Review: Debut Release - 'My World' EP

Album: My World (EP)

Release Date: November 17, 2009

After reviewing his first two singles, plus the two iTunes promotional singles, it's now time to look at Justin Bieber's debut release, My World EP. Since I've already reviewed four of the seven songs on the album, I already had a pretty good sense of what the album as a whole was going to be like.

My World starts out with his debut single, "One Time." Click HERE for my initial thoughts on the song (and HERE for the updated review). It's a great start to the EP. Even though each individual song should be able to stand on its own, especially in the digital age of downloading individual songs instead of entire albums, the order of the tracks is extremely important. There should be some sort of a progression as you're making your way through the album. And just as important is track #1 - the very first song you'll hear upon hitting play.

After having listened to "One Time" many times now, it really has grown on me over time. I mean, just look at my comments in the initial review vs. my updated review. The song is definitely catchy, and that's what makes it successful. Listeners will want to keep listening to the album after hearing this one.

Next up is "Favorite Girl" (HERE's my track review). "Favorite Girl" keeps up the momentum carried over from "One Time" and ramps it up even more. I would think that, to tween and teen girls, if "One Time" brings the Beliebers on board, then "Favorite Girl" keeps them aboard. I'm not a songwriter, nor could I ever be. But when a songwriter can do things to a song, whether that's in the phrasing, the tempo, melody, notes or range, that make it stand above other songs, that's a success. And FG does that when it comes to the melody in the chorus. I call them the bounces in the song: "My prized possession, one and only." His voice goes up on such words as "possession" and "only." That's what hooked me in. That's what kept me wanting to listen to the song again.

"Down to Earth" is by far the most poignant and heartfelt song on the whole album. Read the lyrics as he's singing them:

Whenever I've reviewed each of the songs, I always like to do a little research and read up on the background, what the songs are about, how Justin interprets them, etc. Justin co-wrote three of the songs on My World, including this one. "Down to Earth" is about his parent's divorcing, and having to grow up in the aftermath of it all. Knowing this, it really does bring a whole new meaning to the song. My World started off with fun, upbeat, catchy songs. Then we slow it down quite a bit on this one. It doesn't feel out of place at all, though. Since I came into the song knowing the background on it, I really payed attention to the words, what was being said. I paid attention to how he projected his voice to convey that meaning. I can't really compare it to the upbeat songs, since they're completely different types of songs. But "Down to Earth" is by far one of the best songs to come out of My World. There's no denying the power of words. And really, no matter who's singing them, we hope that the message is still conveyed. On a song like Miley Cyrus' "The Climb," I'm not a fan of Miley's voice, but I love that song and the theme within it. Same with Demi Lovato and "Skyscraper." Even for those who are not Justin Bieber fans, I hope they would be able to listen to "Down to Earth" and react in a similar way that I did.

I found this video on YouTube of Justin singing "Down to Earth" in concert. At times, it seems like he's a little uncomfortable singing it. Just pay attention to his facial expressions, his mannerisms, the way he moves around, and especially the way he completely embodies the song while singing it. The song does mean a lot to him, and you can tell in this video:

"Bigger" is up next. Is anyone else tired of hearing these "Mafia" tags? It's not just with Justin's (Mafia is heard both on "Down to Earth" and Bigger"), but many other artists. I have all of Fantasia's albums (Fantasia of American Idol fame), and I hear it on there too. Does Midi Mafia have to include it on every song they're a part of?

Anyways...sorry about that mini-rant there. I just had to get that off my chest. But "Bigger" is a decent-enough song to include, giving My World an R&B flavor with this one. The bounces I referred to with "Favorite Girl" are back again.

"One Less Lonely World," while not has catchy as some of the other songs, has lyrics that his female fans can connect to. In my review of this song, I didn't give it the highest rating. But I found out that there's a French Adaptation only on the Canadian release of My World. Justin goes back and forth between singing some lines in English and some in French. And I have to say, I prefer this French Adaptation over the original by far. What is is about certain foreign languages, like French, that can do that? I had no idea that he could speak French. Even though he's from Canada, I don't know if it's required for students to learn French or what percentage do. So I didn't know that he could. But I loved the French parts of the song.

