Justin Bieber had a rocky past year after being caught on camera smoking marijuana, being accused of several crimes, getting sleeves on both arms and tattoos all over his body, rumors of Justin Bieber spending money on Brazilian prostitutes and strippers, and most recently being arrest for DUI. There were so many stories of Bieber in the news this year and started fans giving up hope on him.  Bieber released a new song every week on “Music Monday” until December, then released the whole CD on December 23, 2013. Journals on iTunes contains 15 songs and three videos.

People have been surprised by artists who have worked with Bieber like Big Sean, Lil Wayne, Chance The Rapper, R. Kelly, and recently seen working with Kid Cudi. Pairing with these artists has brought back up Bieber’s popularity and have widen his range of listeners from just people interested in pop and to rap lovers. This album has helped Bieber transition from adolescence to adulthood. Bieber claims these songs are his journals and personal thoughts but while listening I couldn’t help but think the album is majority melancholy R&B songs about his ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez.

“Heartbreaker” was the first song on his album and his first song released for “Music Monday”. The hook “Don’t tell me you’re my heartbreaker / Hey girl my heart is breakin” begs Gomez for another chance. After listening to this song I was left wondering what else Bieber would open up about.

The best selling song on the album was “All That Matters.” Another song about Gomez, but one that everyone can relate. This song gets the heart of every belieber pumping in overdrive with the lyrics “There ain’t no ‘I’ in team / You make me complete / You’re all that matters to me” making you wish Bieber was singing to you.

Bieber flaunts his ability to sing in falsetto in 3rd song “Hold Tight.” He sings with so much emotion and vulnerability you can just feel Bieber struggling to hold on to someone.

Meaningful lyrics from Bieber are just one of the reasons I like this mid-tempo R&B song. “Recovery” again let’s you see exactly what he’s thinking and feeling. Bieber continually sings how he’s going to “make it right” showing the he’s trying to fix “trust that was broken” with a special someone.

“PYD” kept making me think about PYT (pretty young thing) but this song has a twist and PYD stands for “Put You Down.” If you thought Bieber was innocent before, you won’t anymore. This slow R&B song is full of sexual innuendos. Both Bieber’s and R. Kelly’s voice are soft and smooth and the whole song makes you feel relaxed.

Finally an upbeat song that doesn’t mean you want to break down in tears. “Roller Coaster” gives off a 90’s vibe that brought me back to the time when boy bands like Backstreet Boys and NSYNC were popular. The lyrics are still deep but the fast pace gives the song a more light hearted feeling.

Tenth and final “Music Monday” is Justin Bieber and Chance The Rapper’s song “Confident.” Bieber marvels over how physically attractive some girl is but even more the confidence she puts off is addicting. Chance The Rapper’s has a memorable line “Tattoos, piercings and she just learned to twerk” that sounds a lot more like talking than rapping. But who knows? That could be the new way to rap.

Throughout the whole album you can find a way to tie Gomez into any song, but not this one. “Backpack” seems almost random to me. The song is about an alien girl who is lost and Bieber pleads for her to stay in his backpack forever and not find her spaceship. With the lyrics ending the song “On our planet we don’t kill one another / We don’t take love for granted / It’s a gift from the mother / In your planet, you are filled with greed and false belief / We came here to bring you peace” I love these lyrics and I can only imagine Bieber is trying to send a message of how people lie too much and are greedy.

My absolute favorite song on the album is “What’s Hatnin.” When Bieber sings the catchy bridge “Arguin’ won’t fix the problem, talk with me and we can solve it / Be real with me, ain’t no other option, no other option” you can’t help but sing along. He sings this song with Future who broadens his teeny bopper audience to music listeners of many genres.

Final song on the album is with featured Big Sean. Though the lyrics don’t explain at all why the song is titled “Memphis” they are very catchy. After listening to this song it was stuck in my head for hours.

Bieber’s voice has matured so much since his first album dropped when he was 15, but I was impressed with most the songs on this album. All songs on “Journals” seem more personal than other songs and give you more of a glimpse of Justin’s thoughts and feelings. The lyrics are a little more risky and not quite as innocent as previous albums “Believe” and “My World.” New Year, New Bieber.