REVIEW #1 - 65
After seeing this album literally everywhere I almost feel like I've listened to it before I actually did. Selling 2 million copies in four weeks with its lead single Heaven And Hell reaching 6X platinum and then insert more probably incorrect receipts here, AG is quite the commercial success isn't it? The comeback and dominance of Ariana is undeniably impressive and one for the history books, as her year before the era begun was truly a hopscotch through ups and downs and label changes so frequent you don't know what belongs to where, but as the album is released it's almost in all cases where the tracks that have the least chances in getting a single treatment are the superior.
With such a rocky year in the leading up to the record, ambition to create accessible and upbeat, popular music is understandable. Ariana knows how to write a good hook - we all still have "Heaven And Hell" and "Bottle Games" on our constant replays, and the choruses of her previous #1 hits like "Into You" are still at the back of our brains. But in the course of this, experimentation and good forward-thinking approaches to production are often left behind the massive Shellback / Martin / Reichsteid beats. Standouts for me come in Cashmere Cat-produced tracks for instance, like the trippy "I Live In Vain" and the sweat-inducing "Some Kind Of Drug" featuring Maluma doing what he does best. "Pussy got me breathing heavy" sure caught me off guard after all those cute teeny visuals! But still, Cashmere's brilliant and stylish productions make Ariana shine as opposed to simple synth patterns and bass slaps. The penultimate track "Silence" co-written with Taylor Swift also deserves a mention, an R&B burner touching on the emptiness of heartbreak.
With self-titled albums, artists usually take the time to cover as much they'd like to - have it that it's issues that they care about, personalities, different aspects of love in different stages of their lives. With the entirety of its 12-track length being love songs, it surely shows Ariana as quite the hopeless romantic (with song titles like "Divine Love Affair" and "Baby Boy (This Symphony's For You" it's quite obvious isn't it), supported by the album booklet beautifully decorated in cursive handwritten messages, heart symbols and flowers. But many tracks on the self-titled describes love that's often one-dimensional and generalising, most of them seeing Ariana crave for this deep hot crush of hers that she can't bear to let go. I would love to hear more personal and distinct ideas from Ariana when her next record comes, or even better in her re-release which in this hugely commercial campaign is almost bound to happen.
Listen to: Bottle Games, I Live In Vain, Silence
REVIEW #2 - 75
After relentless and tireless teasing and promotion, Ariana Grande has delivered her self-title comeback record. The young starlets record is certainly an interesting one and is made with a lot of love. Ariana is woman who knows how to dig her heels into an album and she provides more than enough strength and pop competence in this album to really make it stand out. Though there are issues (which we will get to in a bit) the album remains consistently intriguing and exciting. There aren't many moments where Ari takes a moment to breathe and the album's pacing turns into a marathon of an album. Simply put, it's one of the more fun records released this year.
Divine Love Affair 9/10
The album opens with a strong and bombastic track that immediately invites the listener to dance. Ari is a smart pop girl and she knows her way around a classic pop tune. Production wise, this is one of the strongest tracks of the year. The instrumental track is absolutely incredible and is the perfect amount of beautiful for this song. Lyrically, the song is more mature than what we've grown to expect from Ariana. No longer is she writing bland lyrics that take us nowhere, no she is writing lyrics that actually have direction. This song is a really powerful track in every facet of it's being. This is the way to start an amazing pop record.
Heaven and Hell 7/10
The song that no one in the known universe could escape for what seemed like an eternity is, believe it or not, one of the weaker tracks on the record. After the almost untouchable strength of the proceeding track, this one is a little disappointing. The instrumental track is very much in line with the typical pop fare out there on the radio right now and that just isn't who Ari is. The track isn't overly ambitious or exciting, but it's not bad or insulting in any way. Lyrically the song fares a little better with some interesting flow within the words and their delivery. This song is a good enough track, but it's not quite up to bat with the big leagues on the album.
Bottle Games (feat. Zendaya) 7/10
This song's only true, true sin is that it's potential was slightly wasted. It isn't a bad track in any fashion, it just feels like Ari and Zendaya weren't given enough room to shine as brightly as they are able to. They are a little buried under the weight a unique but slightly aggressive instrumental track. The song's lyrics are also fairly weak in comparison to what both ladies have shown they can do. Overall, this is the song on the album that shows strokes of brilliance that just weren't given chances to become full on masterpieces. The foundation is there and solid, but the construction on top was a little uneven.
I Live in Vain 8/10
We take another step up in this track. Production wise, the instrumental is simple, giving plenty of room for the real star (the lyrics) to be up front and in charge. But that's not to say it's bad, because it is far from. It's a pretty interesting instrumental track that carries a lot of weight on the track. However, the lyrics here are the star. Not only are the lyrics far deeper than the standard Ariana set on her previous record, they are much smarter. Her phrasing is really interesting and she was gutsy to not go for constant rhymes with the song structure. This track is very much single worthy and I wouldn't be shocked if this track made a pretty decent dent on the charts should it come to be on them.