Celine Dion is my favorite singer of all time. And she does have some songs on her American albums sung in French. And I love them. And I really want to get her French releases. So really, the French language seems to make things even better, doesn't it?

Regardless of what I said about "Bigger" and "One Less Lonely Girl," "First Dance" may be the weakest song on the EP. With similarities in tempo Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone," this one is mainly teen pop, and features Usher. But the R&B flavor infused near the end seems out of place. And in terms of the overall feeling I got from the song as a whole, I found it a little forgettable. The catchiness that I keep talking about in the other songs seems lost here. But since the song is about prom, it caters extremely well to his female fans.

I mentioned earlier that the first track of an album is critical because it sets the tone for the rest of the album. "One Time" succeeded on that front. And now that we're at the end, I will say that the final track is also important. You want to go out with a bang, if you will. Sometimes on albums, the best tracks are at the start and/or middle, and not much energy is taken into the ending. But My World again succeeds here with this. "Love Me" is a great way to end the album (read my review HERE). It brings the tempo back up, it's catchy, upbeat, and fun. And it's one of my favorites of all the songs.

My World received generally positive reviews from critics. I've given it a mostly positive review as well, and this is coming from a non-fan, though someone who isn't a hater either. And the album was a smash on the charts as well, having the best-selling debut of a new artist in 2009.

My absolute favorite tracks on the EP are "Down to Earth," "Love Me," "Favorite Girl," and "One Time." After those four, I would order these songs (starting with the best) as "One Less Lonely Girl," "Bigger," and "First Dance." There's was also another track included on this release, but only on iTunes, which was "Common Denominator." In terms of tempo and pacing, I would compare it to "First Dance."

I graded each of the seven tracks based on the GPA grading system (i.e. A=4.0, A-=3.7, B+=3.3, etc). After averaging it out, the final grade was between 3.5 and 3.7. I'm going to round it up, and give Justin Bieber's debut EP, My World, an A-. The songs cater to his core demographic of teen and tween girls. The R&B infusion into some of the songs gives it more credibility with other people. And with a song like "Down to Earth," Justin has shown that there can be deep layers to some of his songs and his music beyond just catering to girls.

This isn't an album I would normally buy. If you look at my CD collection, I don't have any teen/tween-type albums; the one that comes closest is Taylor Swift, but her music has transcended beyond just that fan base and into mainstream critical acclaim by people of all ages and backgrounds. As Justin becomes an adult and has to make that transition with his music as well, can he do the same? I can't wait to find out.

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 HERE).

The next music review will be the kick-off of the My World 2.0 reviews, with "Baby." I might do a non-music review before then; I'm still trying to finalize the order of these next couple of reviews. So pay attention to Twitter for the latest on that.

To stay updated on everything related to Bieber Guy and when the next blog 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"

Review: iTunes Promo Singles - "Love Me" & "Favorite Girl"

Songs: "Love Me" (iTunes Promo Single #1) &

"Favorite Girl" (iTunes Promo Single #2)

Release Dates: October 26 & November 3, 2009

From Album: My World (EP)

I've got two songs to review this time around. And the reason for two is because these songs were both iTunes promotional singles for My World and released within about a week of each other. The two songs are "Love Me" and "Favorite Girl."

I mentioned last week that single #2, "One Less Lonely Girl" was the song released closest to the EP release date. And while technically true in terms of official singles, LM and FG were, in general, the songs everyone got to hear closest to the release. These were what were going to be used to promote the album. And they were definitely great choices to release as these iTunes promo singles, especially "Love Me."

As a single, I didn't particularly think that "One Less Lonely Girl" was a standout in terms of people remembering it. But that's not a problem at all with LM and FG.

