Justin Bieber’s surprise seventh studio album,Swag,is finally here, and with 21 tracks, there’s a lot to tune in for. Bieber recently made headlines before announcing the album when he got into an argument with paparazzi.
“It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business” immediately became a viral sensation, and Bieber utilized it to increase interest in his latest body of work. Despite a lot of negative press lately,Swagis impressive enough to stand outamongst the noise. Here are all 21 tracks, ranked from worst to best.
21Forgiveness
Track 21 - Marvin Winans
Unlike the other 20 songs onSwag, Justin Bieber doesn’t actually sing on “Forgiveness.” Instead, the song is by pastor Marvin Winans. While it’s a beautiful song,it’s hard to rank it very high, considering the singer isn’t actually a part of it. It also feels a little out of place amongst the other songs.
20Soulful
Track 9 - Justin Bieber Feat. Druski
“Soulful” is a 36-second clip where actor and comedianDruski compliments Bieber’s soul, despite not being Black. “You kinda sound Black on this motherf***er,” Druski says.
The clip seems odd to put on the album, especially since Bieber and a lot of musicians who have crossed into hip-hop have been accused of cultural appropriation. While the clip was meant to be lighthearted,it feels a little out of touch.
19Swag
Track 18 - Justin Bieber Feat. Cash Cobain And Eddie Benjamin
The album’s title track, unfortunately,does not stand out from the rest of the songs. “Swag” lacks the emotional depth of some of the other tracks on the album, like those dedicated to his wife, Hailey Bieber, or his son, Jack Blues Bieber.
There are many better songs on Swag that do a better job of representing it.
While there are some fun aspects of the song, especially its upbeat production, there are many better songs onSwagthat do a better job of representing it.
18Standing On Business
Track 16 - Justin Bieber Feat. Druski
“Standing On Business” is a 50-second clip that features Bieber’s recently trending audio from an interaction with paparazzi. The song alsofeatures a short conversation between Bieber and Druski. While it was pretty funny for the singer to include it, it doesn’t add much toSwag,and the album would have been fine without it.
17Zuma House
Track 19 - Justin Bieber
The 19th track onSwagis a stripped-down, acousticoutlier among more produced songs. The track sounds very raw, as if it weren’t recorded in a studio but on iPhone voice memos. Unfortunately, it’s hard to make out what Bieber is saying, and the song is too short for it to really make a mark.
16Too Long
Track 20 - Justin Bieber
Immediately after, Bieber goes into track 20, “Too Long,” which has a much more upbeat production. While the lyrics are not very strong,Bieber’s vocals pair well with the 1990s-inspired R&B production. Like a few other songs, it’s also a little difficult to hear what Bieber is saying.
15Way It Is
Track 7 - Justin Bieber Feat. Gunna
“Way It Is” leans on trap beats and autotune throughout. There’s not much to its lyrics, but there is a lot of emotion in Bieber’s voice that carries the song.The track also features Gunna, adding an interesting dynamic to the track.
14405
Track 17 - Justin Bieber
Swag’s 17th track features some muffled vocals from Bieber, and while it initially blends in with some of the other songs on the album, it picks up about 40 seconds in and becomes much more impressive. It iscertainlythe song’s production that carries itfrom start to finish, as the lyrics don’t make much of an impact.
13Glory Voice Memo
Track 11 - Justin Bieber
“Glory Voice Memo” is also a shorter song onSwag. Like “Zuma House,” the song is very raw and doesn’t sound like it was professionally recorded. It feels likea mixture of rock and bluesand is actually quite impressive.
However, it feels a little bit incomplete. What the song does do is show off Bieber’s impressive vocals, proving that despite the controversies the public has been so focused on,he is still as talented as ever.
12Sweet Spot
Track 15 - Justin Bieber Feat. Sexyy Red
“Sweet Spot” is seemingly about Bieber’s wife and features rapper Sexyy Red. Like some other tracks, it features heavy autotune and trap beats. However, where some songs onSwagfall short, “Sweet Spot” is incredibly catchy with its beat and rhyme schemes.Sexyy Red’s vocals are much raspier than Bieber’s, but the juxtaposition works in their favor.