Pray 9/10
Another solid track, this one is a little bit heavier thematically than the tracks proceeding. The song is very grown up and unapologetic. The instrumental to the track is light while simultaneously being dark. It's mildly atmospheric while also being a little fluffy. There is a perfect balance of both sides of the spectrum on the track which is what makes it really exciting. Lyrically, the song is also interesting. Ari doesn't hold back and lets her words carry some interesting weight. This is a standout track that's really entertaining.
First Love 10/10
This song is simply gorgeous. The production is water tight and a perfect blend of all of the elements that make modern pop music stand out. The lyrics here are completely top shelf. They are the strongest lyrics on the record and they pack a heavy punch. Ari's vocals here are on point and she puts a lot of emotion into this track. This is a peak that some artists will never reach in their career.
Some Kind of Drug (feat. Maluma) 5/10
Maluma can sometimes be a blessing and sometimes be a curse. Here, he's really the later. The song is okay whenever Ari is present (though it's easily the weakest she gives on this album) but when he takes over it turns into a cringe inducing mix of emotions. His voice is okay but he just comes off so smarmy with the lyrics he delivers here. Production wise the song is a bit boring and there's nothing really exciting here. The song is meant to be sexy but it's kind of bland and feels a little try hard in some parts. Easily the worst song on the album, having this instrumental and Maluma on board made this one a pretty weak song.
Put Me First 7/10
Ari recovers on the next track, though it's still a little out of touch with the high points of the record. Lyrically the song is interesting if not terribly innovative. There isn't any major song writing revolution that comes along with this song but it's not trite like it surely could have been. The Latin infused instrumental is good, but it leaves a little too much to the imagination. It never reaches a distinct climax and just kind of ends. But, for it's placement on the album and for it's easily accessible nature, this track is far from what you would call bad.
The Way You Are 7/10
Good lyrics backed by an iffy instrumental. This song's production is little to thick and smothering. It doesn't come across as clear or particularly focused. There seems to have been a lot of disagreement of what exactly the sound of the song was supposed to be and it bleeds through into the chaotic track. However, solid lyrics keep this song standing as best as possible. Though they don't quite reach the level that Ari has shown she's capable of, the writing here still shows her growth as an artist and the track is a very enjoyable one.
Baby Boy (This Symphony's For You) 8/10
This track blends the symphonic elements the title alludes to almost seamlessly with the pop sound this song strays to. The production is interesting and certainly unlike a majority of the songs out currently. Lyrically this song proves once more than Ari has grown significantly as a song writer. The issue of the track is that it's bold concept isn't allowed to completely reach it's peak due to a certain amount of restriction on elements of the song's originality. But still, it's a solid and respectable track.
Silence 7/10
This song has a pretty glaring tonal inconsistency. The lyrics are pretty solemn and forlorn but the music is awkwardly light and fluffy. The elements don't blend together well and the whole things feels a little awkward. You don't know what you want to feel because you're being pulled in two different directions. However, once more, this song is lyrically strong. Ari's style mashes will with Taylor Swift's and there are some lines in the track that can go down as pretty memorable in the grand scheme of things. Overall, this song is good but is shy of being truly great.
Plain Lovin' 7/10
The album ends on a bit of a disappointing note. The song again isn't bad, it just has no sense of finality at all. This track feels like it belongs more in the middle section than dead last. There isn't anything that exactly pops and stays with you once the album is over which defeats a lot of what a final song should do. The song's lyrics are obviously not from Ari (they came from Christina Milain) and that style clash is really prevalent. Musically it's pretty solid, utilizing studio techniques that aren't heard much in today's music. It's a good song, but the album deserved a better track to close on.
This album is actually a pretty cohesive and exciting body of work. It has issues but when it hits it's peaks, it sits higher than what many of the modern pop acts are capable of. Ari proved on this album that she's more than a fad and that she's more than just a young woman with a good voice and hollow song writing. The most impressive aspect of the album is watching just how much she grew as an artist. This album is a big step forward for the singer. Though it probably isn't destined for classic status, it will be remembered for years to come and sit comfortably high within Ari's body of work.
