Mackenzie Cummings-Grady  Journal Staff

While it may not be my type of music, there is no denying Justin Bieber has immense talent. Despite him having inspired many jealous vendettas in the testosterone- -fueled community, the Canadian singer/songwriter has become an international pop sensation. When Believe was released last year, it solidified Bieber’s reputation as a more mature pop artist. The days of “One Time” and “Baby” were behind him, Bieber was ready to leave his tween audience behind and join the ranks of pop’s biggest male stars.

Despite many of the songs being over-produced on the original album, Believe (Acoustic,) which was released early last week, shows Bieber

doing what made him a celebrated artist in the first place: playing guitar and

singing. While many of his live performances have evolved into the classic Chris Brown “Dance-And-Lip-Sync” routine, the acoustic album reassures his fans that he became famous because of his talent in constructing catchy, well-written love songs.

While I wish Bieber had taken the time to strip down the entire album into acoustic ecstasy, (especially the horrid duet “Right Here” with Drake, which would have been better than the original release) the material Bebier provides is satisfying. The two new songs “Yellow Raincoat” and “I Would” give Bieber an almost Bruno Mars-sounding acoustic, and I would be severely disappointed if Bieber took the sound of raw auditory guitar strums and turned it into a beat.

While I cower in my dorm room writing this review to avoid teasing from my friends, I have no problem in saying that Acoustic goes farther than its predecessor did in providing catchy, satisfying pop music. Anyone who’s ignorant about Justin Bieber should at least give the ten songs provided on the album a try, and see that maybe the pop sensation has some value to it. At the tender age of 19, he’s done more than most will probably achieve in a lifetime, and the music speaks for itself. The hype surrounding Bieber will likely never die out, so we might as well get used to him.