Recently awarded 'Breakout Artist of The Year' [for her achievements over 2013], Ariana Grande is fast becoming a well-known name in the music industry, and her hits over the summer of 2014 have only cemented this notion. Grande's second studio album My Everything quickly established itself as one of the most-anticipated albums of August, but the real question is, does it deliver? Read below for our track-by-track review, and overall opinions on the album as a collective:
‘Intro’ is a very strange sounding ‘introduction’ to the album, and it honestly feels a little out of place, although I suppose the incredibly generic sound does set up the pretence of the album rather fittingly, if bluntly. The strange introduction is thankfully followed by smash hit ‘Problem’, which is dripping with attitude and brings a strong female force with it, in the form of Ms Iggy Azalea, the Australian rapper who dominated the music charts over the summer (and continues to do so). Her interlude on the track gives it the added spice it needs to be a holiday smash, as the duo sing about how they have ‘one less problem without ya’. You can check out our full opinion on the track itself, here.
‘One Last Time’ has a slick pop production, and benefits from a powerful chorus from the 21 year old singer, and this helps steer it away from the realms of the unforgettable, and all in all, it’s a sweet and touching addition, that tries desperately to cling onto any fabric of emotion that producers may have wiped clean. Whilst ‘Why Try’ is a cutesy addition, with its airy vocals and repetitive ‘nanana’s’ enough to garner your attention for a minute or two, it quickly descends into a rather manufactured pop sound that may as well be any other song from the track (take track listing 8, 9 or 10, for example). It’s not bad, but the track just doesn’t have that edge and wow factor that other additions on the album do have, and although it doesn’t quite fall under the category of ‘album filler’, it’s not particularly notable either.
‘Break Free’ bursts in as track listing number 5, and is another confident addition, despite the grammatical faux pas, which I’m sure most people will have heard about. The track represents a switch in styles for the singer and the addition of EDM and Zedd on single makes it one of the most distinctive in Grande’s discography, and the pairing is rather ingenious, if unexpected. The track benefits from a righteous and powerful chorus, which combined with the electronic beat manages to create a floor-filling anthem. You can also read our full review of the ‘Break Free’, here. In a similar fashion, ‘Best Mistake’ featuring Big Sean fortunately isn’t a mistake, and Grande’s vocals are complimented by the soft instrumentals and her diction and enunciation is probably the best it has ever been on this track. Big Sean’s addition gives the track an edge that would otherwise be lacking, and it’s no wonder this was chosen as a promotional track for the album.
‘Be My Baby’ is a more soulful addition to the album, and the result is surprising, think Bieber’s ‘Baby’ without the annoying nasal tone and the initial impact. However, the sultry backing beat combined with light piano instrumentals makes for an interesting mix of styles, and Grande’s voice is, as always, impeccable on the track. However, with every good track on an album, you’ll be hard pressed to find a few duds, and honestly, tracks 8-10 almost faded into each other seamlessly, which is actually a negative, as they are so easily forgettable. This was actually quite worrying, as they sounded very similar in style and you may as well be listening to the same song; very dull. Fortunately, ‘Hands on Me’ featuring A$AP Ferg is a refreshing and addictive addition that tries to make up for its three previous tracks’ lack of engagement. The track has a very early 2000s influence, with catchy beats and smooth but sassy drops in vocals reminiscent of singers like Gwen Stefani and Beyonce [‘Baby Boy’ era].
‘My Everything’ is actually a rather poignant ending to the album, as it concludes the affair as track listing number 12, with its bittersweet lyrics ‘He wasn’t my everything till we were nothing/ And it’s taking me a lot to say/ But now that he’s gone, my heart is missing something’. Conveniently, the ending actually summarizes what is missing from the album; heart. Is it ironic that the ending track contains ultimately more emotion and personality than the majority of the entire album?
It seems evident that Grande’s second studio album My Everything establishes the pop singer as a new and potentially successful star in the current music industry, but unfortunately there are some elements of the album that ultimately hold the singer back. The album’s slick production is obvious, and it perhaps this whole glossed over affair that prevents Grande from truly connecting to a listener who is desperate to get to know the singer as an artist. It would seem evident in this case that the flaws of the album do not relate to the singing ability of the singer, but within the lack of personal touches throughout the tracks – some of which are disappointingly forgettable. Grande can sing, this is clear, but the album is exceptionally contrived and seems devoid of the singers’ personality, and we sincerely hope that this changes in the future, and that Grande takes a few lessons from perhaps Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift, the former who’s intensely personal song ‘Don’t’ is filled with emotion and personal reactions, and the latter who has an extensive discography that relates to personal experiences.
There appears to be hope, however, for Grande in the future, assuming she can rectify this artificiality that is laden through the album, and indeed, dig deep and create something that is striking and impressive. In pop music, it’s not all about the hits, it’s also about creating something personal and memorable, and Grande and her team [on the album] have managed to create an album that does contain at least a few hits and dance anthems. What the album shows is that Grande is trying something new, by incorporating EDM and dance rhythms into some of her songs, and playing around with her style, if this does seem a bit inconsistent when listening to, at least she is trying to find her place in the music and a sense of self. Her maturity on the album is clear, and her vocal ability is impressive, it’s just a shame that the lyrics are relatively generic on most tracks, considering the album could have been so much more.
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