"If you know how to be my lover, maybe you can be my baby, hold me close under the covers, kiss me boy and drive me crazy."
Nickelodeon star-turned singer Ariana Grande is back less than a year after her debut album to focus on some more mature music. The problem though, is that it seems that her and her other songwriters aren’t picking the best material for her. Her debut was filled with doo-wop and old R&B, with some pop influence in there as well, but this album decides to throw Ariana into the mainstream at quite the cost.
The attempt to be a more serious musician seemed to backfire. Lyrics like “living like angels, living like devils” on Why Try seem pretty childish. The entirety of Just a Little Bit of Your Heart is super lame and unnecessary. “Now that I’ve become who I really ARE” on Break Free, which is actually quite an enjoyable song. Ariana and her team clearly wanted to focus on more “you broke my heart” and “I won’t let you affect me” themes that seem more mature, but were just executed poorly.
On the positive, some tracks do emit some excitement in the album. First single, Problem, is very cheeky and fun with the lyricism and instrumentation and while Iggy’s part isn’t really needed, Big Sean’s Yin Yang Twins-like whisper in the chorus rocks. Be My Baby, while pretty much a Right There redux, is filled with crisp-production and swooning words to a lover.
Childish Gambino and The Weeknd are a part of the two highlights on the album. Break Your Heart Right Back is allegedly about a gay ex-boyfriend of Ariana’s, so the song naturally samples I’m Coming Out to make the track’s chorus super groovy (thanks Nile Rogers). The chorus of Love Me Harder is a bit tiring, but its production is lovely and it’s probably Ariana’s best duet so far. I think she’s only had 2 or 3 duets, but it’s still the best.
Ariana has always had a lovely voice. It worked really well with the songs on Yours Truly because the loudest she got was to sing whistle notes and it fit really well with the throwback sound of the debut. On My Everything, it’s really hard to even understand what Ariana is saying most of the time. It’s like she decided to take up mumble-singing or mumble-shouting on the tracks rather than enunciating her words, maybe to cover up some less-than-perfect lyrics.
The little musician was showing some interesting promise from Yours Truly to really combine R&B and pop, especially from a child star, especially from Nick (since most child musicians come from Disney). However, too many throwaway tracks, filler tracks, and just poor song structure bogs down the album. It’s not all bad, though. The good tracks on the album are enjoyable and Ariana is having clear success with this album. It’ll be interesting to see where she decides to go from here.
5.9/10
★★★★★✩✩✩✩✩
Top Tracks: Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea), Be My Baby, Break Your Heart Right Back (feat. Childish Gambino), Love Me Harder (feat. The Weeknd)
Summary: Ariana Grande's second effort, 'My Everything' puts her back onto the map with bigger hits and a juicy classic R&B sound.
Genre(s): Pop, R&B, Soul, Dance-Pop, R&B-Pop
Release Date: August 25, 2014
Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea)
3. One More Time
4. Why Try
5. Break Free (feat. Zedd)
6. Best Mistake (feat. Big Sean)
7. Be My Baby (feat. Cashmere Cat)
8. Break Your Heart Right Back (feat. Childish Gambino)
9. Love Me Harder (feat. The Weeknd)
10. Just a Little Bit of Your Heart
11. Hands Of Me (feat. A$AP Ferg)
12. My Everything
13. Bang Bang (with Jessie J & Nicki Minaj)
14. Only 1
15. You Don't Know Me
16. Cadillac Song
17. Too Close
TRACK
TITLE
RATING
2.
Problem
9/10
3.
One Last Time
8/10
4.
Why Try
7/10
5.
Break Free
10/10
6.
Best Mistake
6/10
7.
Be My Baby
8.5/10
8.
Break Your Heart Right Back
6.5/10
9.
Love Me Harder
7.5/10
10.
Just a Little Bit of Your Heart
8/10
11.
Hands On Me
6/10
12.
My Everything
5/10
13.
Bang Bang
10/10
14.
Only 1
6.5/10
15.
You Don't Know Me
5.5/10
16.
