviews: "Mistletoe" / "The Christmas Song" / Under The Mistletoe Part 1/Part 2/Part 3

Review: My Worlds Acoustic Single - "Pray"

Song: "Pray" (Single)
From Album: My Worlds Acoustic
Release Date: December 3, 2010

About a week after Justin Bieber released his Wal-Mart exclusive My Worlds Acoustic album, he released his single from the album, "Pray." Pretty much all of the songs were acoustic variations of his previous songs, so it seemed obvious to have "Pray" be the single to promote.

CLICK HERE TO BUY JUSTIN BIEBER'S "PRAY"

I have to say, I'm extremely impressed that Justin and his team came up with this song and even chose to promote it because of the message contained within it.

Just listen to the lyrics. He's singing about those in this world that are less fortunate, and he's trying to send this positive message about doing what he can do to change things.

"It's in the papers, it's on the TV, it's everywhere that I go / children are crying, soldiers are dying, some people don't have a home"

"I lose my appetite knowing kids starve tonight / Am I a sinner, 'cause my dinner is still on my plate?"

"Cause I know there's sunshine behind that rain / I know there's good times behind that pain / Can you tell me how I can make a change?"

It sends such a positive message. And since Justin's fanbase consists of young kids, the kids in this country and in the world who are fortunate need to know the reality of other kids their age who have very little, if anything.

And even beyond the message, the song itself in terms of the music, instrumentals, beat and melody, it brings forth that uplifting feel as well. It's catchy and an extremely strong ballad.

The music video mirrors the message of the song itself. We see a bunch of footage interspersed throughout of tragedy, destruction, war, famine and a lot more. We see Justin meeting Make-A-Wish kids, and him visiting kids in hospitals. Hopefully this music video was a wake-up call to any of his fans who aren't aware of what's going on in this world (and especially in our own country).

CLICK HERE TO WATCH "PRAY" MUSIC VIDEO

To find out the latest TV, movie and entertainment news, visit Bieber Guy's partner sites, TV Watch Online and the TV Watch Online BLOG (visit T.W.O. on Twitter @TVWatchOnline). And check out my brand-new personal blog, Jeff Dodge Blog, where I share my writing journey, thoughts, opinions, recommendations and more. You can follow that blog's Twitter @TheJeffDodge (which is my personal Twitter account).

My next review will be for "Never Say Never," the single from Never Say Never: The Remixes.

To stay updated on everything related to Bieber Guy and when the next blog and/or review will be online, follow me on Twitter @Bieber_Guy.

Bieber Guy My World Reviews: "One Time" (Updated) / "One Less Lonely Girl" / "Love Me" & "Favorite Girl" / My World EP

Bieber Guy My World 2.0 Reviews: "Baby" / "Never Let You Go" / My World 2.0 Part 1/Part 2/Part 3 / "Somebody to Love" / "U Smile"

Bieber Guy Book Review: First Step 2 Forever

Bieber Guy My Worlds Acoustic Review: My Worlds Acoustic

Bieber Guy Under The Mistletoe Reviews: "Mistletoe" / "The Christmas Song" / Under The Mistletoe Part 1/Part 2/Part 3

Review: My Worlds Acoustic

Album: My Worlds Acoustic
Release Date: November 26, 2010

I've reviewed Justin Bieber's EP, full-length album and book. Now it's time to focus on his Wal-Mart exclusive My Worlds Acoustic album.

Since the songs on this album are acoustic, I decided to listen to each of these songs back to back with their original version counterparts to really hear the different in each arrangement.

CLICK HERE TO BUY JUSTIN BIEBER'S MY WORLDS ACOUSTIC

"One Time" starts off the album, which is fitting since this was his very first single. If you recall, I wasn't all that receptive to the song in my first review. But after giving it a listen quite a few more times, it really grew on me a lot and I came around to enjoying it. And I also am liking the acoustic rendition. I don't think there's much change with the vocals; the real change from one to the other is the backtrack. It has a different feel to it to make it constitute as an acoustic one. And I don't think I prefer one over the other. Both bring their own value to the table, but I do have to say that I enjoyed the smoothless in the acoustic.

