The problem with Justin Bieber's dire "Turn To You (Mother's Day Dedication)" is not that it is a failure, but that it is a failure as pop music and it is a faulure as artististry. It has no poetry in it soul and is so narrow in its concept and and execution it might well as be a child drawing a heart on a folded piece of paperand handing it to the parent: meaningful for the main players, irrelevant for the rest of the world.

Actually, it is worse than that. What business is a lyric like this that follows to me? it is so devoid of poetry and empathy, it is useless to everybody except his Mom. Unlike a card with "I love you Mommy" on, which everybody can share.

"You worked two jobs, To keep a roof above our heads, You chose, A life for
me, no never gave up, I admire you, For the strength you’ve instilled in
me, You were so young, You were just my age, when you had me mom, You were
so brave. There was nothing gonna stop or get in our way. And I know you
will always be there for me."

Being a mother is nothing, being a great mother is something special. And I've known a few, my co-editor Helen Bach is one, my sister Nadia is another. Childhood is our age of myths and a strong, kind guide, is eseential to a happy adulthood. It is nearly impossible to be a happy adult if you were a miserable child. And by all accout bieber's mother, Pattie Malette, who had Justin when she was 18 and raised him with very little help from his father, was just that. And you can see that, with the world at his feet, Justin has been an exemplary star.

But this song is purgatory. Musicially the beats are too heavy, his vocal is immensely irritating -why does he say "always be there for me-eh, when he means me?"  and the tune is non existence: this is a studio artificate, there is no there.

Happy Mother's day

Grade: C-