Hold up, let us give thanks to the hair gods for giving Ms.Ariana the strength to give that half-up, half-down, hairstyle a rest. I have been over that style. Yes, I am aware she wears it to hide severe hair damage caused by her Nickelodeon days but it was tired. I'm getting sidetracked, let's get back to the music. Ms.Ariana dropped her fourth studio album, Sweetener, on August 17, 2018. The album has only three features which include Nicki Minaj (her label mate and suh), Pharrell Williams (he produced more than half the damn album) and Missy Elliot (A LEGEND).
So, I did not initially want to listen to this album. I'm not particularly an Ariana Grande fan. I like a couple of her songs but I've never listened to any of her projects fully. Let's get into the music, shall we? Sweetener boasts a 15 song tracklist. The album opens with raindrops (an angel cried) and Ariana sounds wonderful. Now, I never said she couldn't sing. What I said was that her hair was tired. There is a difference. Anyway, the next two tracks, blazed and the light is coming, which are produced by Pharrell and you can clearly tell, are average for me. Pharrell has to rap on every song he's featured on apparently and Nicki Minaj's verse on the light is coming is just ok. Next, we get into some HITS! R.E.M. is written by Pharrell and there is a version out on the internet that has BEYONCE singing a demo of it. At first, I didn't like Ariana's version because Beyonce's version was what I had been listening too. However, Ariana's R.E.M. fits her and blends seamlessly into Sweetener. breathin, goodnight and go, and better off are my favorites on this album. I found myself moving around and effortlessly vibing to Sweetener. This is an Ariana I can get into. The whole album is filled with her voice intertwining with these infectious beats. It was very melodic. One thing is blatantly obvious with Sweetener is that Ms.Grande is in love! The album features a track called pete davidson, affectionately named after her fiance, is so sweet. You can really tell she is absolutely happy with where she is in life and I am not mad at that.
Overall, Sweetener is a surprising hit for me. If you're like me and couldn't get past her hair and her bunny ears, I suggest you listen to that jawn. It may change your mind about her.
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