Tag: Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande – “petal” review

Boca Raton, Florida singer/songwriter & actress Ariana Grande launching her own imprint Babydoll Music distributed by Republic Records for her 8th studio LP. The very same label who signed her in 2013 after breaking out through the Nickelodeon series Victorious alongside Leon Thomas III & has gradually become one of the biggest pop stars in the entire world since, dropping my personal favorite in her discography sweetener following the moderate reception of Yours Truly as well as My Everything & Dangerous Woman. I also enjoyed thank u, next for what it was following her engagement to Pete Davidson being broke off & Mac Miller’s tragic death even if Positions took it back to the mild feedback of her earlier output, coming off Eternal Sunshine to give us petal in time for July ending.

“kiss me” opens up yearning to be kissed like it could potentially be her final goodbye until “hate that i made you love me” averagely blends alt-pop, contemporary R&B, alternative R&B, synthpop & chillwave for a lead single venting about her divorce from her now ex-husband Dalton Gomez. The title track serves as a metaphor for how flowers can still bloom in the most rigid places just before “stay” detailing yet another corrective experience she had.

As for “oh well”, we have Ariana telling Dalton that more breakup songs about him are on the way & wishing all of the toxic people in her life the best luck traveling to Hell leading into “big feelings” reaching the midway point wanting this person to promise they’ll handle her properly & providing the kind of sex that can make grown men cry. “freak” sings about distancing herself from someone who doesn’t want to get to know her from a personal standpoint but after the “warning signs” interlude, “like i do” gets tongue-in-cheek for a sassy self-confidence ode.

“never get over me” embraces some R&B influenced to finish up petal’s concluding act singing about a unique kind of intimacy with a bridge calling back to “Thinking ‘Bout You” off Dangerous Woman while “bad thing (bunny hop)” finds herself rediscovering her feelings towards photographer & dancer Ricky Alvarez. The closing track “nowhere, nobody” sends off the album choosing to stay present in love regardless of the uncertainty of whether or not it’ll last in the end.

Despite coming away from petal with mixed feelings towards it, I can certainly see myself coming back to it more than I do Positions & Eternal Sunshine since it does have more high points than lows. I think Ariana Grande breaking up with all different kinds of negative attachments throughout her life comes from a sincere place although the alt-pop, contemporary R&B, alternative R&B, synthpop & chillwave production was merely ok. Would love for her to work with someone like Jermaine Dupri.

Score: 3/5

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Ariana Grande – “sweetener” review

Ariana Grande is a 25 year old singer/songwriter & actress from Boca Raton, Florida who first came to prominence as a part of the Nickelodeon shows Victorious and Sam & Cat. She would eventually focus on a music career after signing to Republic Records although I personally don’t consider myself the biggest fan of her debut Yours Truly or the sophomore effort My Everything & her previous full-length Dangerous Woman. I was however intrigued heading into her 4th studio album considering that one of my top 10 producers Pharrell was involved.

Things start off with “raindrops (an angel cried)”, which is a decent cover of the 4 Seasons song with the same name while “blazed” gets playful over a tropical Pharrell instrumental. “the light is coming” featuring Nicki Minaj is about getting through hard times with Pharrell providing a dance-pop vibe to the beat preceding “R.E.M.” telling us the story of her & Pete Davidson over a spacey Pharrell instrumental, preceding the sex positive “God is a woman”‘ fusing R&B/trap.

The title track is about bringing positive energy over rubbery bass & a piano while the song “successful” is an empowering woman’s anthem over a Pharrell instrumental that sounds like vintage Neptunes. The track “everytime” talks about going back to this terrible boyfriend over an atmospheric beat while the song “breathin’” talks about anxiety over an instrumental I feel like I’ve heard a couple times already. The track “no tears left to cry” is about the Manchester Arena bombings from last year over a the UK garage instrumental.

“borderline” featuring Missy Elliott gets sexual over a fun Pharrell instrumental that suits the tone perfectly & the Missy verse is great, but it should’ve been a little bit longer. The track “better off” talks about her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller over a moody Hit-Boy instrumental & the song “goodnight n go” is a mediocre cover of the Imogen Heap song with the same name. The penultimate track “pete davidson” is a heartwarming tribute to her fiancé with the same name & the closer “get well soon” talks about anxiety once again over a luscious Pharrell instrumental.

I don’t mean to come off disrespectful when I say that everything Ariana Grande’s done musically preceding sweetener simply wasn’t for me & on the contrary, this is easily the most I’ve ever enjoyed her music. The contemporary R&B, dance-pop, alternative R&B & pop soul production to me was done significantly better when either Pharrell & Hit-Boy were behind the boards tackling issues such as healing, optimism, romance, sexual intimacy, unhealthy relationships, anxiety & perseverance.

Score: 3.5/5