Album: My Worlds Acoustic
Release Date: November 26, 2010
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.
"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+.
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
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.
"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+.
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
No comments:
Post a Comment