"Love Me" is my favorite of the two, mainly because of how catchy the song is (and if you've been reading my previous reviews, you know how important a factor I think that is). The chorus, especially, stands out: "Love me, love me, say that you love me / Fool me, fool me, oh how you do me / Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me / Tell me what I wanna hear, tell me you love me." The arrangement of the beat and tempo is excellent, in how the vocal emphasis is on "love," "fool," and "kiss" in each of those lines. Whenever Bieber gets to those lines again, I look forward to it. At the time of this writing, I have listened to the song quite a few times. And those parts of the song are stuck in my head on a loop now.

Even though the record company is certainly focused on money, this repeat mode is what they want to hear, because that's a good indication that listeners will come back for more. A catchy song = money for them. And for the fans, a catchy song = so much enjoyment, listening over and over again, and just getting lost in the music. That's what music listeners are looking (or rather, listening) for. So it's a win-win.

Of the two iTunes promo singles, a music video was made only for "Love Me." And the video wasn't released until about nine months later, August 3, 2010. That makes more sense, because I when watching the video, I was wondering why he was performing in that huge of a stadium. Now, I obviously don't know what his popularity level was at the end of 2009, but I doubt he would have been doing that well yet (wait 'til 2010, right?). So reading after the fact that this was in mid-2010 made more sense.

Anyway, the majority of the music video contains footage of Bieber performing to an enormous crowd at one of his concert stops. Other shots are interjected of backstage moments, meeting the fans, and choreography practice. We also see that Usher is there at the practice. I believe this is now the second time (out of three music videos so far) that Usher has made cameos. I haven't seen any of his other ones, but is this a recurring appearance?

Bieber has said that this music video is a "tribute to his worldwide fans, thanking them for their support." And it's a good way to do a tribute of sorts. It's also a great glimpse into what his concerts are like, as well as seeing what goes on backstage (and to let you know, I'm a big fan of seeing behind-the-scenes of things).

"Favorite Girl" is another great song choice to promote the album. Just as "Love Me" has a catchy hook (with the vocal emphasis on "love," "fool," and "kiss"), so does "Favorite Girl." For this song, the hook, what makes the song catchy, is the parts in the chorus when the vocals go up at the end of the phrases and lines. An example is with "My prize possession, one and only / Adore you girl, I want you." The vocal emphasis where the notes go up are on "possession," "only," "you," and "you." It does something different to those lines. If they are sung without those little bounces, I guess I could call them, not only would the chorus not stand out, but neither would the song as a whole either.

So again, as I said, both great choices to promote the song with leading up to the release. "Love Me" received great reception and reviews from music critics, and it's no wonder why. If I had to choose a favorite song out of the four I've reviewed so far, I might go with "Love Me."

To find out the latest TV, movie and entertainment news, visit Bieber Guy's partner sites, TV Watch Online (and follow T.W.O. on Twitter HERE) and the TV Watch Online BLOG.

The next review is currently scheduled for Monday, September 5, which will be my overall thoughts of the My World EP, including the remaining tracks I haven't reviewed yet.

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

Bieber Guy My World Reviews: "One Time" (Updated) / "One Less Lonely Girl"

Review: Single #2 - "One Less Lonely Girl"

Song: "One Less Lonely Girl" (Single #2)

From Album: My World (EP)

Release Date: October 6, 2009

A week ago, I started up the main act of the Bieber Guy blog with a review of Justin Bieber's very first single, "One Time." And at the end of the week, I gave an updated review after listening to the song a few more times. Now it's time for "One Less Lonely Girl."

If any of you are wondering why I'm going song by song at the moment and not reviewing the whole album, it's because these songs were released as singles in the months leading up to the EP release in November 2009.

"One Less Lonely Girl" was first released about a month and a half before the EP came out. Since this was the single that was out there closest to the EP release, it seems to me that this would be the song that people pay attention to and see if this is someone we should keep an eye on. And since there were no other official singles from the EP, this is an important one, just as important as the debut.