Cadillac Song
8/10
17.
Too Close
10/10
Grower, growing, grew describes Ariana's newest effort. Throughout the week I gave it a first listen — to much shock, and complete underwhelm. Then throughout the week I gave favorable tracks more and such listens until they turned into bops, then I tried listening to it as a whole a few more times and it came out almost-OK. Then tonight, I sat down devoting it 100% attention to analyze and give an honest opinion on each song, and that's when it grew — the taste start to zest. The album in my opinion, throws the fans of Yours Truly, such as I, back because it captures a turning point for Ariana. She's done with Babyface and the others who worked on Yours Truly. She's got a new crew, a new group, and new artists she's worked with. She experimented, even if you don't like it. The singles are perhaps the most solid work, but it has a lot of track highlights such as 'Be My Baby', 'One Last Time', and the Target Deluxe Track 'Too Close'. The album as a whole was a cohesive piece, and there was a few fillers but nothing bad. She made an effort, you just have to take the time to realize it. The album is persistent, and has it's turns. She could've done without some of the stuff, such as the try-hard A$AP Ferg collab or the average R&B girl 'Best Mistake' track, which is kinda offensive to 'Right There' but it's still a solid album. I wasn't sure about a purchase, but now I'll presumably be getting the Target Edition soon.
Ariana Grande did not deceive me with her dance-heavy first two singles ("Problem" and "Break Free"). Some people saw it as her going against the sound she established with Yours Truly while forgetting that Yours Truly has a variety of different sounds on it including dance pop. My Everything and Yours Truly share some similarities, but My Everything is clearly the better album.
Yours Truly was the warm up exercise and My Everything is the performance.
Yours Truly felt like Ariana was trying out different things without too much care for the quality of the material. She gave us pop/dance songs, R&B/slower songs, and songs sampling hip-hop classics. Don't get me wrong, there are a number of great tracks on the album, but, listening to the album now, Yours Truly is basic in all aspects in comparison to My Everything. My Everything sounds more mature, elaborate, detailed, and consistent. I'm judging the standard edition of the album as I do with all of my reviews, but a great example of this would be "Popular Song" vs. "You Don't Know Me".
My Everything is also more cohesive and flows better with none of the songs sounding like they should be omitted or moved around on the album. The overall direction of the album is great and the album feels very personal. Every track may not be truthful or even a situation Ariana has gone through or an emotion she has felt, but all of the tracks are so well executed lyrically and vocally, it is hard not to assume that she indeed has had those experiences like having a guy cheat on her with another guy ("Break Your Heart Right Back") or seeking closure from an ex-boyfriend despite him being in a relationship ("One Last Time").
"Be My Baby" is the standout track to me and it is very reminiscent of three of the best songs from Yours Truly ("The Way", "Baby, I", and "Right There"). In addition to the promotional singles ("Problem", "Break Free", and "Best Mistake"), "Love Me Harder" and "Why Try" are also very lovely.
"Hands on Me" was a very low point for me at first with the album, but I've grown to like it a lot and it feels like she created a song that is very heavily influenced in many ways by the big 2000s pop girls (Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé to name a few). It is my least favorite track on the album because it doesn't feel like it is really an Ariana song and it slightly interrupts the flow of the album but not so much that the album is ruined.
What makes My Everything so great is that Ariana's experiences and feelings are properly showcased through the lyrics and vocals and with support from top notch production. Ariana used her experiences, as all musicians should, to help mold this incredible pop album. You can hear the love, pain, heartache, and so on that she feels throughout the album. It might not be a classic record nor does it sound like one, but it is still one of the best mainstream pop records to be released this year and her best so far.
I've been a huge fan of Ariana's every since I heard 'The Way', and expected nothing less than an amazing R&B album from her with 'Yours Truly'. Now with the release of 'Problem' from her sophomore album, I anticipated she was going for more of a pop sound.
The release of Break Free disappointed me. The song does not fit with the rest of the album, it sounds awfully generic, and is not really a step forward in the right direction for her. 'Baby I', the second single from 'Yours Truly' is much more impressive.
