The past six tumultuous months in the personal life of pop superstar Ariana Grande has provided enough material to fuel gossip pages and venomous social media commentary for the foreseeable future. Disturbing blowback from her perceived role in the tragic overdose death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller followed by the demise of her short-lived, very public relationship with comedian Pete Davidson has resulted in a level of public scrutiny that even most celebrities couldn't fathom. Like any recording artist going through a traumatic period in their life would, Grande turned to music to heal. The result of these musical therapy sessions is thank u, next, a pleasant, often thoughtful record that sadly falls short of greatness.
thank u, next hits all of the thematic notes you'd expect it to gracefully. It's got somber introspections ("fake smile", "needy", "ghostin"-which is a very heartfelt tribute to Miller), empowering individuality anthems ("bloodline", "NASA", the title track) and even a couple of boisterous club bangers ("7 rings", "break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored") that see her embracing her inner rapper. These emotional beats are accompanied by terrific, largely trap-influenced production that matches Grande's mood on each track flawlessly and her signature powerhouse vocals that remain as dazzling as ever. Considering how cohesive and generally well-assembled the entire record is, how exactly does it fail to achieve excellence? Simple, that competence never builds anything into overly memorable or special. Even at its finest moments ("bloodline", "fake smile", "break up with your girlfriend I'm bored", funky anti-love song "bad idea"), thank u, next lacks the "holy shit" quality her music often has in abundance. There's no shortage of swagger or sincere emotion in these songs, but the merely decent hooks and mostly downbeat tempo that limits Grande's extensive vocal arsenal prevent it from ever truly taking off. To put in the form of a silly metaphor, Grande usually puts on a full professional fireworks display, thank u, next is more like a block party with a bunch of people lighting off roman candles.
There's a lot to admire about thank u, next. It's a successful phoenix rises from the ashes post-breakup record and Grande deserves a ton of credit for putting together a fully-formed, highly personal collection of songs in just 2 months. However, it just never comes to close to matching the sweeping dynamism or bubbly charm that respectively made Dangerous Woman and Sweetener work so well. Grande's rare singing prowess and almost always tremendous production makes a complete failure highly unlikely, but this record is well below her capabilities an as artist and I can only hope that her next project marks a return to the soaring, infectious pop form she's displayed in the past.
thank u, next hits all of the thematic notes you'd expect it to gracefully. It's got somber introspections ("fake smile", "needy", "ghostin"-which is a very heartfelt tribute to Miller), empowering individuality anthems ("bloodline", "NASA", the title track) and even a couple of boisterous club bangers ("7 rings", "break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored") that see her embracing her inner rapper. These emotional beats are accompanied by terrific, largely trap-influenced production that matches Grande's mood on each track flawlessly and her signature powerhouse vocals that remain as dazzling as ever. Considering how cohesive and generally well-assembled the entire record is, how exactly does it fail to achieve excellence? Simple, that competence never builds anything into overly memorable or special. Even at its finest moments ("bloodline", "fake smile", "break up with your girlfriend I'm bored", funky anti-love song "bad idea"), thank u, next lacks the "holy shit" quality her music often has in abundance. There's no shortage of swagger or sincere emotion in these songs, but the merely decent hooks and mostly downbeat tempo that limits Grande's extensive vocal arsenal prevent it from ever truly taking off. To put in the form of a silly metaphor, Grande usually puts on a full professional fireworks display, thank u, next is more like a block party with a bunch of people lighting off roman candles.
There's a lot to admire about thank u, next. It's a successful phoenix rises from the ashes post-breakup record and Grande deserves a ton of credit for putting together a fully-formed, highly personal collection of songs in just 2 months. However, it just never comes to close to matching the sweeping dynamism or bubbly charm that respectively made Dangerous Woman and Sweetener work so well. Grande's rare singing prowess and almost always tremendous production makes a complete failure highly unlikely, but this record is well below her capabilities an as artist and I can only hope that her next project marks a return to the soaring, infectious pop form she's displayed in the past.
Grade: B-
Standout Tracks
1.bloodline
2.bad idea
3.break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored
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