[Prometheus.]

My Everything was the first album review I was looking forward to.

[Matty]

Sorry guys for the lack of updates. I'm going to try to get My Everything updated later today.

We've had a set back due to complications. It's mainly been Doc and I updating this thread and he has started another year of school so he hasn't been on as much. As for me, for these past couple of days since the last time I was in here I was either busy or having no access to atrl whatsoever for some reason.

We will get back to reviewing ASAP! Thanks for the patience.

[enxe]

Originally posted by Matty

Sorry guys for the lack of updates. I'm going to try to get My Everything updated later today.

We've had a set back due to complications. It's mainly been Doc and I updating this thread and he has started another year of school so he hasn't been on as much. As for me, for these past couple of days since the last time I was in here I was either busy or having no access to atrl whatsoever for some reason.

We will get back to reviewing ASAP! Thanks for the patience.

Great!

[M i x]

Can we review Animal by M5 and X by CB too?

[alexanderao]

Originally posted by Marooner5

Can we review Animal by M5 and X by CB too?

And Wiz?

I've been pressing for him a lot.

[enxe]

[Bloomers]

Originally posted by Marooner5

Can we review Animal by M5 and X by CB too?

I like when we do both songs and albums. I endorse your choices.

[Mrs. Aaron Paul]

im really interested in how people here will grade ariana

[musicfan09]

Can we do My Everything by Ari and Animals by M5 and V when it comes out

[Diar7]

Do we review mixtapes? If so, someone who releases in September is in for a treat.

[ATRL Feedback]

My Everything - Ariana Grande Ariana Grande | Republic | Release Date: Aug 25, 2014

dddddddddd 71 Member Score Generally Favorable Reviews based on 34 Ratings ddddd. dddddd 8.0 Modscore Generally Favorable Reviews based on 2 Mods

dddddddddddddd Summary: The second studio album by singer and actress Ariana Grande. Record Label: Republic Genre(s): Pop / R&B

Member Reviews d .iPositive: ████████████████ 26 d ....iMixed: ████ 7 d Negative: █ 1

Mod Reviews d .iPositive: ████████████████ 2 d ....iMixed: 0 d Negative: 0

[santos]

ready for the ATRL hate-wagon

[Matty]

Hallelujah, was able to update

[Bloomers]

Originally posted by Matty

Hallelujah, was able to update

Thank you Matty!

Now to figure out what grade to give My Everything...

[iHype.]

Do we review Standard, Deluxe, or is it our choice?

'Cause me & many others average track-by-track to get album scores.

[Penk]

Yay an update!

2 albums can't go at the same time I'm guessing?

[Mrs. Aaron Paul]

Ariana Grande is definitely one of the biggest breakout pop stars from the past couple years. She seems to have a loyal fanbase built up already, and she's already had 2 radio hits this era and the album hasnt even been out a week yet. I think Ariana is very talented vocally (though i have some complaints). My main problem with her up until this point has been a lack of charisma both onstage and as a mic presence. But I was still excited about hearing this album because her career is an interesting one to follow right now and its always cool to see baby stars blossom musically.

Intro: There's a short intro track at the start of the album and i kinda dig it, even though its extremely cheesy. Its kind of a love letter to fans, and it works because like i said her fans seem loyal. So this felt genuine to me.

Problem This was the first single off the album and definitely got the ball rolling for her in terms of building hype for this era. Its a good first single because its immediately catchy. For me though, it had a high burn rate and my favorite part has become Iggy Azalea's guest verse. I also think the song couldve benefited from a slightly lower key, and some enunciation. The brass element to songs has become popular recently, and thats on full display here, similar to Talk Dirty. In fact, this song is basically an amalgamation of trends. And it did what she wanted it to do because its a big hit. But in terms of quality, the more I listen to it, the more I start to think that there isnt much here.

One Last Time: This song is about Ariana's guilt over her betrayal of a significant other. I thought this song was quite pretty. But I dont think its very memorable.

Why Try: Song penned by seasoned hitmaker Ryan Tedder, I wouldnt be surprised if this ended up a single sometime soon. I think, once again, that Ariana really needs to work on her enunciation because I barely have a clue what she's saying in this song and it really does take some of the enjoyment out for me. I do think that her voice really soars in this chorus and that the melody is fairly catchy. Nice track.

Break Free: This was the second single and it was produced by fellow recent breakout, Zedd. I dont really like Zedd's production in general, but it doesnt bother me here. The breakdown seems a little out of step with Ariana's vocals but its cleanly mixed. The lyrics of this song are atrocious though, lazy and generic. I'd be lying if I said it wasnt a great choice for radio though. Im not at all surprised theyre spinning it so much.

