The Bottom Line
The career trajectory of 15 year old Candadian Justin Bieber is the stuff of which pop legends are woven. In 2007 Justin and his mother began posting videos of his performances on YouTube so that other relatives could see them. They include cover versions of a wide range of R&B artists. Manager Scooter Braun discovered Bieber online and flew him to Atlanta to meet with Usher who then had Justin Bieber sing for Island Def Jam CEO L.A. Reid. He was signed to a contract and "One Time" is his first single release.
Pros
- Solid midtempo beat
- Nothing unpleasant to annoy a listener
Cons
- Lacks in originality or distinctiveness
- Sing-song teen romance lyrics
Description
- Written by Terius Nash and Waynne Nugent
- Produced by Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
- Released July 2009 by Island Records
Guide Review - Justin Bieber - "One Time"
"One Time" is a sweet, clean song of teen romance. In that way it is the perfect kickoff to the career of Justin Bieber. However, the sound of "One Time" is rather generic as current R&B/pop recordings go. Justin Bieber is given little opportunity to show off any distinctiveness in his voice.
The effect here is of a younger Chris Brown for pre-teens. The-Dream contributes songwriting and "Tricky" Stewart handles the production which makes it all sound contemporary and commercial. However, the ordinariness of this midtempo song makes a listener wonder if it would have gotten on to pop radio playlists at all without push from a major label. There is nothing wrong here but very little that is memorable.
Justin Bieber's debut album My World is due to hit shelves perhaps later this fall. His story is one that will likely endear him to young fans and their parents as well. He is a good student who performs clean, contemporary music. Let's hope artistically it becomes solid as well.