In my "One Time" review, I mentioned how a debut song needs to be catchy and sharply grab people's attention. Follow-up singles have challenges as well. Not only do you have to capitalize on the possible success of the debut, but also have to keep that momentum going with the second go around. That second song should be just as good, to put it simply. Or at least good enough and well-received enough to have an impact.

Since Bieber's fan base consists primarily of tween and teen girls, "One Less Lonely Girl" I'm sure succeeded on those fronts that I just mentioned. The achievement of this song lies in the lyrics, what the song is conveying. You have this in the chorus: "I'm comin' for you, one less lonely girl." The words really are directed right at the girls listening to his music. You see, the record company's not dumb; they know what sells. There's other lyrics like "I'm gonna put you first, I'll show you what you're worth" that tell girls that when you're in a relationship, your boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, significant other, whoever it is, should treat you right. When you have a teen heartthrob, in this case Justin Bieber, saying those words, girls will listen. And Justin said at one point that "I think it's really important these girls have something so they can be one less lonely girl." Having someone special in your life versus being all alone. Another message it's sending. But not just having someone in your life. It's having someone in your life that means something, that treats you right, etc.

I keep stressing the importance of having a catchy song. And when it comes to that, I personally think that "One Time" significantly succeeds more on that front than "One Less Lonely Girl." That's not to say the song is bad. But if I had to choose a song (of the two) to put on repeat, it would be "One Time." I just don't think that the melody, the hook, the beat, the tone, everything I mentioned in my updated review on Friday, stands out in the crowd as much. But as I said, there is success to be had from this song. And that is what I've mentioned above with the lyrics and how his fan base can connect to it.

The music video, like the one for his debut, features a girl he likes. In this one, there's a girl doing her laundry at the laundromat and drops a scarf for him, so he can pick it up and talk to her. The rest of the video is about Justin putting up signs and such so she can find him. Is it just me, or is anyone wondering why she would be going to a laundromat by herself as a teen? Are there teens in big cities who do that? I would assume she'd be around the same age as Justin (a teenager). She looks more like a college student to me? Is it just me? Maybe? Oh well...moving on. Anyway, the similarity to his first video I'm sure had that same reaction from girls, that they wish they were in that girl's position where Justin is seeking her out.

To find out the latest TV, movie and entertainment news, visit Bieber Guy's partner site, TV Watch Online (and follow T.W.O. on Twitter HERE), and the TV Watch Online BLOG.

As you have noticed, I had other blog posts between my first review and this one (a news article and an updated review). Who knows, other posts like those may show up throughout the upcoming week. But my next official review will be for the iTunes promotional singles "Love Me" and "Favorite Girl." Yes, I realize that by then, I will have already reviewed a majority of the EP. But I will still put out a review of the overall EP as well.

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

An Updated "One Time" Review

After I posted my initial review of Justin Bieber's debut single, "One Time," on Monday, I listened to the song at least a few more times to see if my reaction changed at all. And I will say that yes, my reaction did change somewhat. But for good or for bad, you might be asking? My feeling about this song is even more positive now than what I wrote on Monday.

I started off my review saying that debut singles are extremely important, because you want to come out of the gate on a strong enough level to have that traction needed for a chance at longevity. But I wrote that "'One Time' is certainly an adequate enough debut." Adequate is not the word I would use now. I want to retract that statement and replace it with this: "One Time" is a strong debut that is very much catchy.

There are two areas specifically where I want to make this case. The first is here: "Your world is my world / And my fight is your fight / My breath is your breath / And your heart." What I love about this part is how his voice changes key quite a bit. There's this back and forth, normal to higher note, back down and back up again. If all the notes here had been sung in close proximity to each other, it wouldn't have had the same impact.And the other area that stood out to me is part of the chorus: "You're my one love, my one heart / My one life for sure / Let me tell you one time." When I say that the mark of a good song is how catchy it is, I mean it. Because this part of the chorus is solid on that front. For any song, it doesn't necessarily have to do solely with the lyrics themselves, but the melody, the tone, the beat, etc. Justin Bieber is a teenager, and singing words like this are very appealing to his peers (aka his fans). So what I'm saying is that the strength here is the combination of the lyrics and the beat. The two together provide us with a song that succeeds on pretty much all fronts in terms of selling it to the masses.

