YouTube sensation, Justin Bieber, 16, (brought to the world courtesy of Usher) could sell a million records saying nothing on a track. Everything he touches becomes a certified hit. Let’s be real, JB could sing “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” do a dance and make billboard charts go insane.

Luckily on his latest studio album, “My World 2.0,” the “follow-up” to his debut album “My World,” (which hit stores last November), he blessed each track with his youthful, inches away from puberty, soulful voice, giving fans more reason to love him and some people more reason not to.

His first single, “Baby” featuring rapper Ludacris (produced and written by The Dream, Tricky Stewart and Christina Millian), establishes the tone of the album preparing fans and first time Bieber listeners for nothing but non-stop excitement. No matter who you are you can’t help but sing-a-long when the chorus hits because it’s truly addictive. “Baby, Baby, Baby, Ooooooh…” (Snap out of it).

Addictive sums up the entire album. Filled with Pop/R&B tunes it will without a doubt have songs stuck in your head for days. “Runway Love,” “Never Let You Go,” and the bonus track “Kiss and Tell,” are just a few of those captivating records.

The album is also full of amazing producers and songwriters. The Dream, Tricky Stewart, Stereotypes, Bryan-Michael Cox, Johnta Austin, Benny Blanco, Jackie Boyz, Da Internz, Nasri Atweh and The Messengers all graced the album with their genius. Can we say Grammy? No wonder it made its way to #1 on iTunes an hour after its midnight release March 23, 2010.

Bieber didn’t go with Mary and her lamb on this one, he did however join Sean Kingston on the mesmerizing, nursery rhyme track “Eenie Meenie” produced by Benny Blanco written by Jackie Boyz (Carlos and Steven Batty) with a helping hand from Da Internz (Marcos ‘Kosine’ Palacios and Tuo Clarck). The track makes you want to get up and dance, sing-a-long and play tag all at the same time.

The last musical icon that could turn a nursery rhyme into a classic hit was the late; great Michael Jackson as he (and the Jackson 5) made ABC’s and numbers sound like musical magic. Bieber has been compared to Jackson a lot since his reign began and MJ “mini” or not one thing you can’t deny is his talent.

One thing the album could’ve done without is the track “Overboard” with Jessica Jarrell (despite her beautiful voice) it’s difficult to distinguish JB from JJ. Puberty or not he still has a sweet baby voice making the two singers clash.

That being the case he does perfectly stamp the album with the closing song “That Should Be Me,” (produced and written by The Messengers and Nasir Atweh) a beautiful melody that shows why he should be the one doing this.

“That should be me holding your hand/that should be me making you laugh/that should be me,” he proclaims. And who can argue with him on that?

And if that’s not enough Bieber admits that it’s his undeniable swag that makes him so popular. So don’t worry if by the end of the album, you’re shaking, crying, sweating, dancing, singing, playing tag or doing all of these things at once. You’re just experiencing “Bieber Fever” and once you’ve caught it, there’s no way you’re getting over that one.

*Ebony’s Bieber Track list*: “Stuck in the Moment,” “Kiss and Tell” and “Eenie Meenie”.

Ebony Haynes
[Hip Hop U-C-IT Senior Writer]