Ariana Grande Finds Her Voice in Sweetener

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Courtesy of: Republic Records

I haven’t made an album review for a while. The last time I did, it was for Paramore’s After Laughter. Since then, I’ve listened to albums that have impacted me in ways I can’t imagine, and still forgot to write about it.

I have a lot of albums to review – I need to catch up! But for now, here’s a short review of Ariana Grande’s sugary, personal, and confessional album Sweetener. I hope you enjoy!

Ariana opens Sweetener with raindrops (an angel cried) – a cover of An Angel Cried by The Four Season in acapella. She does this one effortlessly; reminding us of her soul-soothing and pore-clearing vocals.

Blazed starts off with potential but becomes a drag after a while.

The light is coming seems longer than it should be. Nicki Minaj’s addition somewhat made me like the track a little bit. But it is long. Especially when it comes right after blazed.








Not a review but my own take of the song:

“His love will linger on… you’ll believe God became a human
God became a human! (His name is Jesus Christ, yeah)
God became a human! (His name is Jesus Christ, yeah)
God became a human! (His name is Jesus Christ, yeah)
His love will linger on… you’ll believe God became a human."

I hope I can make a full version of it though.

I loved the album’s title track Sweetener the first time I heard it. The chorus gets me all the time. Plus the fun post-chorus where I try to knead an imaginary dough in the air while singing the part. I don’t know how many times I did that unconsciously, and the amount of unbaked doughs I left to spoil.






Successful is quirky, upbeat, and uplifting. I love the part of the bridge when Ariana starts to ask questions and the last question echoes the word “cccccold-cold-cold. This song has more breathing in it than breathin but who cares?






Breathin sounds like it belonged to Grande’s previous albums. It’s easily one of the stand-out tracks off of the album.






NTLTC is like 3 different songs combined into this huge pop anthem about resiliency and optimism. I really like singing this whenever I have the opportunity (like all the time). And when I do, I find it difficult to sing every line as it requires me to hold my breaths longer. Ariana, how do you do it?






I did not like borderline a bit. It is boring and unnecessary.






Better Off is my most favorite song on Sweetener. The song has that ability to draw you closer because of Ariana’s vulnerability and honesty. It also reminds me of Rihanna’s Close to You in terms of the emotion it evokes. The song wasn’t supposed to be on Sweetener but thankfully Ariana added it and now I have a song to keep me company during the wee hours of the night ruminating on life and love and everything else in between.






Grande brings to life Imogen Heap’s “Goodnight and Go” and makes it her own. The song’s outro is something to experience!






Pete Davidson is short and sweet. This song sees Ariana at her happiest – having found and met her soul mate and all.


Get Well Soon is Ariana’s song for herself and to anyone who’s been struggling with anxiety and mental illness. It perfectly ends the album with an additional 40 seconds to pay tribute to the victims of the Manchester bombing. 

In Sweetener, we see an artist grow and find her self as well as her sound. 

Side Notes:
  • People should stop hating on Pharell Williams for supposedly ruining the album. He did not. Remember that Ariana has always been on top of every song she has on Sweetener. She’s been involved with the creative direction of each song. So it's safe to say Ariana has the stamp of approval for each track on the album. Stop being salty guys!
  • Sometimes I tend to listen to a song and forget to pay attention to its lyrics. After some time I decided I should delve into Ariana’s songs deeper because they were thought-provoking and honest.
  • R.E.M and everytime are so-so songs. But I hope these grow on me at some point.
  • “My life is so controlled by the what-ifs” a line from get well soon line speaks to me on a personal level.
  • It's 4 out of 5 stars for me!


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