Justin Bieber, “Honest” | Track Review 🎵

Honestly, pop superstar Justin Bieber, assisted by rapper Don Toliver, delivers an enjoyable single with “Honest.”

“Honest (Honest) / You’re modest, I like it (I like it) / You stay down and you the baddest (Baddest) / Find you in the cut, I copped it.” Woo! 🏆 Grammy-winning pop superstar 🎙 Justin Bieber returns with a new single – I’m being totally 🎵 “Honest”! A banger, Bieber manages to show ample confidence and swagger without being profane. Of course, I’m not sure the lyrical content is the deepest you’ll ever find but, it bangs. 🎙 Don Toliver joins him for the ride.

“Honest” features production work by 🎛 Azul Wynter, 🎛 BEAM, and 🎛 sonni.  Set in a minor key, fittingly, the backdrop is hip-hop-oriented. It features knocking drum programming, and awesome key/synth work.   That’s a win for Bieber and Toliver. Bieber does the heavy lifting, serving up a modern pop performance with minimal lyrics, rhythmic lines, confident bars, and ‘honestly’, little substance.

“You’re my safe haven I needed all along (All along)

And you’re my dime piece and I can’t take less than one (Less than—, you the).”

Okay, it’s fair that Bieber talks about his wife (we assume), but it’s nothing we haven’t heard on 💿 Changes or 💿 Justice.  I’d still argue that substance isn’t the modus operandi – it’s about vibe and aesthetic, honestly. Don Toliver delivers a melodic rap performance, which complements the sound of this cut.  He doesn’t serve up any depth, unless you consider “Damn, that booty thick, I like it” or “Fuck that McLaren, I’m ridin’ the Jeep” models of depth. Still, it’s enjoyable – a V-I-B-E.

Final Thoughts 💭 

So, being honest, is 🎵 “Honest” worth checking out? Yes, it’s enjoyable.  Is it the second coming? Nope.  I like the confidence that Bieber and Toliver bring to the table, as well as the sound of the record.  The writing is what it is but it’s not like you go into a Justin Bieber song expecting a magnum opus anyways.  It’s a vibe.

🎙 Justin Bieber • 🎵 “Honest” • 🏷 Def Jam • 🗓 04.29.22

[📷: Brent Faulkner, Def Jam, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]