Best Mistake: This is an RnB slowish jam featuring rumored (confirmed now??) boyfriend Big Sean. His verse is definitely the lowlight of the track. His verse doesnt really go anywhere flow-wise and isnt very clever lyrically. Ariana's vocals are smooth and beautiful here, some of the best vocals on the album in my opinion. If not for BS, this might be my favorite. As it stands, its still a very good song.

Be My Baby: This song is produced by Cashmere Cat, and I am a fan of the production. My favorite production on the album. I also think the vocals are good, and the melody is catchy while still being interesting. So i definitely love this song, and its my favorite on the album. I have listened to it more than any other song on the album.

Break Your Heart Right Back: This is a cute song. I think the melody is nice and well composed. The background vocals work well for me here too. I still dont really know what she's saying for half the song, but I'm used to that with her by now. Childish Gambino delivers a verse that isnt bad, per say, but feels very unneccesary. Most of these features feel throoughly unneccesary, and like theyre there just to be there. Which is a shame considering how many there are.

Love Me Harder: This seems to be a fan favorite already, so I could see it being a hit. I dont like it as much as most people seem too though. I think the vocals from The Weekend are fine, but I wish the vocal arrangment was more interesting, and utilized harmonies for the 2 voices more often instead of just trading off verses. The melody is kind of boring to me, but the production is really good.

Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart: This is another song thats very cute and I could see it as a potential single. The backing vocals are good here too. Its a little generic but in a good way, if that makes sense (it doesnt)

Hands On Me: Oh lord. Ariana seems sweet and I wish her all the happiness in the world. But she NEEDS to stop doing this sexy schtick. She cant pull it off at all and her Toddlers and Tiaras hair doesnt help. This song sounds like a Pussycat Dolls Reject. The most enjoyable part of the song is the A$AP Ferg verse honestly. But even that doesnt fit at all with Ariana's energy and her vocals. The production is okay. Kinda tuneless but its hardly the big issue here.

My Everything: Another seeming fan favorite, this ballad is very pretty. And I looked up the lyrics for this one, and I like them. The vocals are silky and relatively restrained. Its a little bit forgettable for me, but this is definitely a solid album closer and title track for the record.

Overall, this album definitely shows Ariana trying out a couple different sounds, working with different people. However, I think her strength is in songs that have a smooth, RnB feel to them, because otherwise she tends to oversing and I dont think she has the right personality or presence for EDM songs or bangers. I get artistic growth, but hopefully she will learn from her mistakes on this album. Because she has tons of potential and talent to make a truly amazing albu, and could be a huge star very soon.
Best Tracks: Be My Baby, Best Mistake, Intro
Worst Tracks: Hands on Me, Break Free, Problem
SCORE: 6.7/10

[Tom_Ford]

Yay, one more listen and I'll write

[M i x]

No Maroon 5? Oh well, at least next week will be theirs, won't it?

[seanoh]

MY EVERYTHING
The Review

After getting her foot in the door with her 2013 album debut "Yours Truly," actress turned singer Ariana Grande looks to cement her name into pop diva stardom. "My Everything" was executively produced by Max Martin, Scooter Braun, and Wendy Goldstein, among a plethora of other producers for separate tracks. If you listened to Ariana's first record, you can already tell that this record will be much different due to the highly different producers brought on board. While "Yours Truly" brought throwback-R&B/doo-wop inspired pop songs, "My Everything" seems to ignore that sound, and instead branches out into several different genres. And while some might view this as a bad thing, I personally see it as a potentially good thing. I love when artists break out of their comfort zone, as long as it is pulled off well.

When Ariana announced that her lead single would be titled "Problem," I was intrigued by the title name. For one thing, Ariana was an actress featured regularly on Nickelodeon, a children's network, and also had a squeaky clean track record. What kind of problems could she be facing – or even better, is she referring to herself as the problem, similar to Natalia Kills' song "Problem?" I was even more excited to hear that Iggy Azalea would be on the track – besides the fact that I've been a huge fan of Iggy for a while now, there is nothing better than a child actress collaborating with a female rapper who first made headlines by rapping about her *****. And boy, was I not disappointed. "Problem" is almost a picture-perfect pop song. Playing off of this year's popular sax/dance combination, Ariana provides us with stellar vocals, a catchy chorus, a sassy personality and a rap verse that actually makes the song better – a huge sigh of relief, in comparison to some other collabs that are just there for the shock factor. "Problem" gave me a reason to pay attention to Ariana. The debut performance of "Problem" at the RDMAs only showed me that Ariana was ready to rid herself of her good girl image, and was ready to drop that badonkadonk in tight outfits and dangerously high heels. I loved it.

