Album Review: How Sweet the Sound
Written by Dallas Killeen
Photo courtesy of Republic Records and Vevo
With a vocal range covering more than four octaves and a musical career spanning a decade, Ariana Grande has a more-than-legitimate claim to the title of the most talented pop singer of her generation. Ironically, despite her indisputable vocal chops, Ariana has struggled to tell stories in her personal voice. Her first endeavors, 2013’s Yours Truly and 2014’s My Everything, bundled bops, bangers, and jams together without regard for cohesive narrative. 2016’s Dangerous Woman attempted to brand Grande as the titular femme fatale, but her heavy-handed performance of this new persona failed to persuade. To succeed where she previously fell short, Ariana needed to record an album at her most authentic. Fortunately, we hear her — emphasis on her — loud and clear in Sweetener.
Upon first listen, Sweetener reads as a 47-minute declaration of love — specifically, of Grande’s love for her fiancé, Pete Davidson. Although some tracks keep the object of her affections in the ambiguous second person, Ariana never lets us forget exactly who’s on her mind. In the funky “blazed” featuring and produced by Pharrell Williams, she proclaims “I don’t care who is listening / ‘Cause they be making fun of this on TV” to the haters of the highly publicized relationship. If we didn’t catch her drift the first time around, Grande makes matters clear with the short interlude “pete davidson.” Dedicating the track to her soulmate, Ariana professes her belief that the universe has sanctioned their love before declaring her happiness two dozen times in 30 seconds.
Photo courtesy of Republic Records
Although Grande’s whirlwind romance grabs the spotlight in Sweetener, a current of self-care ties the album together. Returning to “pete davidson,” the repeated chant of “I’ma be happy” emphasizes Ariana’s choice to feel unrestrained exuberance in her current relationship. She hasn’t always afforded herself this opportunity: in “everytime,” she describes an on-again, off-again romance that she regularly falls back into despite her better judgement. Comparing the two tracks, we see a shift not only in the nature of Grande’s relationships but also in how she treats herself. Formerly, she pursued a toxic love at the expense of her happiness; now, she has resolved to find joy in romance. In this way, Ariana makes being loved an act of self-love.
Grande’s renewed self-worth translates to an explosion of confidence that ripples throughout the Sweetener track list, most notably in her bold disregard for convention. “R.E.M,” a dreamlike song that flows freely rather than following the well-defined structure of successful pop songs, emerges as a standout track due to the break from the expected. In the lyrics, Ariana again rejects the rules set out for her, nonchalantly throwing in, “I love you — who starts a conversation like that? / Nobody, but I do.” Remarkably self-assured, Grande knows how and when to step out of line in both her personal life and musical choices to find success.
Despite the artistic merit of Sweetener as a whole, Ariana waits until “get well soon,” the album’s final track, to deliver her magnum opus. Here, she distills the best elements of the record into a single song. Like “R.E.M,” “get well soon” deviates from the accepted pop formula by including 40 seconds of silence at the end, making the total track time 5 minutes and 22 seconds in a poignant tribute to the victims of the May 22nd Manchester Arena bombing. Furthermore, Ariana, still shaken by the horrific attack, turns advice she gives herself into a how-to in self-love with “This is for everybody / Babe, you gotta take care of your body.” When she transforms such a personal experience into universal wisdom, we see Ariana’s true skill as an artist. In her own words and in her voice, she does not simply give us an album. She gives us a story.