Nonetheless, I still had hope for the album after falling in love with 'Best Mistake'.
The rest of the album lacks a lot of cohesiveness. There's R&B, there's pop, there's EDM, there's ballads, and there's a TON of male features. I never quite understood the need for strong vocalists like Ariana to need a basic rapper on a song to sing about something completely unrelated to the lyrics sung by the female singer. I would only disagree with that point for "Break Your Heart Right Back" where I am actually quite impressed with Childish Gambino's verse.
The ballads on the album, "My Everything", "Just A Little Bit of Your Heart", and the mid-tempo "One Last Time" are snoozers. You can delete those right off.
To really get the sound you were hoping for from Ms. Grande, download "Be My Baby", "Love Me Harder" (the absolute best track on the album), and "Break Your Heart Right Back". Heck, even the bonus songs are great. You could easily get away with only buying half of this album.
In one word, the album is fantastic. It starts out with the sorrowful, ballad. But the transition to Problem flows perfectly somehow. The album is filled with bangers and jams. Ariana Grande SNAPPED in the studio. Vocals were on point throughout the album and she never did too much or too little. The only issue I saw with the album was it had some filler songs. Filler isn't a bad thing, but it kinda makes the album change it's pace. Regardless, songs like Break Free, Problem, BMB, BYHRB, LMH & HOM are exceptional and deserve endless praise.
The album is on par with Yours Truly. It makes me excited for her upcoming projects. Hopefully she goes for a more R&B sound with her next album because that's what suits her voice the best.
This album is perhaps the strongest collection of straight forward pop jams that I've listened to in a long time. There is an overall lack of cohesion - this does seem like an album full of singles, rather than a body of work in which each track compliments each other - which is why i think it's best to review it track by track
Intro - this is really cheesy and unnecessary, the R&B 90s throwback sound of this intro isn't actually really found anywhere else on the album, so it's quite confusing and perhaps the most misleading album introduction ever.
Problem ft. Iggy Azalea - an excellent pop track, the inversion of the verses and the choruses vocal style is quite innovative and I love Big Sean's whispering. Iggy's awful rap does knock a few points off though.
One Last Time - this song is OK, but I feel like it doesn't really go anywhere. The production seems quite static, and at first you think its going to lead to some kind of glorious crescendo, but it never happens.
Why Try - one of my personal favourites from the album, this is typical Ryan Tedder cheese, but it's also amazing. The bridge is one of the highlights of My Everything, and her voice is probably at its best here.
Break Free ft. Zedd - this, along with One Last Time, is one of 2 EDM bangers on the album, except here it's done right. The pre-chorus is insanely catchy and the pounding synths at the end of the song are incredible.
Best Mistake ft. Big Sean - I didn't like this at first, but it's really grown on me. The coupling of the piano and the hip-hop beats is, whilst not particularly original, a really nice marriage. My only complaint about this track is Big Sean, someone like Drake would have sounded better on this melancholic track.
Be My Baby ft. Cashmere Cat - as a massive fan of Cashmere Cat, I had high hopes for this song. I wasn't disappointed. It's a fizzy R&B/pop jam, here Ariana is at her most confident and most original. Pure pop perfection
Break Your Heart Right Back ft. Childish Gambino - a really quirky song, and another one of my favourites from the album. The Gloria Gaynor sample appears jarring on paper, but for some reason works as Ariana's vocals soar over it in the chorus. Once again, the featured rap artist, in this case Gambino, detracts from what would have been a flawless solo performance.
Love Me Harder ft. The Weeknd - the best song on the album, this is a frothy Max Martin track that oozes confidence and sex appeal. The chorus knocks you off your feet the first time you hear it, and the crooning and pleading between Ariana and R&B king the Weeknd builds over the duration of the song and climaxes in the amazing bridge. Must be a single, and must have an amazing video - this could be Ariana's defining hit.
