Justin Bieber and One Direction recently released their new albums on Nov. 16 and the two albums being released on the same day caused controversy among the “Beliebers” and the “Directioners” on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms.
Coming out with an album after a member quit, One Direction, comprised of Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, had a big opportunity to show the world that they could survive without Zayn Malik, but their album fell flat.
“Made in the A.M.,” featured the typical “One Direction sound,” which includes pop, rock and “High School Musical”-esque songs. The opening song from their album, “Hey Angel,” played like a song that should be featured in a movie with it’s earthy vibes and “Drag Me Down” sounded like it was recorded at the last minute, with the unbalanced harmonies, missing Malik’s high tenor voice. The other songs that stood out to me on the album,”Perfect,” “Infinity” and “Never Enough” all offer the same pop/Indie rock vibe that One Direction is popular for, making this album lack a diverse group of songs. Also, the cheesy lyrics in some of the songs, such as “End of the Day,” when One Direction sings, “All I know at the end of the day, is you want what you want and you say what you say,” really ruins the overall song for me because I’m diverting my attention to the lyrics.
My favorite song on the album, though, would have to be “I Want to Write You a Song.” The song is so subtle and soft that it’s easy to listen to and the lyrics can make a listener feel like One Direction is talking to them personally.
I understand One Direction doesn’t want to sway away from their particular sound, but as a lover of all music, I have to say, it got to the point where I didn’t want to listen to the next song because I knew it was going to be severely similar to the one before it. The album lacks diversity and it’s evident that One Direction is still trying to appeal to their teenage audience.
Justin Bieber released his album, “Purpose,” after going on a hiatus for a couple years and as a fan of Bieber’s old music, this album didn’t disappoint.
In comparison to “Made in the A.M.,” “Purpose” offers a wide array of differ songs ranging from pop, hip-hop, R&B, and EDM (Electronic Dance Music). “We Are” features the legendary rapper, Nas, who brings that hip-hop vibe to the album. I could see “We Are” being played at a club somewhere. Another thing that differentiates “Purpose” as a better album than “Made in the A.M.” is that the album actually had a prelude, which is an introductory piece of music. The prelude, “Mark My Words” was the perfect song to start off the album, setting the foundation of the album by Bieber inferring to the listeners that they should start taking him seriously.
“Children” starts out as a pop ballad, then transitions into EDM track of the album, which is the perfect dance and club song. “Sorry” has a reggae bass line that swells to the chorus every time, making this another dance hit from Bieber. The two most powerful ballads on the album, “Purpose” and “Life Is Worth Living” showcases Bieber’s quality songwriting skills because in the lyrics, he reflects back on his past mistakes and how he plans to make himself a better person.
My favorite song on this album would definitely be “Life Is Worth Living.” The songwriting is beautiful and anybody who has ever faced depression or hard times in their life can relate to this song.
Ever since both albums’ were released, Bieber’s “Purpose” has been on the top of the iTunes charts, topping both “Made in the A.M.” and Adele’s “25” in album sales.
Overall, Bieber’s album offered a much more diverse array of song choices and his comeback was one of the best of our time. I can only hope that One Direction’s next album offers different songs than the regular pop and rock that everyone is so used to.
