Album Review: SWAG
Loved that it had nothing to do with SWAG...
Just when we needed Journals 2 most, Justin Bieber gave us SWAG… an unexpected contemporary R&B, bedroom pop album. When we needed R&Bieber, he gave us Mk.Geeber, and I’m not mad.
As a devout belieber, I have been waiting on the return of Justin Bieber’s swag, so naturally, with an album called “SWAG”, I thought it might be the time. With groovy, retro synths, and acoustic guitar, it made me feel more like I was at a picnic than at the club. Although beautiful at times, there really was no reason for it to be called SWAG.
My first impression of the album before listening was, “Druski is on it three times and Lil B is only on it once?” I didn’t know what to expect. I think what really could’ve changed lives was a joint album with Lil B…
Though, in the same way as when Taylor Swift released her more acoustic albums with Folklore and Evermore and received a sort of “legitimacy” from people who may not have called themselves fans before, I feel the same thing happened with SWAG. The die-hard fans of artists like Dijon and Mk.gee came crawling over to the Justin Bieber album and became fans…
As much as I wanted Lolly era Justin Bieber back with Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj features, this album does feel true to Justin and where he’s at right now in his life. Similar to when a punk rocker starts making folk music once they have a kid or get a little older, it feels like the natural trajectory for a pop star to start making contemporary R&B. This album gave us something unexpected in a way he hasn’t done since 2015, with Journals.
The album starts off with a Human Nature inspired song, which set the tone for something good to come. I was happy the soulless tropical house beats of “What Do You Mean” and “Yummy” have finally been retired for something more soulful and real.
“DAISIES” felt like an instant hit. I could already hear it playing on the radio on the first listen, it feels like a sequel to his hit song “Peaches”. Though, “DAISIES” felt more mature and reflective of him becoming a dad. It gave us a more personal look into his relationship, with lyrics like, “You leave me on read babe, but I still get the message” and “If you need time, just take your time, honey I get it”. It was honest, relaxed and fun.
“YUKON” was definitely a highlight for me, I love the song, even if I think he ruined it by pitching up his voice in it. After stumbling upon an unreleased version of “YUKON” without his voice pitched up, I was convinced it was the best song on the album. Lyrically, I would say it’s pretty bad, saying stuff like “I pull up like Jimmy Neutron”, then rhyming that with U-haul… but for some reason I love it and it’s been stuck in my head all week.
I thought it was so funny when he mentioned Hailey’s Rhode iPhone cases in the first line of “GO BABY”. With how much he’s been in the headlines lately, I suppose he needed to write some very literal lyrics in support of his wife to put the rumors to rest. I think it’s a sweet song and I’m a fan of him showing some real support for his wife’s success. It’s still funny to mention an iPhone in song lyrics, but I think JB has “angelic voice privilege”, so sometimes it doesn’t really matter what he’s saying. His classic JB vocal runs were definitely on display in this song, it felt like light at the end of the tunnel hearing him sing like that again after waiting patiently with my Bieber fever in dormancy.
He reminds us why he is who is with “GLORY VOICE MEMO”, it just sounds like shit, but his voice sounds so good. He could’ve sang through a tin can for the whole album and it would’ve still sounded good. The last time I felt this moved by JB’s voice wasn’t by his last two albums, but by a snippet of him singing “STAY” on the side of the stage at a show for The Kid Laroi. He’s back!
Even though it wasn’t what I wanted from this album, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a nice listen, it felt true and honest. With my pleasant surprise, there was still some disappointment.
Let’s start with the Druski features. I thought it was an interesting choice to have this album “hosted” by Druski in the same way a DJ would host a mixtape back in the 2000s. I thought it could’ve been fun, but I felt taken out of the album with the skits breaking up the songs. After hearing “STANDING ON BUSINESS” where he plays his viral meme that had come out only a week earlier it made me think 1. Joke’s over and 2. Druski was thrown on the album days before it came out.
The title track “SWAG” seemed like the only track they let the artists actually rap on. Lil B was my most anticipated feature after seeing the photo of him and JB out together, but “DADZ LOVE” seemed more like a Lil B vocal sample or ad lib rather than a full feature. As a fan of Sexyy Red, I was also excited for her feature, but it almost seemed like they told her to tone it down, her verse didn’t have the same fun and life that her own songs have. I hope they continue to make music together because I think there is magic to be found with a JB x Lil B song and a JB x Sexyy Red song, it just wasn’t on this album.
The highlights for me were “YUKON”, “WALKING AWAY”, “GLORY VOICE MEMO”, “DAISIES”, “405”, “SWAG” and “TOO LONG”. The lowlights were, “WAY IT IS”, “FIRST PLACE”, “STANDING ON BUSINESS”, and “BUTTERFLIES”.
In the end, although I wouldn’t say this album had “swag” it had honesty, realness and groove. It felt like a more intimate look into Bieber’s life right now, and the style felt true to him and where he’s at. It felt relaxed, peaceful and happy, even with the honesty from his lower moments in the past year. The album felt natural and true in a way it hasn’t before. It has me excited for more Bieber in the future, I’ll always be a Belieber.