Just a Little Bit of Your Heart - after 6 consecutive amazing songs, there was bound to be one that fell a little flat. This Harry Styles-penned track isn't necessarily bad, but it's just not that good. She does sound nice on it though.
Hands on Me ft. A$AP Ferg - this song is weirdly overly sexual, it sounds like it was produced by a drunk Timbaland in 2004, and Ferg's rapping on this is bizarre. Obviously an attempt to try something different and risqué, but unfortunately it falls flat.
My Everything - I've listened to this album so many times and I still have no idea how this song goes.
So overall, the album is full of bangers, and then there's 4-5 duds. My main complaint would be the lack of cohesion and the incessant unnecessary rap features that actually take away from the songs rather than add to them. Love Me Harder is the only duet that truly works, Best Mistake should have had a better featured rapper on it, Problem & Break Your Heart Right Back should have been solo tracks and Hands on Me shouldn't exist. However, 7/12 of these songs are incredible, so I can't be too harsh on her.
Only one year after her debut, Ariana is back with her second album and it became clear quite quickly that this is due to commercial reasons rather than artistic ones. Unfortunately, this motivation manifests itself in the quality of the album, as it seems nothing more like a directionless collection of potential singles tailored to various radio genres. Uptempos and ballads are mixed wildly, seemingly without purpose, creating anti-climax after anti-climax and preventing the album from developing any kind of flow that would carry the listener from beginning to end. Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect this to be a concept album - but you really don't have to go that far to create the tracklist in an order that enhances the listening experience rather than obstructing it.
Lyrically, the album draws on the same themes as Ariana's debut (love and relationships, in case you didn't realise), with an excessive overuse of the words 'baby' and 'love'. However, she now occasionally ventures into a more sexual direction - resulting in some of the most cringeworthy/awkward lyrics I've ever heard. It just seems wrong when her public image is that of an innocent doll, unless you are into the whole Lolita thing.
So the lyrics are quite repetitive, and the beats - while well produced - also tend to fall in one of two categories, either pop or RnB oriented. Only the singles Break Free and Problem stray from the path, the former being a typical Zedd produced EDM banger and the latter using a saxophone for the hook and it-rapper of the moment, Iggy Azalea. But as great as they are as standout tracks, in the context of the album they stick out like sore thumbs, and you can't help but feel disappointed at the diversity these songs promised and the album failed to deliver.
'Cause as it happens, Iggy is not the only featured artist; if you look at the standard tracklist, minus the intro, pretty much half of the tracks have features, and most of these are rappers, so you get the drift. The collab with Iggy is original and sounds fresh, but all the male rapper collabs follow the same scheme and are basically variations of her debut single The Way. However, while she at least had some chemistry with Mac Miller and he brought his own style and personality to the song, Childish Gambino, ASAP Ferg et al are all more or less interchangeable.
And that's perhaps the biggest flaw of this album, its superficiality, its facelessness, how it's as slippery as an eel with no edges or just anything that gives it a bit of character. Ariana is always showing that same side of hers, America's Sweetheart, the beautiful girl next door, but I'm not even sure how convincing she is in that role, as it feels too perfect and too manufactured. It's like a mask, and the little bit of emotion that you can find in the songs seems calculated, too.
So overall, while the songs are well produced and Ariana shines with her vocals as usual, she fails to deliver something unique, relying on cheesy uninspired lyrics as well as the same formulaic song structure that has proven successful for her before. She keeps using her carefully constructed flawfree image to appeal to any target audience you could think of, failing to show a facet of herself that is at least mildly relatable and genuine. I honestly believe that if she distanced herself from that and took off the mask, taking on a more down to earth, approachable persona and reflecting that in her music, she would come much closer to reaching her full potential. Until then, we will have to be satisfied with this album which is not bad, but destined to fade from its listener's memory sooner rather than later.