Track 2, "Baby," isn't all that acoustic-sounding. Yes, the instruments are more "natural" sounding, meaning they don't rely on electronic means, which is very refreshing, I have to admit. Regardless of what might be the dictionary definition of the word acoustic, what we as a society refer to as an acoustic song is something different than what "Baby" offered. I would think they would slow the song down a bit. Look at The X Factor for the best example of a stripped down version of "Baby." When Drew auditioned, she did her own take on the song, to great review. I was hoping Justin's would be more along those lines. In the original, Ludacris did the rap part. But here, Justin does it, which I love. I wasn't a fan of the rapping, but when Justin does it in this version, it works a lot better.

And just to be clear, when I do this nitpicking, it doesn't mean I hate the rendition. It's just that the term acoustic seems to be applied loosely. If I don't like a particular arrangement, I will make that clear.

"One Less Lonely Girl" benefits greatly from an acoustic change-up. This song already was a teensy bit slower than what some of the other songs originally were, such as "Baby." So it makes for an easier transition here. And I'm more open to this song now because of the acoustic change.

I was surprised to see "Down to Earth" included on this set, because the original is already a pretty stripped down song as it is. I think "Down to Earth" is my favorite Justin Bieber song, because of the story within it as well as the acoustic nature already present. Upon first listen, I can tell right away that it was re-recorded because his voice is a little lower than in the original. Other than that, there's not much difference, since the original was already stripped down, as I mentioned. So I'm still wondering why they included it. But at the same time, it's a good excuse to listen to such an excellent song.

"U Smile" is another one that isn't really acoustic. Again, yes, the back track is different. But the tempo is the same beat as the original. Same with "Stuck in the Moment," though I think I might prefer the overall feel of "Stuck in the Moment" better than the original.

For "Favorite Girl," not only is it acoustic, but it's performed live in concert. I have to say, I love listening to live tracks, because there's an energy with the audience that feeds into the song. And even though it's not slower than the original, the use of the guitar comes out in full force that it does feel more acoustic than the other tracks that came before it. And having it be live adds to that feel as well.

"That Should Be Me" is another one that already has a slower feel to it. How does it compare to the official acoustic rendition? Right off the bat, I can tell it has a different feel. Justin is accompanies mainly by just a piano (along with a few other instruments to complement his voice). A piano lends itself well to acoustic songs, which it's obvious that this is a true acoustic song. And it's a very soft and smooth take on "That Should Be Me." I like it, definitely.

The album closes out with two new songs, an acoustic "Never Say Never" and "Pray." "Never Say Never," as you're all aware, is on his remix album and in his concert documentary. Since those were released after My Worlds Acoustic, stay tuned for my review of the original at that later time. But "Never Say Never" is a great power anthem, in that it spreads a great message, especially for these young fans of Justin. It features Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, on the rap section in the last half of the song. Even though we know Jaden already from his parents and from The Karate Kid remake, this is a great opportunity for us to get to know him on the music scene.

If you close your eyes and just focus on the words, "Pray" has a very powerful story to it. With all the tragedy that can happen in the world, this song is all about sending a message of healing the world and doing very simple things to make people feel better.

I agree with many critics that the overall album wasn't strictly acoustic in the sense that we think of it as. But if you forget that for a moment and just listen to them as songs, I found this album to be really enjoyable. I've already heard these songs before, so it's a nice change to hear some different arrangements with them. If I had to give it a grade, I would give My Worlds Acoustic an A if we're listening to it as just songs. But if we're grading it by the fact that it's being marketed as an acoustic album, I would give it a B or B+.

CLICK HERE TO BUY JUSTIN BIEBER'S MY WORLDS ACOUSTIC

To find out the latest TV, movie and entertainment news, visit Bieber Guy's partner sites, TV Watch Online and the TV Watch Online BLOG (follow T.W.O. on Twitter @TVWatchOnline). And check out my brand-new personal blog, Jeff Dodge Blog, where I share my writing journey, thoughts, opinions, recommendations and more. You can follow that blog's Twitter @TheJeffDodge (which is my personal Twitter account).

My next review will be for "Pray," the single from My Worlds Acoustic.

To stay updated on everything related to Bieber Guy and when the next blog and/or review will be online, follow me on Twitter @Bieber_Guy.

