From the innocent little redhead on Nickelodeon’s “Victorious” to the rebellious, renowned singer Ariana Grande has become one of the many examples of America’s love for a good girl gone bad.
At the age of 16, Grande starred in the Broadway production of “13”. From there her career was given a jump start with the role of Cat Valentine on “Victorious”. Her singing career began around this time, as well. Her debut album was released in 2013, titled “Yours Truly.” It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The album’s lead single “The Way” made it in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. There’s no doubt about it: Grande made an outstanding start.
Her sophomore album “My Everything” was released in 2014, reaching number one yet again. I, for one, had that album playing on repeat the whole year and I know many others that did the same. Her career was, to say the least, extraordinary. Her outstanding range and soothing vocals made many listeners adore her. In 2015, Grande hit a patch where she made a few silly decisions like licking donuts that she had not paid for… that’s what it looks like when you grow up surrounded by fame in the 2000s, I guess. Nonetheless, Grande kept her faithful fan-base and has continued to be loved by many.
Upon much anticipation, her third album was released in May, titled “Dangerous Woman”. Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that I love Ariana Grande and think she has an astounding voice, but this album was not up to par with her previous music.
Songs like “Be Alright”, “Everyday” and “I Don’t Care” were great and I loved them, but when I listened to “Touch It”, “Bad Decisions” and “Side To Side”, I was just flat-out disappointed.
“Be Alright” is incredibly catchy and just makes you want to jump up, dance and sing along. It’s simple yet fun and nearly impossible to hate.
“Everyday” is dangerous and shows a less teeny-bopper side of her in a very appealing way. It features Future, a well-known rapper, who provides a nice bit that keeps the song from becoming too repetitive.
“I Don’t Care” seems true and from the heart. It’s classy and beautiful, showing her range in an extravagant way, but this is all the good I have to say.
“Touch It” is choppy with a terrible bridge. None of the different parts of the song seem to match.
“Bad Decisions” was overwhelmingly pop-ish, annoying and repetitive. Listening to that song seemed to truly be the bad decision.
“Side To Side” was a refreshing difference from the rest of her album’s sound, but it wasn’t a song I’d ever listen to again.
“Knew Better / Forever Boy” sounded the exact same the whole time. I was done with the song by the time I finished the first chorus. That was 1 minute, 28 seconds into a 4-minute, 59-second song.
Frankly, I can continue on from there. The rest of the album was a shocking disappointment compared to her previous work. Luckily for Ariana, her career does not seem to be failing, but from the heart of a music lover… I really hope any future album that may be in store outshines this one exponentially.
