Believe Acoustic is (would you have guessed it?) the acoustic version of teen heart-throb Justin Bieber’s chart topping album Believe. It features 8 ‘fan favourite’s’ with 3 new songs. I’ve never really seen the point of acoustic albums; they just seem like an opportunity for the artist to squeeze every penny out of their records. Fair enough if they chuck a few acoustic tracks on the end of an album as part of a special edition version; but making fans pay for basically exactly the same album but acoustic doesn’t seem fair.
In the case of Bieber, it really does seem like he’s just trying to make as much money as possible. The whole album is really playing on the fact that his loyal Beliebers will buy anything so long as it has his name on it. And doesn’t it seem coincidental that Believe Acoustic has been released in the midst of his breakup with Selena Gomez?
The album opens with a sappy version of already stupidly soppy ‘Boyfriend’ and then goes on to ‘As Long As You Love Me’, one of the few tracks which doesn’t exploit Bieber’s classic sentimental lyrics coupled with acoustic guitar effect that’s thoroughly overused throughout this album. Then it goes on to ‘Beauty And A Beat’, which just doesn’t work very well acoustically. I hate to admit it; but ‘Beauty And A Beat’ is a catchy song that I do (occasionally) find myself listening to. However, that’s when it’s electronic and filled with club beats. Not when it’s acoustic and filled with loads of whiny ‘woahs’.
‘She Don’t Like The Lights’, ‘Take You’ and ‘Be Alright’ were all rather non-tracks on Believe, and on this acoustic album even more so. Though ‘Be Alright’ features some cheesy 90s tv show piano playing which did make me laugh. Then there’s a boring version of single ‘All Around The World’ before the album moves on to the new songs.
Believe Acoustic features 3 new original songs, ‘Nothing Like Us’, ‘Yellow Raincoat’ and ‘I Would’. ‘Yellow Raincoat’ and ‘I Would’ show Bieber trying to head in a more R&B orientated direction. But although each song starts well and you think ‘this might actually be okay’ after about 4 minutes of the same thing it begins to grate. ‘Nothing Like Us’ is arguably the track that’s getting the most publicity due to the rumours that it’s about Bieber’s ex-girlfriend, Disney start Selena Gomez. The song is every clichéd ballad, and just sort of goes on for a few minutes with nothing really happening.
Overall, the album is boring and repetitive. Bieber’s trying to show his ‘softer side’; but the record just sent me to sleep. It’s unimaginative, as if Bieber’s thought ‘I need to put out an album, but writing music is such hard work! Acoustic versions? That’s a good idea!’ However, no doubt the army of fixated Beliebers will buy and adore it. And it’ll probably go platinum.
1/10
