Out of the Blue

No... I'm not talking about Miles.

I'm talking about the Biebs.

Justin. Bieber.

You know. The guy who played the Grey Cup halftime show on Sunday.

I can't say I've tracked his career too closely (I'm not a 15 year old girl), BUT HEAR ME OUT FOR A MINUTE. There are only 13 sentences left in this post, and I promise to appease the haters by poking fun at Stratford Ontario's most famous export.

It's obvious that Justin isn't going away any time soon. The lyrical content of Bieber's most recent album is predictably more adult than his last effort and, by drawing on the production talent of Zedd and Diplo, JB has hacked the recent popularity of electro house and dubstep. Ladies and gentlemen, we are witnessing Bieber 2.0-- a shapeshifter that moves with the times but maintains a hue that keeps a smile on the faces at Def Jam: platinum.

In a few short years Bieber has undeniably moved from the classroom to the club. He's not the first, of course (cudos: MJ and JT), but he seems to be progressing at an accelerated pace. I'll admit that his music, so far, has been pretty bland. But maybe by the time he buys his first razor he'll grow some vision. Some edge. We can only hope because, big surprise, you're going to hear a lot more from Mr. Bieber over the next decade.

Given the trajectory of his recent releases I'm curious to see what his albums are like, cover to cover. For now, here's this week's entry to the soundtrack, "Beauty and a Beat", featuring Nicki Minaj.

And now for my promised provocation: is it just me, or is "Boyfriend", the first single from Believe, eerily similar to the Ying Yang Twins' 2005 hit "Wait (The Whisper Song)"?

A bashed up Bieber? 

Still prettier than your sister. 

Holla.