Now onto the actual album. The deluxe edition features fifteen songs, and of the fifteen, only six (seven if you count the intro) songs are solo. I have to admit that when the tracklist was published, I was a little disappointed by that. But I still had hope that all of the collabs wouldn't overshadow Ariana's amazing abilities as a singer. Let's get into this track-by-track review:

Track-by-Track Review

INTRO: I loooooove me a good intro. The Lotus and Stripped intros by Christina Aguilera are particularly amazing. So when I first started listening to the "My Everything" intro, I had high expectations. I loved the soft piano opener, followed by the layered vocals. The intro definitely did it's job, as not only did it sound pretty, it had me excited to hear the story that "My Everything" was going to tell.

PROBLEM ft. Iggy Azalea: I already reviewed this song, but I will add that I was a bit confused that this song was what followed the Intro. The piano melody made me expect a ballad or a mid-tempo, but instead I was greeted by blaring saxophones.

ONE LAST TIME: I feel like this song should have opened the album instead, maybe then I would have more of an opinion on it. I don't think it's a bad song, per se, but I definitely don't think of it as anything special, especially since it followed the powerful statement that was "Problem." Why would she be asking for "One Last Time" if she just finished telling us that she had one less problem without ha man? However, I was surprised that David Guetta had anything to do with this song. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

WHY TRY: After seeing that Ryan Tedder helped write and produce this song, I was excited – after all, he was apart of Ella Henderson's spectacular debut single "Ghost" ! The track starts out strong, and leads into a powerful chorus. However, the "whyyyyy do we tryyyy" kind of falls flat for me. I'm also not a fan of the heavily produced vocals in the bridge. I do like the "na na na nananana" part though! I love the lyrics of this song, and feel that if it had been executed differently, it could have been a much more powerful song.

BREAK FREE ft. Zedd: The second single off the album, Break Free sees Ariana completely abandoning her R&B roots and instead latching on to an EDM beat. I wasn't a huge fan of this song when first premiered on TRL, but that's because "Problem" completely blew me away. However, by itself, it is still a very strong pop song. A little on the generic side, for sure, but still a bop. Ariana shows off her powerful vocals over Zedd's robotic beats, telling us that she's "stronger than she's been before!" The lyrics of the song kind of confused me, and I don't mean the weird grammar thing Ariana fussed about. She opens up the song by telling her man that he can take it if he wants it, but then follows up by saying she wants to break free from him. That aside, "Break Free" still feels very anthemic, which saves it for me. I think Ariana could have abstained from having the "feat." in the title, but I guess she wanted headlines for having an EDM song.

BEST MISTAKE ft. Big Sean: I'm really not a fan of Big Sean. Like, at all. I only like his song "Dance A$$" and I feel like he has consistently ruined every song he's ever been apart of besides that. So when I saw that Ariana was collabing with him again after his weird verse on "Right There," I was expecting not to like this song. I was completely surprised when this song put me under a spell – I was enchanted by the opening piano chords and Ariana's soft vocals. The layered vocals were beautifully executed, and then Ariana had me wrapped around her fingers when she says "'cus if the water dries up, and the moon stops shining, stars fall, and the world goes blind, boy, you know, I'll be saving my love for you, for you..." I don't know why I find those lyrics so powerful, but I do. And because of that verse alone, I'm willing to forgive Ariana for giving most of this song away to Big Sean's wack verse. I would have much preferred this song by itself, but I'd rather take the Big Sean verse over not having the song at all. The placement on the album is extremely weird, seeing as to how this generally slow song followed an EDM track. If Break Free had been placed elsewhere, it would have made more sense, but alas, many of the songs on this album were put in weird places.

BE MY BABY ft. Cashmere Cat: With "Be My Baby," we see Ariana return to a more familiar sound: R&B. When this song was first premiered on MTV, I was severely underwhelmed and stopped listening after a few seconds. However, after listening to the full song while listening to the album, I'm mad at myself for not giving this song a chance. This song is slow and sexy – sonically, it reminds me of "Right There" from Yours Truly, only much more sensual. I think it's a nice album track, but I don't think it's strong enough to be the third single, which has been speculated these past few days. This song also features the highest note Ariana hits on the album, which sounds cool on the track, but I'll be seriously shocked if she can hit it live without straining her voice. I'm not quite sure why it's featuring Cashmere Cat since he doesn't have a verse or anything, but I guess it's because he produced it (similar to "Break Free" with Zedd).

BREAK YOUR HEART RIGHT BACK ft. Childish Gambino: I was excited to hear Ariana sing about her man that had done her wrong with another man. It's an interesting topic, and could definitely be controversial for her if she decides to release it as a single. Think of all the media opportunities she'd have to promote it – the person she attacks in the song could come forward and accuse her of being homophobic, to which she could save her image by advocating for the LGBT community, and being supportive of her gay brother, blah blah blah. It would be a field day for a struggling popstar, like say, Lady Gaga. Anyways, I completely love the beat of the song and Ariana's layered vocals in the bridge. The Diana Ross sample was cute and sassy, and definitely added another layer of SHADE towards her ex. Childish Gambino is a great lyricist, and his verse definitely boosts the song, rather than holding it back like Big Sean did with "Best Mistake." "I'm a G from the A, and they ask me why?" – definitely punny. If there weren't more obvious single choices later on in the album, I would definitely say this song could be up for single contendership.

