Justice by Justin Bieber // Exclusive Gold Vinyl & Japanese Import CD
Justice is the sixth album by Justin Bieber, released in 2021, the follow up to Changes the year before. It is one of his strongest releases yet, full of moments that are among the best of his career thus far. As a whole, it builds upon the foundation he set in place with the R&B focused Changes really well and even greatly expanded upon some of the parts of that record that were lacking. Justice also spawned many big hits for him, the inescapably infectious "Peaches (featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon)" is one the highlights from this album. "Ghost", "Lonely (featuring Benny Blanco), and "Holy (featuring Chance The Rapper)" are among some of the other hits that captured a more introspective side of Justin's artistry. Even though Justice is known for some of the bigger hits that came from the album, some of my personal favorites are definitely some of the deeper cuts like "Somebody", "Die For You (featuring Dominic Fike)", "Loved By You (featuring Burna Boy)", and "Deserve You", to name a few. This album creates a perfect blend of Justin's pop and R&B influences and truly showcase all of his strengths and talents in the best way.
Some of the shining moments of this record remind me of the elements of his music that I loved from his 2012 album Believe, which will always be my all-time favorite by him. Much like Believe, the range of influences that are explored on Justice vary so much from song to song and somehow still make such a cohesive finished product. Justice is also stacked with a lot of great collaborations throughout - which are also among his very best yet. Stellar production and strong lyricism are also present from beginning to end on this record.
"In a time when there’s so much wrong with this broken planet, we all crave healing and justice for humanity. In creating this album my goal is to make music that will provide comfort, to make songs that people can relate to and connect to so they feel less alone. Suffering, injustice and pain can leave people feeling helpless. Music is a great way of reminding each other that we aren’t alone. Music can be a way to relate to one another and connect with one another." Justin told Rolling Stone upon release. The sentiment of music being used to heal and connect people is something I obviously agree with and hear within this music. He is very vulnerable on songs like "Lonely" and "Somebody" with opening up about his mental health and struggles he has faced in his life.
I have an extensive Justin Bieber music collection; he has been an artist that I have loved ever since I was about ten years old and was one of the first that I discovered my love of music through. I'll always have a special place in my heart for his early music from that formative time of my life, but I have also loved getting to hear his evolution through the years with some of his more recent releases. I thought today would be the perfect time to share one of my favorite albums by him since the day I'm posting this is actually his 30th birthday! It's insane to think of how much he has accomplished in the past 15 years and I can't wait to see all that's to come for him for the next 15 and beyond. I have been a fan of him for well over half of my life at this point and it's been so special to get to see him continually grow and evolve through the years.
The vinyl copy of Justice that I have in my collection is a Walmart exclusive with an alternate cover and special metallic gold pressing. I was never able to find it in store, so I actually got it a couple of months after its release on eBay for a comparable price as what it would have been retail. The alternate blue coloring on the cover fits it so perfectly and is a nice variation on the green tones of the standard edition. This edition is also the only version that has the bonus track "Hailey" on it, named after his wife. There was a few different variants of Justice that were pressed with extra songs, but I thought the story and sentiment behind the song "Hailey" was too special not to have in my collection. It's such a beautiful song and the new stage of life he is in shines so brightly all throughout Justice.
A couple of years ago, I also found a really cool Japanese import CD of the complete edition of the album, featuring all of the bonus tracks that weren't available on streaming at the time. I love that it comes with an obi strip on the front cover and also a lyric booklet inside with all of the lyrics translated to Japanese. I found it on Amazon randomly one day and knew I had to have it. It was also still a fairly good price at the time, considering it was imported to the United States! I never had any special international editions of CDs or vinyl in my collection until this, but seeing this was too special to pass up. Often Japanese editions of albums come with extra songs not available elsewhere, alternate artwork, or sometimes come with other small things like photo cards or guitar pics, etc. Even though the bonus songs were later released on streaming, it is still the only physical version of the album to feature the complete track list!
I was actually supposed to be seeing him in concert for the Justice Tour at Madison Square Garden in 2022, but it was sadly cancelled at the last minute due to a rare neurological condition he was diagnosed with shortly before. The show was rescheduled from 2020, then to 2021, and finally to summer 2022 before it was officially cancelled. I hope he is doing better now and look forward to the next time he goes on tour again! I had the most amazing experience seeing him in 2013 on the Believe Tour and will forever cherish those memories!
Thanks for reading! I am always open for suggestions on what you would like to see next in my vinyl series! If you would like to see previous posts like this, click here or check out the links below. I have so much Justin Bieber vinyl in my collection, so if there is any other albums or specific pressings you want to see or hear more about, let me know! I am looking forward to sharing more of my record collection with you in the future! In the meantime, check out my post about the rare signed Believe picture disc vinyl I have in my collection - it's one of my favorites!
All photos are my own!
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