Sound CheckJustin Bieber’s “Believe Acoustic” gets rave reviews
Even though he’s been surrounded by controversy over the last week, Justin Bieber is setting his sights on a No. 1 debut for his latest album, “Believe Acoustic.”
According to MTV News, Billboard’s associate director of charts/retail, Keith Caulfield, commented that the album is “likely” to move more than 100,000 copies its first week out, saying, “It'll be a nice number considering it's an acoustic album based on songs that have been generally previously released."
See more: Justin Bieber upsets fans
Should Bieber debut at No. 1 with his fifth disc, CBC News points out that he will become the first artist under the age of 19 to have five albums reach the top spot.
Since its debut on Jan. 29, the 18-year-old singer’s album has been receiving positive reviews with Postmedia News’ Bernard Perusse even commenting that it’s “better than the original.”
“Biebs really plays by the rules," he said. "There’s no audible cheating here — just crisp acoustic guitar, in most cases, and the hyperactive Bieber pipes, which seize the opportunity to take it up a notch on the grandstanding."
See more: Bieber opens up about Selena Gomez breakup in new song
Rolling Stone’s Jody Rosen gave the album three out of five stars, but highlighted that there might be more to the record’s release than meets the eye.
“There's a bit of an agenda here, of course,” he wrote. “Like all teen-pop idols, Bieber has been relentlessly attacked as ‘inauthentic’ – whatever that means – and this album is an answer to the critics: proof that the Bieb is, verily, a musician, whose songs work even with the highgloss production stripped away.”
Fans have been tweeting up a storm about how much they love the album and even began trending the hashtag “#ThankYouForBelieveAcoustic” yesterday.
“Believe acoustic is really good,” one fan said. “The way he sings it, we can feel how he feels :) #ThankYouForBelieveAcoustic ❤”
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Wrote another: “Believe Acoustic is amazing, it's just Justin and his guitar..like it always has been. #ThankYouForBelieveAcoustic.”
The last tune on Bieber’s album, a haunting ballad called “Nothing Like Us,” is getting quite a bit of attention (he admitted that it's about his split with ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez). The song reminds us of the last track on Justin Timberlake’s 2002 record “Justified” called “Never Again” as both feature piano and the theme of a relationship’s end.
To listen to the entire “Believe Acoustic” album, head here.