Also in my initial review, I gave my thoughts on the acoustic version of "One Time," and said I wasn't sure if he had done other acoustic arrangements. Since then, I have done some looking around and discovered his My Worlds Acoustic album. So now, whenever I review a track that is also on that album, I will refrain from reviewing the acoustic version until I get to the point where I will review that album itself.

To find out about the latest TV, movie and entertainment news, visit Bieber Guy's partner site, TV Watch Online.

My next review will be of "One Less Lonely Girl." To stay updated on everything related to Bieber Guy and when the next blog will be online, follow me on Twitter @Bieber_Guy.

Review: Debut Single - "One Time"

Song: "One Time" (Single #1)

From Album: My World (EP)

Release Date: May 18, 2009

Well, here it is. My first Bieber Guy review. I'm starting off at the beginning, with Justin's debut single, "One Time." As someone who hasn't devotedly followed his music over the past couple years, I have to say I don't think I have heard this song.

Debut singles are extremely important, because if you can break out on the music scene with something that is catchy, you've got something going for you. Now, obviously a catchy song isn't everything. But it's a strong factor. And even though "Baby" is probably his most catchy song, "One Time" is certainly an adequate enough debut.

On my first listen-through, I had a lukewarm reaction to it. What bothered me just a little bit (and it wasn't the biggest deal) was the heavy use of Auto-Tune and synthesizers on his voice. It's one thing to edit a voice in post to make it perfect for the album, but it's different when you can actually hear the computer influence. Was that on purpose? Who knows. He actually does have a good voice, especially when you compare him to other teen singing stars like Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers.

What opened me up to him and the song more was watching the music video for "One Time" (click HERE to view it for yourself, or play the below video). Well, I guess it wasn't so much the song, but in a way seeing his start as a teen heartthrob. The way that the video was created, it catered, obviously, extremely well to his core demographic of teen girls. And, of course, why shouldn't they do that? For this first music video ever of his, it involved him hosting a party at Usher's house while Usher is away. By the end, he receives a kiss on the cheek by a girl. This, I'm sure, got the girls swooning, wishing they could be that girl kissing Justin Bieber. There you go right there - part of the key to the success of this. Part innocence, part charm, part talent, part relate-ability, etc etc. The whole package.

Before I sign off on this first review, I want to mention a different version of this song that I came across. While searching "One Time" on YouTube, I found an acoustic version of the song that Justin sang (click HERE for that, or play the video below). I said earlier that my initial reaction to this song was a tad lukewarm. But I have to say, I love this acoustic version. When you look at these young teen singing stars, sensations, and heartthrobs of today, it's one thing to grab a hold of that key demographic, but a completely different ballgame to have actual, real talent.

For me personally, I don't think that Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers have the best live singing voices. But when Justin Bieber first came onto the scene and I started seeing and hearing him on TV, I thought, he actually can sing! And no matter what, to this day, people think of his appeal or whatnot, he does have talent. And when you listen to this acoustic "One Time," I got the chance to really hear his voice without the Auto-Tune, without the faster-paced studio version. Just pure, sweet, simple. And I enjoyed listening to his voice this way. I'll admit it. Since this is the first song I'm reviewing, I have no idea if he has sung other acoustic arrangements. If he has, I look forward to that.

To find out about the latest TV, movie and entertainment news, visit Bieber Guy's partner site, TV Watch Online (and follow T.W.O. on Twitter HERE). I also blog and write for the TV Watch Online BLOG and OMGWire.com.

My plan is to review next his second single, "One Less Lonely Girl," then either the two iTunes promo singles or the debut EP as a whole. To stay updated on everything related to Bieber Guy and when the next blog will be online, follow me on Twitter @Bieber_Guy.