thank u, next by Ariana Grande - ALBUM REVIEW

thank u, next is a rushed mess of an album. But within that mess, you get Ariana Grande's most personal and real album to date. This is the one that feels no-holds-barred in its delivery and lyrics; Ariana showcases all of her vulnerabilities in this one.

Does that make it good, necessarily? I'd argue it helps, at least. Ariana has always been branded as a sort of pop star that makes really good pop music without ever really making it seem personal or relatable. And with this new leaf in her career, Ariana's relatability and personal struggles really help to give the album some purpose beyond pushing the single by the same name. But it's hard not to feel like with a little more time, this could have been a great album, rather than merely a good one.

Let me explain. While the album has some of Ariana's best songs of her career, I'd argue, the album kind of falls apart in the second half. Not that it's totally disastrous, but it certainly feels more disposable than the frankly excellent first half. The first half gave us "Imagine", "Needy", "NASA", and "Bloodline", songs that combine cool production with some of Ariana's most poignant lyrics to date. The latter half gives us "thank u, next", the clear showstopper of the album, but I'd argue not much else. The flailing singles "7 Rings" and "break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored" do nothing to accentuate the moodv of the album, and actually actively take away from it. "buwyg, ib" in particular feels like a colossal misstep. It's not fun, it's not clever, and it paints Ariana in a really negative light compared to the rest of the album. It's a sour taste of an ending track that this album definitely did not need.

So while I wouldn't call this Ariana's best album (Yours Truly, Dangerous Woman and sweetener are hard to beat), it is a good one, and probably better than it has any right to be, given how rushed it feels. The first half as well as the title track carry the rest of the songs. It's a worthwhile listen if you're interested in Ariana's personal life, and are looking to find some decent music to accompany it. I just wonder how Ariana's going to respond to it in the future.

7/10

Best Tracks: "Imagine", "Needy", "Bloodline", "Bad Idea", "thank u, next"