BY LAURA GRUHLKE | The Statesman On November 13th the biggest battle of album releases in recent memory took place. Justin Bieber’s “Purpose” and One Direction’s “Made in the A.M.” both became available to the public.
Bieber says that he has been working on this album for the last four years and many are calling this his comeback after countless recent scandals. Bieber has been out doing promotions and being very active on social media, making the anticipation for this album that much greater.
One Direction recently lost band member Zayn Malik and the rest of the band has been working hard to put this album out without him. One Direction has been touring the globe over the last year and plan on taking a hiatus after this album dropped.
With that being said, they haven’t been doing as many promotions or social media interactions as the Biebs. Many were wondering what this album will be like without the voice stylings of Malik. For that reason, anticipation is also high.
Currently, Bieber’s album has been number one on iTunes with One Direction following in second. Bieber also has more songs in the top singles category on iTunes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the Biebs put out a better album.
“Purpose”
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I, like many of my fellow Beliebers, have been waiting and waiting for Justin to put out his next album. We have stuck with him through thick and thin and were expecting some heartfelt tracks on this album.
The first few singles that were released before the album came out (“What Do You Mean?“ and “Sorry”) were both instant hits and made you want to get out of your seat and dance along. As much as I love those songs, I was really waiting for a heartbreaking song about Selena Gomez and didn’t find that on this album.
Overall I really liked the “Purpose” album, but I was a little disappointed. With all of the hype that went into this album I was expecting a lot more. I give Bieber props for having a part in writing all his own songs, in some you can tell that they are from his heart. I do feel, though, that more than anything this is a transition album and a big PR move.
In songs like “Purpose” and “Life Is Worth Living” he talks about finding himself and having God there to guide him, which is great and all, but I wanted some more songs about Selena.
A lot of the songs start to sound the same after a while. They have the same techno beats and themes throughout which make it harder to distinguish songs. Plus the song “Children” is a little bit creepy to me.
Noteworthy songs: “Sorry,” “Love Yourself,” “Company,” “No Pressure” feat. Big Sean, “We Are” feat. Nas and, my favorite, “The Feeling” feat. Halsey.
“Made in the A.M.”
Rating: 4/5 stars
I wasn’t expecting that much from this new album besides the same old boy-band sound. I was surprisingly impressed. One of the best voices in the band was Zayn Malik so I was concerned on how the songs would play out without his voice.
Fortunately, my favorite member Louis Tomlinson stepped up to the plate and took on many more solos and lead vocal parts.
The band pulled together without Malik to create a good (and maybe last) album.
This album has the typical boy-band pop sound that would be expected from One Direction. These are the perfect songs to listen to while you get into the car with your girlfriends, roll the windows down and jam out with Starbucks in hand.
This is the type of music you're going to force your kids to listen to in 10 years and have them go, “Ugh really you used to listen to this?”
Overall this album was better than expected, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The same old boy-band music, just without Zayn.
Noteworthy songs: “Perfect,” “End of the Day,” “Never Enough,” “Temporary Fix,” “A.M.” and, my favorite, “History.”
In the war between the two albums it was hard to determine which one came out superior. I couldn’t find it in my heart to pick a winner. I decided to end this battle in a tie. Both albums are play-on-repeat-worthy and have noteworthy songs. I would recommend everyone go download both albums if you haven’t already.