Bieber Guy My World Reviews: "One Time" (Updated) / "One Less Lonely Girl" / "Love Me" & "Favorite Girl" / My World EP

Bieber Guy My World 2.0 Reviews: "Baby" / "Never Let You Go" / My World 2.0 Part 1/Part 2/Part 3 / "Somebody to Love" / "U Smile"

Bieber Guy Under The Mistletoe Reviews: "Mistletoe" / "The Christmas Song" / Under The Mistletoe Part 1/Part 2/Part 3

Bieber Guy Book Review: First Step 2 Forever

Review: Book - First Step 2 Forever

Book: First Step 2 Forever: My Story (100% Official)
Release Date: October 12, 2010

As you can see from the cover, this is 100% OFFICIAL, y'all! I don't really know why it says that. Maybe there had been a bunch of unofficial and unauthorized Bieber-related books being released. And 100% OFFICIAL lets all the fans know that this is the one by the Biebs himself. Also, look at the purple circle that says, "FREE POSTER and lots of exclusive photos, just for you. Love, Justin XXX." Um, I hope the photos aren't XXX. Just kidding, Or rather, JK! I guess I should get into the online and texting lingo to fit in here, right? LOL.

But all kidding aside, this review is for Justin Bieber's book called First Step 2 Forever: My Story. Shouldn't that 2 be to? Sorry. Must get university grammar mindset out of head for a little bit. Again, JK! The book is meant to give fans an inside look at his life, including how he got his start in the biz (but you already know that, right?) and some behind-the-scenes on everything that led up to the big tour.

When I first heard that he had a book, I thought, isn't he way, way, way too young to have a book out about his life? So I'm glad that even he remarked on that fact, saying he's too young to write a memoir: "we can all agree im a little too young to write a memoir...i just got a lot more life to live too :)." But aside from half the book filled up with photos, the format of the writing itself is like a memoir, though. A lot of memoirs take a certain defining moment in life and then flashback to everything that led up to it, and Justin did exactly that.

Every once in a while, some of his tweets are included to correspond to when he's talking about something in his life. Speaking of Twitter lingo, even his introduction his called a DM (that's Direct Message to those of you of a certain age. JK!). One tweet that stood out to me was this: "Music is the universal language no matter the country we are born in or the color of our skin. Brings us all together." So true, so true. There's also lyric passages from some of his songs sprinkled throughout the pages as well.

"Music is the universal language no matter the country we are born in or the color of our skin. Brings us all together."

One quote stood out to me: "My world got very big, very fast, and based on a lot of sad examples from the past, a lot of people expect me to get lost in it" (20). That is so very true. When someone in the business has that fast and steep of a rise to fame like Justin did, everyone expects that to all of a sudden come crashing down. And it seems like he and his people are looking at what that has done to other performers and celebrities, and making sure that doesn't happen to him.


Even though it's a very simplistic book, he does talk about certain things in a way that sends positive messages to his fans, such as doing stuff you're not good at, take risks so you can see what you're good at, what doesn't work, etc. He also takes on the haters: "I had nothing to prove to those guys, just as I have nothing to prove to the haters who try to tear me down now" (79). He's sending the message to his fans that you shouldn't let bullies get you down.

"My world got very big, very fast, and based on a lot of sad examples from the past, a lot of people expect me to get lost in it."

It's good to find out that because of his age, he's not stuck in a tunnel of only being familiar with the singers of today. He listens to Dylan, Aerosmith, Hendrix, Van Halen, etc.

When Justin was young, people said he should try out for American Idol. The bad news was that he was under the age requirement. But he did try out for a local talent show, Stratford Star, and came in third. He's done busking, which means he's performed on sidewalks and made money from it. Some videos from him doing that ended up on YouTube. That's what started it all. Scooter Braun contacted him. He met with both Usher and Justin Timberlake, and chose Usher. He met L.A. Reid (current judge on The X Factor), and signed to a record deal. He and his mom had to move to the United States.

One of the first songs he listened to as a possible song for him was "Common Denominator." As we know, it didn't make the album, but did as a bonus cut.

"I had nothing to prove to those guys, just as I have nothing to prove to the haters who try to tear me down now."

He got noticed because of YouTube. And that internet grassroots method kept going before the album came out. He's Facebooking and Tweeting. His first song, "One Time," goes up to #3 on iTunes, and then #2 behind Taylor Swift. He does a small tour at various malls and such.

