"As Long As You Love Me" Justin Bieber ft. Big Sean

Well, this is something I never thought I'd say: I miss the old Justin Bieber. Every remnant of the sweet-voiced, swept-banged crooner of "Baby" has been left behind (even the signature hair!) for a sexed-up, tricked-out, Timberlake-wannabe model, and it's not working for me. I gave the Biebs 2.0 a shot on "Boyfriend," but the catchy chorus was almost outweighed by the creepy innuendo. And his new single, "As Long As You Love Me," pushes even further into weirdly inappropriate territory (in this case, a love-conquers-all message delivered with unconvincing worldliness). I understand that Bieber desperately wants to be seen as a "mature" "artist," but at just 18 years old, he still feels like a boy trying to be a man. In many ways, though, this dubstep-inflected track is a musical improvement. I'd be intrigued to hear what the original Justin might do with it. C+