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8.0
81811
8.0 |
Digital Spy
Treads the line between the 'woe-is-me' reformed pantomime villain and unabashed pop superstar like a pro, and creates his best record yet in the process
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8.0
81826
8.0 |
The FT
Bieber sings with genuine charm, morphing into a smooth R&B romantic lead, while the music is restrained and unexpectedly dignified
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8.0
81895
8.0 |
Clash
Proves there's far more to him than being a pretty face for schoolgirls to swoon over. Not many people would've seen that coming
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8.0
82089
8.0 |
Gig Soup
‘Purpose’ is Justin Bieber’s best album to date. With a new found mature, edgy sound, this album is one to remember
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7.5
82167
7.5 |
Beardfood
The time has come to take Justin Bieber seriously
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7.5
81859
7.5 |
The 405
Notably shy of repetitive stadium-sized singalongs, it's a more intimate and mature affair on all accounts. By quieting things down, Justin Bieber may just drown out the noise
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7.0
81902
7.0 |
FasterLouder
Devour the singles and tread lightly around the rest
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7.0
81905
7.0 |
Spin
By giving us the best album of his career, and subsequently re-ascending to Top 40’s mountaintop, Bieber’s answered his own question: In pop music, it’s never too late to say you’re sorry
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7.0
82233
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
He spends Purpose learning lessons, begging for forgiveness and vowing to be a better Bieber
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6.2
81898
6.2 |
Pitchfork
The songs on Purpose have a similarly inanimate feeling; they seem to radiate more than they move
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6.0
81874
6.0 |
All Music
A bumpy, oddly compelling restart, Purpose should hook open-minded pop fans who previously paid him no mind, and it could even win back some of those who wrote Bieber off years ago
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6.0
81813
6.0 |
NME
It’s clear plenty of good choices have been made here, it’s not quite redemption but it’s certainly a start at reinvention
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6.0
81814
6.0 |
The Guardian
The voice soon palls, but the songs are often interesting; it looks as if Bieber is finally showing his best side
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6.0
81953
6.0 |
NOW
Standouts include the dancehall-driven Sorry, wistful mid-tempo jam Company, the finger snaps and falsetto of No Sense and the early-aughts-sounding R&B ballad No Pressure
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6.0
81822
6.0 |
The Observer
It sounds just great, this late-night, soul-searching session in Bieber’s boudoir. If only the man himself were worth our ear time
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5.8
82082
5.8 |
Pretty Much Amazing
Although Purpose isn’t quite Bieber’s Off the Wall moment, it is an intriguing album pulsating with life—affirming that this is, in fact, an artist worth paying attention to
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5.0
82431
5.0 |
Spectrum Culture
There simply isn’t enough good pop music on Purpose
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5.0
81815
5.0 |
A.V. Club
The album takes itself so seriously that too often it inadvertently suppresses exactly what made Bieber so appealing in the first place
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5.0
81903
5.0 |
Slant Magazine
After the surprise brass-and-vocalese bridge of the Ed Sheeran co-write “Love Yourself,” Purpose starts rehashing its distinct set of formulas
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5.0
81938
5.0 |
The Music
Bieber would've done better not trying so hard to convince us he's a good guy, instead focusing on crafting better songs
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5.0
81945
5.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
This is an album all about the singles, where only a couple other tracks get their Cenobite hooks in you (“The Feeling,” “No Pressure”); the rest are weightless as vapor
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4.0
81857
4.0 |
The Arts Desk
It’s the sound of Bieber excitedly handholding us through a maze of clichés he’s just discovered
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3.3
81932
3.3 |
Consequence Of Sound
Reaches some of the highest highs and lowest lows in Bieber’s career
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