By Mick Dillon / The Jambar
Two-time Grammy-Award winning artist Justin Bieber delivered a surprise album titled “SWAG” — his seventh studio album and first since 2021.
The 21-track album was originally released July 11, but Bieber dropped a second pairing, “SWAG II,” as a surprise double album Sept. 5.
“SWAG” sold 165,000 copies in the first week and debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart, marking his 12th placement on the list along with eight No. 1 hits.
The two albums stick to a similar feel, with plucky guitar melodies from singer-songwriter Michael Gordon, known professionally as Mk.gee.
“SWAG” signifies a shift in Bieber’s musical direction with a full step into R&B music. Features from artists such as Temilade Openiyi, known professionally as Tems and Abubakar Shariff-Farr, known mononymously as Bakar, help usher Bieber’s transition from radio pop to slower-paced love songs.
Though it’s clear Bieber is having fun exploring his new sound, the 44 tracks prove to be far too bloated — even for a double album. Insubstantial skits featuring comedian Andrew Desbordes, professionally known as Druski, are scattered throughout the first disc.
“SWAG II” feels like Bieber’s feeding listeners the scraps from the summer.
“SWAG” is top-heavy with high and low points. The three-track run of “ALL I CAN TAKE,” “DAISIES” and “YUKON” pull a lot of weight for what ends up being a monotonous 41 songs to follow.
While Bieber still has room to grow in his new era of rhythm and blues exploration, “SWAG” is a beacon of change from the bubbly, teenage pop music “Beliebers” are accustomed to.
Vulnerability has been a constant in Bieber’s lengthy career, and there’s no shortage of that on “SWAG.” Lyrics like “Got a lot of mountains to climb, had to leave some baggage behind” signify Bieber’s reflection.
In the skit “THERAPY SESSION,” Bieber outlines his struggles as a public figure and navigating his emotions on display.
“I had to go through a lot of my struggles as a human, as all of us do, really publicly,” Bieber states in the song. “And so people are always asking if I’m okay, and that starts to really weigh on me.”
In August, Bieber and his wife, Hailey, announced the birth of their first child, Jack Blues Bieber. Family is a consistent theme on the two-part record as it is littered with love songs — which appear to be odes to his wife.
Bieber hasn’t toured since he cancelled his 2022 “Justice World Tour” because of a Ramsey Hunt syndrome diagnosis. No tour has been announced for “SWAG,” but a recent media upkick has fans expecting news soon.