Album Review: Ariana Grande's ‘Positions’ is Warm and Flirtatious, But Doesn’t Reinvent the Wheel

While Positions treads over familiar ground for pop empress Ariana Grande, it also explores intimacy on multiple levels, bringing some cozy love-making anthems.

Written by Joshua Troncoso

Ariana Grande has risen to a level of popularity that few artists alive could ever wish for. Her latest album, Positions, currently dominates every streaming chart, and will likely find its way to becoming one of the year’s best selling albums. With great power comes great expectations, and Ariana doesn’t disappoint with this collection of intimate and admittedly funny tracks.

Like the opener “raindrops (an angel cried)” from her 2018 album Sweetener, “shut up” takes a minimalist approach. With its plucky strings and Ariana’s airy vocals, it lulls the listener into a dreamlike state. “34+35” immediately shatters that trance and immerses those same strings in a trap-pop beat that backs the pop princess’ most lustful lyrics to date. Despite its title sounding like something a middle school boy would carve into the bottom of a desk, the song captures the playful yet salacious energy between two lovers. Ariana embraces some frisky humor throughout the track, with lines like, “If I put it quite plainly / Just gimme them babies,” and “Got the neighbors yellin' ‘Earthquake!’ / 4.5 when I make the bed shake.”

“Motive” sees Ariana and featured artist Doja Cat attempting (and ultimately failing) to capture the same disco-pop lightning that Doja had in her summer hit “Say So.” The song involves both artists questioning a potential love interest’s true intentions, wondering if they’re being duped. The song features funky, but ultimately flat, production and Ariana's least impressive performance on the entire album. Doja Cat’s raspy voice and bouncy flow on lines like “'Cause you got your candy / On your arm / No need to sugarcoat a lie” definitely add some sorely needed swank.

Ariana still hasn’t quite mastered her flow in the more trap-influenced production of songs like “positions” and “34+35” in this project, but she shows improvements from her previous album, thank u, next. “Nasty” sounds like something Pi’erre Bourne might have produced, with its earworm melody and bouncy sub-bass. Still, the Yours Truly singer sounds at home as she raps, “I just wanna make time for ya / Swear it's just right for ya / Like this p-ssy designed for ya.”

“my hair” and “love language” are jazzy detours that provide some diversity to the tracklist. In the former, Grande’s vocals are easily her smoothest performance, reminiscent of classic lounge singers. She pokes fun at the public’s perception that her hair is some kind of sacred object not to be touched by those who are unworthy. She allows her partner to run their fingers through her hair, framing this with enticing lines like, “Usually don't let people touch it / But tonight, you get a pass,” as if it's a privilege they’re being offered.

Ironically, the lead single “positions” brings the album back to a low point, best fitting the overly simple production of thank u, next. Strings that sound too similar to those on previous tracks like “shut up” return, but they aren’t utilized as well. It hits every Ariana cliche to a fault, and sounds as if it could have appeared on any of her last few albums. Her fans’ favorite punching bag, Pete Davidson, also seems to catch a stray as Ariana cunningly pauses between syllables on “repeat”: “Heaven sent you to me / I'm just hopin’ I don't repeat history.” Some more flirtatious humor returns in the chorus, where she sings, “Switchin' them positions for you / Cookin' in the kitchen and I'm in the bedroom / I'm in the Olympics, way I'm jumpin' through hoops.” But neither this snappy hook nor the track’s fun music video are enough to redeem this ultimately disappointing song.

With Ariana infusing sensuality and innuendos into several songs on the album, some of her lyrics might make Positions difficult to play in front of dear ol’ mom and dad. However, the album has just as many songs that are less explicit and more self-reflective. In the closing track “pov,” Ariana yearns to see herself as her partner does, admitting she doesn’t love herself as much as she should. “off the table,” featuring The Weeknd, is another vulnerable moment on the album, as Ariana fears that her opportunity for love has passed her by. The pop diva wonders if her inability to find love is her fault as she heartbreakingly questions, “Do I sit this one out and wait for the next life? / Am I too cold? Am I not nice? / Might not be quite yet healed already.”

Positions is more polished and diverse than last year’s thank u, next, but doesn’t quite match the quality of production and songwriting that Sweetener had. There is no song on the album that matches the vibrancy of “God is a woman” or the swagger of “successful,” but perhaps that was never the intention. Positions aims for a different, smaller-scale target. Instead of the aggressiveness and outward confidence of thank u, next, Positions is coy and homey. It replaces the grandiosity and ambition of Sweetener with tongue-in-cheek humor and sultry overtones. The record also serves as a reflection of her evolution and maturity as an artist: “Right There” from her debut album Yours Truly is cutesy and sweet, but the lyrics never go beyond a PG rating. As Ariana’s public image has evolved from a teen pop star since 2013, social norms have also progressed to the point where women can more explicitly discuss sex in their music. The success of Cardi B’s “WAP” is a perfect example of this, and Positions follows in its footsteps.

In all likelihood, Positions won’t be an album that many people return to ten years from now, outside of Ariana's stanbase, of course. While insightful at times, the subject matter is shallow, and the breezy and glittery production in most songs comes off as stale and trite. Yet, despite there being a few egregious skips on the album, it also features some of Ariana’s most clever lines and harrowing moments. Low production and lackluster delivery aside, one thing is for certain: as quarantine continues and winter approaches, Positions will be played in bedrooms across the country and become the soundtrack for bumping uglies.

REVIEWSAfterglow ATXNovember 3, 2020joshua troncoso