Sweetener– Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande’s fourth studio album, Sweetener, is a clear evolution away from the sound of her earlier work. With Dangerous Womanconsidered the transitional point, this latest release is where she fully commits. Sweetener has a much more mature feel, relying less on the bubblegum pop style she had originally and just letting the music speak for itself. Add to that the fact that this is probably one of the most flawlessly produced albums I think I’ve ever heard and you have the means to make one great album. “no tears left to cry” and “God is a woman” were the perfect choices for singles- they are by far the best songs on the album. Other standouts for me were the title track, “sweetener,” “goodnight n go,” and “blazed,” featuring Pharrell Williams. However, for as good as this album is, none is without faults. While each track individually is solid, there is very little difference dynamically between songs. There’s no rise or fall to the album, just a lot of the same sound, which can make listening through the entire 15 tracks at once a bit difficult. Overall though, this album is unquestionably of a quality worthy of belonging to the biggest pop star in the world.

Rating: 9/10