My World ends up selling way more than expected. He opens for Taylor Swift's concert tour. And sings for the Obamas. When award season comes around, he wins some and loses some.

Now to focus on the photos. Even though there are the typical heartthrob-type images of Justin, there are some that are really cool looking. There's one showing Justin sitting on a stool on stage performing; the photo is taken from behind him. And we see this very well-crafted "chandelier"-type piece hanging down. Another shows Justin standing in some sort of a steel basket hanging in the air, also from the tour. No matter who the artist is (and no matter if you like a particular artist or not), I like looking at set pieces from concerts, and seeing how intricate or well-done they may be. Speaking of that, another photo shows him on another sort of metal set piece hanging over the crowd; that particular one (on page 45) looks like it could be dangerous. I assume he's hooked in somehow, though I can't tell.

There is something, though, that bugged me when looking at the photos. I saw more than one photo where Justin's pants were down below his butt. I'm sorry, but that does not make you look cool. It looks ridiculous. I won't say more on this, but I will direct you to this VIDEO. Speaking of things that bug me, when people grab their crotch and also think it looks cool (on page 54); again, it doesn't. And just to let you know, I'm only 6 years older than him, so I'm not some middle-aged guy being annoyed with these youngins.

Speaking of being young, there are many moments when it's very obvious that he's still a teenager, because there are certain sections devoted to talking about GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS! And also, asking if there'll be an XBox on the tour bus. Oh, so young and innocent!

If you read my review of My World, you'll notice that one of my favorite tracks is "Down to Earth." Before listening to the song, I found out that it's about his parents divorcing. It made the song all the more powerful. In First Step 2 Forever, he says that his parents divorced when he was only 10 months old. I guess I never who how old he was when that happened, because I had just assumed he was old enough to understand what was going on. But he was not even a year old.

"I spoke both French and English from the time I was little..."

When I reviewed the French version of "One Less Lonely Girl," I wondered if he grew up learning French. Even though I knew he is Canadian, I wasn't sure. And sure enough upon reading the book, I find out he did: "I spoke both French and English from the time I was little..." (32). In fact, he went to a French immersion school: "It's exactly what it sounds like. You're immersed in French. They don't speak English at all. The idea is that you learn to speak French while you're learning to add and subtract and all the other things you'd be learning at a regular school" (60).

Having this book be half photos and half text, I think it appeals more to his fans. And please, don't think I'm criticizing the fans here. I'm not. What I mean by that is this: Teens and pre-teens don't typically read or buy memoirs. I think that's pretty much a given (I read some as a teenager, but lot a whole lot). So Justin and his people have essentially turned the typical concept of a memoir on its head and formatted it in a way that would get his fans to buy it. Because let's face it, this book is for his fans. I can't really see anyone outside his fanbase buying this book. But for those who are not fans and who do want to get the inside scoop, you should check it out mainly for the fact that it's Justin himself telling it, not the media or critics or anybody else.

Again, like I said, I doubt non-fans will pick up this book. But that's not the point of this. It's quite obvious that First Step 2 Forever is, in a way, a gift to his fans; a bonus and something extra. His writing is in a very conversational tone, which makes it very accessible. One of the reasons why I wanted to read it for this blog is to get his point of view of how everything started and how much his life has changed. And we certainly got exactly that.
To find out the latest TV, movie and entertainment news, visit Bieber Guy's partner sites, TV Watch Online and the TV Watch Online BLOG (follow T.W.O. on Twitter @TVWatchOnline). And check out my brand-new personal blog, Jeff Dodge Blog, where I share my writing journey, thoughts, opinions, recommendations and more. You can follow that blog's Twitter @TheJeffDodge (which is my personal Twitter account)

The next review will be for Justin's My Worlds Acoustic.

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Bieber Guy My World Reviews: "One Time" (Updated) / "One Less Lonely Girl" / "Love Me" & "Favorite Girl" / My World EP

Bieber Guy My World 2.0 Reviews: "Baby" / "Never Let You Go" / My World 2.0 Part 1/Part 2/Part 3 / "Somebody to Love" / "U Smile"

Bieber Guy Under The Mistletoe Reviews: "Mistletoe" / "The Christmas Song" / Under The Mistletoe Part 1/Part 2/Part 3