He took too long of a break.

Suit and Tie sounds very dated.

I understand where you're coming from, but I wouldn't necessarily say that he's underperforming. Suit and Tie is still doing well on iTunes and 'Mirrors' is doing (modestly) well. Sure, they aren't #1 SMASHES, but Justin Bieber (mentioned in the OP) hasn't had a #1 single either. The 20/20 Experience was #3 on iTunes yesterday based on just pre-orders. And he has collaborations with Bey coming up + he obviously has a deal with Target to promote his album up until the release date. This will be a big year for him, I think.

PLUS, Suit and Tie just isn't his best work.

Well, it's kinda hard to tell, but it seems like the break he took really affected him, I'm still very excited about The 20/20 Experience especially Pusher Lover Girl.

S&T, even though a quality track, still rather meh. He doesn't have a strong song like Sexyback I guess and that's crucial for making comebacks.

Suit & Tie isn't instant or rewarding enough

It's definitely not a bad song, its a decent bop, but it isn't a grower and not an instant love kind of song, so its an underwhelming lead single?

It deeply concerns me because Suit & Tie hasn't even hit platinum in the U.S. yet, right? After the amazing first week sales he had, you think it'd be there by now.

I don't think he's under performing but I think his "new style'' may not be winning everyone over. His album will be successful though.

People see him more of an actor which is sad because singing was his money maker and his acting was going no where.

- Long Break
- Suit and Tie is underwhelming
- He's too corny to sell this whole "Old Hollywood Gentleman" theme he put out in his performance/video.

He really needs to really PUNCH with something that will stay, forget his ego and wanting to change radio and whatnot. He needs to get a single that will blow up on the radio then change it from there.

Considering how long a break he took, I think he's doing really well. Especially considering Suit & Tie's chart performance. I honestly don't think he had any intention of making sure S&T was a multi-week #1 smash, my theory is he just released it for fans & album sales. 20/20 is obviously his Back to Basics so S&T was the most appropriate introduction to the era. Mirrors, for example, would've been an inaccurate introduction to the general mood he's projecting for 20/20, since it sounds like a Justified/LoveSounds hybrid.

The album seems to be garnering a lot of pre-release interest, & I hear his recurrent songs more frequently on radio than I have in years. Increase in recurrent airplay before an album release is a very good sign people are still checking out for you.

Hell, some artists wish they could come back from a seven year break and go #1 on iTunes and and get a top 10 on BB Hot 100, perform at the Grammy's, an album that went #1 based on pre-orders and still is in the top 10 on iTunes and has a deal with Target including commercials to promote his album. I think he's doing pretty damn well.

Long break & songs that sound like they could have been successful in 2003

This seems to be the problem with pop artists trying to make a comeback. They need to realize that it's a different world now, and their fans from last decade aren't the ones dictating what does well on radio, Spotify and iTunes. He doesn't have to follow the hottest trend out, but he needs to find a balance between what sells now and what made him popular.

It's not exactly underperforming but yea, long break and dated sound/everything else prevent an explosive success.

I get that he's #1 based on pre-orders, but if the album is front-loaded, that isn't good either.

Singles usually determine if most of the GP is with you for the era or not.