Only one year after her debut, Ariana is back with her second album and it became clear quite quickly that this is due to commercial reasons rather than artistic ones. Unfortunately, this motivation manifests itself in the quality of the album, as it seems nothing more like a directionless collection of potential singles tailored to various radio genres. Uptempos and ballads are mixed wildly, seemingly without purpose, creating anti-climax after anti-climax and preventing the album from developing any kind of flow that would carry the listener from beginning to end. Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect this to be a concept album - but you really don't have to go that far to create the tracklist in an order that enhances the listening experience rather than obstructing it.
Lyrically, the album draws on the same themes as Ariana's debut (love and relationships, in case you didn't realise), with an excessive overuse of the words 'baby' and 'love'. However, she now occasionally ventures into a more sexual direction - resulting in some of the most cringeworthy/awkward lyrics I've ever heard. It just seems wrong when her public image is that of an innocent doll, unless you are into the whole Lolita thing.
So the lyrics are quite repetitive, and the beats - while well produced - also tend to fall in one of two categories, either pop or RnB oriented. Only the singles Break Free and Problem stray from the path, the former being a typical Zedd produced EDM banger and the latter using a saxophone for the hook and it-rapper of the moment, Iggy Azalea. But as great as they are as standout tracks, in the context of the album they stick out like sore thumbs, and you can't help but feel disappointed at the diversity these songs promised and the album failed to deliver.
'Cause as it happens, Iggy is not the only featured artist; if you look at the standard tracklist, minus the intro, pretty much half of the tracks have features, and most of these are rappers, so you get the drift. The collab with Iggy is original and sounds fresh, but all the male rapper collabs follow the same scheme and are basically variations of her debut single The Way. However, while she at least had some chemistry with Mac Miller and he brought his own style and personality to the song, Childish Gambino, ASAP Ferg et al are all more or less interchangeable.
And that's perhaps the biggest flaw of this album, its superficiality, its facelessness, how it's as slippery as an eel with no edges or just anything that gives it a bit of character. Ariana is always showing that same side of hers, America's Sweetheart, the beautiful girl next door, but I'm not even sure how convincing she is in that role, as it feels too perfect and too manufactured. It's like a mask, and the little bit of emotion that you can find in the songs seems calculated, too.
So overall, while the songs are well produced and Ariana shines with her vocals as usual, she fails to deliver something unique, relying on cheesy uninspired lyrics as well as the same formulaic song structure that has proven successful for her before. She keeps using her carefully constructed flawfree image to appeal to any target audience you could think of, failing to show a facet of herself that is at least mildly relatable and genuine. I honestly believe that if she distanced herself from that and took off the mask, taking on a more down to earth, approachable persona and reflecting that in her music, she would come much closer to reaching her full potential. Until then, we will have to be satisfied with this album which is not bad, but destined to fade from its listener's memory sooner rather than later.
So I haven't heard Yours Truly making this the first time I've ever heard Ariana in terms of material; Problem was the first Ariana song I'd ever heard, followed by Break Free, Bang Bang, then the album.
Surprise is the key way I'd describe my experience, I listened to it on a whim when it leaked and it surprised me how much I enjoyed it and how solid it was. There's a lot of great pop songs in here but overall I find the feel is more R&B-pop than anything which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I mean it's not like the album is stellar and one for the generations but it's a really solid piece and while there are a few duds in there it's really great to just listen to, whether it be paying attention to the beautiful lyrics or jamming to the simplistic and fun production.
I mean through all this I'm also not saying that every song on the album is incredible or it would be an incredible album, but the gems in there really hit home and she did some magical stuff. The first gem is easily One Last Time which recently skyrocketed and became one of my favourite songs of the year, due to the sublime bass and percussion backbone upon which Ariana belts about being willing to give anything to spend one last night with her ex and it's incredible to experience. (side note: this is probably my favourite thing David Guetta has ever done). Another gem being Break Your Heart Right Back where Ariana experimented with sampling and it came out pretty well, being a little tongue-in-cheek and cocky, it's just a shame Gambino didn't get a bigger contribution to the song. Love Me Harder is an impressive display of chemistry between Ariana and Abel, with the song being a collision of both artist's styles to form something spectacular in the middle of Abel's pounding synths and Ariana's catchy beats.
