By Sydney Dixon
Siren Reviewer
Artist: Justin Bieber
Album: Mistletoe
Label: Island Records

‘Tis the season for big name labels to try to shove Christmas paraphernalia down our throats! This year, it comes in the form of “teen pop sensation” Justin Bieber, here to share the holiday spirit with us.
“Only Thing I Ever Get For Christmas”- The opening track is a song I could see playing in the background of a Disney Christmas movie. Not one of the classics, though. One where a 14 year old Hilary Duff is crying in the bathroom because she thinks the boy she likes doesn’t like her, until he shows up and asks her to dance and they kiss under the mistletoe and then everything is just wonderful.
“Mistletoe”- At first I thought Bruno Mars was singing the intro, but no, it was just Justin, sounding completely different than he did in the last song. The light guitar and simple beat still makes me think Bruno Mars had something to do with this, but I have to admit it wasn’t that bad. Even if you’re not his biggest fan, this is a song that won’t make your ears bleed. It’s the title track, give it a chance.
“The Christmas Song” (ft. Usher)- This is the first cover I’ve encountered on the album. Justin generally stuck with the classic melody, but added in many unnecessary “ooohs” and “yeahs,” and there were also a lot of pitch changes and holding out notes that shouldn’t be (ex. “Merry ChrIIISSSSTMAAAaaayeeeaaaahhyeah”). It sounds like someone was trying a little too hard here. Usher, on the other hand, sounded exceptionally well. I’m used to hearing his singing softer on the radio, but he was really belting it out here and showing off his vocal range.
“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”- This really wasn’t that bad either, like I was expecting it to be. He stuck with the original lyrics and beat. Though, once again, I didn’t really believe that this was the Biebz. His voice was roughly an octave lower than it was on the last song.
“Fa La La” (ft. Boyz II Men)- I honestly couldn’t understand half of what Justin was singing. His words were slurred together and it sounded like he was mumbling a lot of the time. The addition of Boyz II Men was not a necessary one, but it didn’t make or break the song. They were just kind of… there, with only a few parts in the song.
“Christmas Love”- This basically had the same lyrics as “Only Thing I Ever Get For Christmas.” It’s almost as if they took one song and split it in two! The same main images, like snow angels, mistletoe and Christmas lists, from the first two songs, are prominent here as well. It’s as if they ran out of creativity as the album progressed.
“All I Want For Christmas Is You” (ft. Mariah Carey) – I can assure you, this is not as bad as you might think. Mariah sings most of the time, with Justin popping up in the background. Of course he has his main parts, but hey, it’s not too bad.
“Drummer Boy” (ft. Busta Rhymes)- I think that a review of this song would be done best if I had taken a video of my reaction. It was alright, until about 40 seconds in when “Busta Rhymes” shows up and busts his (terrible) rhymes. It’s just… I can’t even explain it. This is something you must experience yourself. Justin, with his lowered again, sounds really good here, but Busta Rhymes ruined this completely. You don’t mess with classics.
“Christmas Eve”- Man! His voice just keeps getting deeper! This is a good two octaves lower than some of the other songs on here. It’s slower and more R&B-esque than most, but the lyrics are no different.
“Home This Christmas” (ft. The Band Perry) – This… was actually… good. Not something that I would listen to, but it’s to the point where I can acknowledge that it’s a good song. This isn’t really song that I can picture Justin singing, but The Band Perry really shines through on this track.
I’m slightly impressed. I mean, this album is nothing special. I was set up to believe that this would be awful, but it falls more into the average category. I’d give it a 6/10.