Despite losing the Best New Artist Grammy recently to a relatively unknown Esperanze Spalding, Justin Bieber, who shot to fame in 2009, and who won Artist of the Year at the 2010 American Music Awards, is probably one of the hottest names in music. After My World 2.0, which sold more than 2 million copies in the U.S., the Canadian teen pop sensation has taken a second stab at success with Never Say Never – The Remixes.

Released as the musical companion to his similarly named documentary, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, the album offers 7 tracks that features star-studded names from the music industry like his boss Usher, Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus.

Including the already released title track “Never Say Never” from the soundtrack of the remake of The Karate Kid that saw Bieber collaborating with its star  Jaden Smith, Never Say Never – The Remixes also comprises of 4 remixes, a live version of “Overboard” and a brand new song, “Born to be Somebody”.

While it’s supposed to be full of remixes, they sound very much like the original versions and seem almost identical sometimes. This is especially so in “Up”, where the only notable difference was background vocals provided by R&B singer Chris Brown.

The live version of “Overboard” sung at Bieber’s My World Tour at Madison Square Garden didn’t particularly stand out either, despite featuring Disney star Miley Cyrus in a duet.

The saving grace of this album would have to be the closing track “Born To Be Somebody”. Written by songwriter and Golden Globe winner Diane Warren, the ballad has a catchy tune to go along with cheesy lyrics that hint at his possible resentment of the harsh critics he’s faced in his meteoric rise to stardom. “I was born to be somebody…I’m gonna rise above, show ’em what I’m made of… This world can make you feel small, they will not keep me down, I was born to stand tall”

Overall, it’s safe to say that you won’t find anything new here, unless you’re a huge belieber.

Artist: Justin Bieber
Album: Never Say Never – The Remixes
Rating: ★★✩✩✩

Language: English
Genre: Pop
Release Date: 14 Feb 2011

Track Listing:

  1. “Never Say Never” (featuring Jaden Smith)
  2. “That Should Be Me” (remix featuring Rascal Flatts)
  3. “Somebody to Love” (remix featuring Usher)
  4. “Up” (remix featuring Chris Brown)
  5. “Overboard” (live featuring Miley Cyrus)
  6. “Runaway Love” (Kanye West remix, featuring Raekwon)
  7. “Born to Be Somebody”