In short the album isn't a cohesive one, it jumps back between pop and R&B but that keeps it interesting, and the stretches of pure R&B were the parts that bored me most. Despite sounding like a single collection for multiple hits on both pop and urban radio, it has beautiful ballads, impressive production and even an EDM moment to satisfy the need to dance. I think for the 41 minutes spent listening to it, you could hear something less rewarding, despite Ariana's reliance on featured rappers.
Ariana Grande is a very interesting artist, she went from Nickelodeon starlet to full pop star in what seems to be just a few months. It is clear by now that Ariana is a beautiful girl and she has a great voice but the question is; Where does it go from there? I've not really kept up with her career and music but I did listen to "Yours Truly" a few times. It's a good listen and it surprised me but it was nothing extraordinary. However it was a very decent debut album and formed the basis for a promising career in music. The challenge though, is to only go up from there but I'm not sure if her sophomore album succeeds in that.
First overall impression: "My Everything" has a lot of potential. The intro is a beautiful start to what you would expect to be a beautiful album. Sadly, it isn't all that. "My Everything" definitely has its good moments but it lacks general focus and direction. Is she trying to make a good album, trying to make hits or simply just showing off she has great voice? I don't know and that's annoying but at least she succeeds in a few of those things. The album contains a lot variation, which can either be a blessing or a curse, in this case it's a bit of both. At times Ariana knows exactly where to get me but she also loses me a handful of times.
Track-by-track review: Intro - I didn't know if I would include this in my review but I do kind of love this intro. I think it's a great opening and it could've set the tone for the rest of the album. Unfortunately it does not and therefore it simply loses it charm after a while. 7.5 Problem - This should not have been the opening track, for some reason it always throws me off after that cute intro. It totally kills my vibe from the start. "Problem" is just not a good fit for the album in general. I actually liked the song when it came out but it does nothing for me when I listen to the album, which makes it quite hard to score. 6 One Last Time - Confusing, must be the best way to describe "One Last Time" and I honestly still don't know how I feel about it. It starts okay and the first listen you put up with all the gimmicks but it bores rather quickly. The longer the song goes on and the more you listen to it, it just doesn't feel right. The lyrics are a bit too cheesy, Ariana's vocals sound forced and the song just doesn't seem to progress. 5.5 Why Try - One of the standout tracks from the album. Although the lyrics are somewhat cheap, there's still some cleverness to it. Overall "Why Try" is just the prime example of where everything comes together perfectly. Ariane's voice has got a nice tone to it and the flawless production only adds onto that. 9 Break Free - "Break Free" has constantly grown on me since I first listened to it and to my surprise it blends in quite well with the rest of the album. Of course it takes a totally different direction than most of "My Everything" but it manages to retain the atmosphere they had built up so far. 8 Best Mistake - Here is where Ariana loses me. The album was taking the right path and the song starts off nice and smooth. But from the dull pre-chorus to Big Sean's horrendous verse, this song is probably the worst mistake on the album. It goes nowhere and doesn't do the album any good. I could've easily stopped listening here every time. 1.5 Be My Baby - Cashmere Cat is great and the production doesn't disappoint, however the song is short of substance and Ariana's vocals don't excite either. "Be My Baby" is a decent R&B bop but it solely relies on its production, nonetheless great, but it's a shame because it deserved more. 7 Break Your Heart Right Back - Sampling gone wrong, would be a good way to describe this song. The song has funky parts, the bridge and the beat are most definitely what keep the song going. However most of the rest of the song drags all the good stuff down. The lyrics are meh, the sampling is bad and the hook is just boring. 5 Love Me Harder - The standout track of the album for sure. I'm usually not a big fan of The Weeknd but he's without a doubt the best feature on "My Everything". The chorus is catchy yet it's very distinctive, "Love Me Harder" is not your everyday generic pop song. Ariana's and The Weeknd's voices match fantastically and neither one of them tries to outshine the other. It's quite refreshing not to hear Ariana go all the way and keep her vocals fairly simple. 