LOVE ME HARDER w/ The Weeknd: I'm not familiar with The Weeknd's work, so I was walking into this track not sure what to expect. And I was completely and utterly blown away. The song is scandalous for an artist like Ariana, but done tastefully. Ariana and The Weeknd's voice blend together well, and the synth beat isn't overdone. All in all, this song is definitely one of the standout tracks on the album. It needs to be the single after "Break Free" is done. I don't have any critiques for this song – it was executed flawlessly.

JUST A LITTLE BIT OF YOUR HEART: Finding out that Harry Styles wrote a ballad for Ariana was what made me really interested in My Everything. Problem was a really good lead single, but hearing that one of my faves was involved was what peaked my interest. I was disappointed when I read that album reviewers said this was one of the weaker songs on the album, but after reading the leaked lyrics, I was shocked. Since I'm familiar with Harry's songwriting work, I expected something along the lines of his solo song "Don't Let Me Go" or "Something Great" off of 1D's Midnight Memories album. When MTV premiered the song, I was completely blown away. Harry's ballads for himself are great, but JALBOYH is on another level. I could feel the pain in the lyrics, and I could hear it in Ariana's vocals. The two worked together perfectly, and I really don't understand why the critics slammed this song so much. Ariana gives us a little peak into her love life with this song, and we get to feel the full extent of her pain in the last chorus when she belts out "ohhhhh babe!" In a perfect world, I would picture this song being the fourth and final single off of My Everything after LMH, and I would love to see Ariana close the era with a performance of this song at the Grammys. I could see it having the same effect on people that Rihanna had with "Stay" and John Legend had with "All of Me." I truly feel that this song could be career defining for Ariana if her and her team decided to push it. The Directioner in me would also love a duet version with Harry – or even a solo Harry version – but that's asking for too much!

HANDS ON ME ft. A$AP Ferg: After bawling my eyes out to JALBOYH, I was jolted back to attention as Ariana demands that I put my hands on her. The first thing I need to comment on is the placement. Out of all the weird placements of songs on the album, this one has to be the worst. That being said, Hands On Me is the even dirtier, dancier version of Love Me Harder. I like the song itself, but I don't like that Ariana is the one who sings it. I don't think we're ready for sex kitten dominatrix Ariana just yet. I could see an artist like Rihanna singing this and getting away with it, but it just doesn't feel like an Ariana song. Ferg's verse is very catchy, and is definitely one of the highlights of this song.

MY EVERYTHING: The last song on the standard edition of the album, and the title track. When the LQ snippet of this song leaked along with the other songs, this was the one I was most looking forward too. And it still is one of the standout songs to me. The raw emotion on this song matches up to JALBOYH, maybe even more-so seeing as to how this is one of the only two songs Ariana actually helped write on the album. If you follow Ariana's bumpy love life, you'll be able to tell right off the bat that this song is about her Australian beau, Jai Brooks. The simple piano instrumental compliments Ariana's soft-spoken vocals well. A perfect album closer in my opinion. As far as critiques go, I hate the fact that after this song finishes up quietly, we're woken up by Jessie J's voice, demanding our attention.

Overall, this album definitely did it's job cementing Grande as a pop star to be reckoned with. She can stand her ground vocally with the likes of Mariah and Leona Lewis, but she can also give us bops comparable to that of Rihanna's and Britney's hits. While I enjoy the songs on My Everything more than the songs off Grande's debut, I feel like this album is missing the personal touch that Yours Truly had. Yours Truly was the product of years worth of work from Ariana, and when she was performing the tracks live, you could truly feel the passion in her voice. In the performances from this era, I feel like Ariana is trying too hard to prove she's a pop girl. While the effort is definitely noted, I do wish Ariana had more Just a Little Bit of Your Heart's and My Everything's on the album. On top of this, the album as a whole is not cohesive. The tracks are placed in weird orders, and it feels like Ariana is just singing at us, as opposed to the journey she took us on with Yours Truly. If the tracklisting had been different, I'd say otherwise. If the Intro had instead been an interlude, and replaced with a more poppy Intro, followed by rearranging the song order so that the pop/EDM stuff went before the interlude, and ballads/R&B went after the interlude, things would have rolled much more smoothly. Hopefully with her third album, Ariana will be able to mix the cohesiveness and personal touch of Yours Truly with the stronger instrumentals and maturity of My Everything.

FINAL GRADE: 6.8/10
TL;DR: Powerful pop songs that are missing fluidity as a whole album.
Highlights: Love Me Harder, Just a Little Bit of Your Heart, My Everything, Best Mistake.