REVIEW #3 - 66
The self-titled attempt by Ariana Grande was released multiple weeks ago as the pop starlet's comeback album. With a bubblegum aesthetic contrasting a bold decision making the album self-titled, it's interesting to dig into the bones of the project and see if it's worthy of holding the sincerity of just the singer's name. Immediately going into it I knew I would be hypercritical regarding things like song premises and song ordering as this is a self titled project and self titled projects usually denote something that is sincere, authentic and telling of the person it's named after. To be fair, I will say that the album doesn't do too bad of a job at keeping to that, either. Another thing I'd like to note before mentioning any songs in particular is that I feel like the writing across the album was actually fairly good, a lot of the lyrics were really well-crafted and I enjoyed the wording for the most part, which is very good on a pop album like this. The opening track "Divine Love Affair" had me worried initially. Opening or closing a self-titled project with a peppy love song doesn't present it's self as the best idea. However, the song was a cute track which had vulnerable undertones which I really appreciated. Some of these vulnerable nodes are expressed across a couple of different tracks on the album which I especially appreciate coming from a pop artist like Ariana. "Baby Boy (This Symphony's For You)" is a sweet and loving track with a The song "First Love" is both vulnerable and nostalgic and I like the feeling of reminiscence. "Pray" is a song which does a good job at digging into some alternative sides to Ariana's personality, demonstrated on her earlier works in the "Dangerous Woman" era. It's a powerful and sassy song and I really enjoy it. However, the second half of the album is far weaker than the first in all regards. The project starts to take a dip with track 7, "Some Kind of Drug (feat. Maluma)", which is a shallow and cliche sex song with a distasteful verse from the collaborator. "Put Me First", "The Way You Are" and "Silence" are all generic songs about relationships that fit no purpose on the project and could easily be cut off and replaced or just removed all together. Additionally, ending the song on a plain old (albeit, well-written) love song, such as "Plain Lovin'", drops the album off on quite a sour note for me, with no satisfying ending, message or conclusion. In terms of the sound, I feel a lot of authenticity and artistry can feel lost at times due to the heavy pop production, and one full ballad would've done the world of good (Baby Boy doesn't count as it still features an upbeat pop vibe and R&B beat). I feel that Ariana did a solid job at expressing herself on some songs, but almost half the album felt muffled or confused as to what it was trying to do. It's almost as if the first portion featured songs that were fully-realised and well-executed, and then she just got tired after the sixth song, and started pumping out generic pop songs I could hear anywhere. It's a good album, however, tweaking would've helped.
REVIEW #4 - 83
Almost a year after the release of her #2 debuting album ‘Dangerous Woman’, which spawned #1 singles ‘Bed of Lies’ and ‘Into You’, Ariana Grande finally dropped her self titled fourth album. The album opens up with one of the best tracks, ‘Divine Love Affair’, that contained highly sophisticated lyrics. The track is very well mixed and carries both a lyrical and vocal tone that we'd expect from Ariana on an opening track. Another major highly on the album is ‘First Love’
which uses complex lyrics that change throughout the song and an absolutely fabulous beat. One track that left me crying due to its heartbreaking and beautiful meaning is ‘Silence’. I must say that while Ariana can served great bops, she has never failed with an emotional ballad. Unusually, Ariana also included a previous single ‘Plain Lovin’, but it was a great addition to the energetic beat and very creative lyrics written with Christina Milian. The album also has a few let downs that devolve from the central theme and style into weird “wanna-be” type tracks. The first one of these is ‘Pray’ which has very generic lyrics that don't necessarily flow well. The vocals and coherence of the beat make up for that though. The other is a Nicki Minaj style track ‘Put Me First’, that is super repetitive in lyrics. The track sounds more like a YouTube mashup than an Ariana Grande album track, and is probably the worst song on the record. Luckily other energetic and sexy songs like ‘Some Kind of Drug’ with Maluma and the hit lead single ‘Heaven & Hell’. ‘The Way You Are’ along with ‘Baby Boy’ show a cute and very light side of Ariana’s personality through their lyrics and vocal styles. Both her new single ‘Bottle Games’ with Zendaya and ‘I Live In Vain’ are decent but at the same time somewhat underwhelming. Overall this is a very solid album for the most part and is going places in terms of singles and touring.
REVIEW #5 - 68
Ariana Grande’s self-titled “comeback” album is a big move commercially for the star, preceded by the big smash Heaven and Hell that sold millions of copies and played at radio. However, is the album one of quality?
The album is unapologetically pop in it’s delivery, with each song clearly designed to have commercial potential. It’s all radio candy, and that can be good or bad whichever way you look at it. Looking at it from a critical point of view, it’s tough to justify giving the album a particularly high score when it’s clearly been designed this way with not much of a focus on anything creative.
That being said, it doesn’t mean there isn’t some great pop songwriting here. The lyrics are pretty much good across the board, even though the subject matter is kind of typical tween stuff - mostly entered around various different scenarios in a relationship, be it happy or sad. Although this isn’t always the case, for example the challenging subject matter of substance abuse in new single ‘Bottle Games’. They are all mostly nice individually, but the whole album lacks any kind of core concept or running themes. And the self-titling of this record might be byproduct of this album lacking a true purpose or identity.
The production is mostly consistent aside from a rather random dive into R&B influenced Timbaland beat in Put Me First that doesn’t seem to fit the bubbly, fun pop that is present on most of the other tracks.
Overall, this is certainly a solid pop album! It’s kind of frustrating that the songwriting is decent because it’s clear that Ari could lend her talents to a project that is overall more fulfilling. It’s certainly a step in the right direction, but there is definitely more to be offered here.