9.5 Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart - Ariana has some vocals and all it takes is a simple balled to demonstrate that. Although I appreciate Ariana's effort here, the song does not really enchant me. It didn't make me feel anything, there's no emotion whatsoever. The last part even feels robotic and it's like she's singing from a manual. 4.5 Hands On Me - What is this even doing on the album, especially between "Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart" and "My Everything"? Those two could've easily closed the album. This makes the album become a drag. The production, lyrics, vocals, verses, hook and A$AP Ferg are all awful. 1 My Everything - A simple ballad to close the album was probably the best choice. It's a charming song but the entire thing feels a bit flat and repetitive, since it's not even 3 minutes long that's quite disappointing. 6
"My Everything" is proof that Ariana Grande still has a long way to go, she's capable of good music but a lot of it feels artificial. The entire album lacks cohesiveness and it's really just a cluster of multiple genres and features without there being any meaning or point behind it. Ariana has an excellent voice, although it might come off bland and even fabricated at times, she has the possibility to do a lot with it. Overall the album is on the same level as "Yours Truly", I believe "My Everything" has higher highs and lower lows but as a whole it's stagnant compared to her debut. It's about time Ariana steps it up and tries to find a certain direction. I definitely expect more from her next endeavor.
Rather than the new Mariah Carey, I consider Ariana to be more like a new incarnation of JoJo. Her new album My Everything actually takes me back to JoJo's albums JoJo and The High Road from a decade ago. And this is not a bad thing. JoJo's music was always well-constructed pop with a unique and youthful flair, and Ariana's new album is much the same.
The strangest thing about this album is how much it is ruined by the singles "Problem", "Break Free" and "Bang Bang". These three songs are very far removed from the rest of the record. The album tracks actually have a cohesive and pleasant sound, despite the various producers who have worked on it. Rather than the overused piercing shrills that somehow make the aforementioned singles radio-ready, Ariana's voice produces more soulful and beautiful sounds on tracks like "Why Try", "Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart" and "Only 1".
Still, even disregarding the singles, the album is by no means a masterpiece. Ariana's voice is mostly adequate, and at times very good, but she lacks the variety and unique tone to be a truly compelling vocalist. The writing and production is similarly flawed. It's solid, but there are few moments that completely grab your attention. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but there was potential to take it to the next level.
I feared the worst before listening to My Everything, having heard only the singles. But this album defied all of my expectations. I would recommend it to anyone who likes good pop music.
Fresh off the heels of her debut album, Yours Truly, Ariana has released her sophomore effort, My Everything. She ditched the old school R&B sound for a more current Pop and R&B sound, which is arguably the best decision she could have made. The old school R&B sound of Yours Truly really aged Ariana and her music style, which appropriately began the comparisons to early Mariah Carey. She is young, she is fun, she needs to be singing songs that are more in her age range; which is what My Everything provides.
My Everything is a perfect blend of Pop and R&B will little hints of EDM and her “signature” old school sound that we heard from her debut. For me personally this is one of the strongest albums to be released this year and is becoming a favorite of mine. Every single song on the album, besides the title track, has found its way to being played multiple times time and time again for me. Yes, that does include “Just a Little Bit of Your Heart” which I don’t get the hate for the song.
As for the bonus tracks, you can really tell they were meant as bonus track. They don’t fit the standard album and you can really tell what direction the album was going towards, except for Bang Bang. Doing some research, it looked like Ariana and her team originally set off getting songs from producers who worked on Yours Truly. They must have then had a change of heart and went with its current sound, which is the best thing to happen to the album. Although it may seem like I am bashing the bonus tracks, I’m not. In reality, the more I listen to the songs, the more I even fall in love with them.
Overall, the album is a really solid, really enjoyable, Pop/R&B album. It is much better than her debut.
STANDOUTS: Problem, One Last Time, Break Free, Best Mistake, Be My Baby, Break Your Heart Right Back, and Love Me Harder
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Grade: B+
REVIEWS FOR MY EVERYTHING WILL NOT BE COUNTED AFTER THIS POINT!
