Ariana Grande - thank u, next (Album Review)

Less than six months after the megasuccessful "Sweetener", Ariana has dropped her fifth studio album as her quickest turnaround yet. Given how rushed "Thank U, Next" is, does the quality hold up?

I reviewed "Sweetener" but it wasn't something I was particularly passionate about, given its mediocrity and trend-pandering. Despite having some obvious standouts in the singles, the main body of the album was forgettable, by-the-numbers pop with pretty heavy influences from trap and current rap, mainly courtesy of Ilya's and Pharrell's production styles. For critics, this was an expansive, encompassing and accomplished album that impressed with its diversity, colour and personality. In my opinion it was just boring, the experimenting seeming uncertain and causing Ariana to sound awkward and out of place. To be fair, on the few tracks that worked they really worked but to be frank there were all too many skippable songs and even the occasional moment of atrocity, such as the Nicki Minaj verse on the otherwise-decent "The Light Is Coming". Altogether it was overhyped, overplayed and personally a low in her career, so my hopes weren't exactly sky high when she revealed her quick follow-up.

After being underwhelmed but accepting of the lead single and title track "Thank U, Next", I became immediately dubious given how pathetic the beat and synths were, not even trying to pull the weight of the chorus off, a legitimately catchy and fun feature that does stand out for the right reasons; that's why the lack of substance or build in the verses really just gets forgotten besides maybe the opening line and occasional lazy backing vocal. This is now her biggest hit. It does concern me, given how lacklustre the instrumental is and how average it is in her discography.

Next came the promotional plummet that was "Imagine", falling out of relevance instantly as soon as people realised there was nothing to the song other than a recycled trap beat and annoying vocal melody. Seriously, I said that this was her "worst song yet", which I take back now, but only because of the next single "7 Rings". Oh my god. So, I get that she's going for a powerful image, but that can be accomplished without meaningless flexing and an even worse trap beat and vocal melody. This has to be the most irritating I've heard Ariana, with an insufferably sticky chorus and perplexing performance that undermines all the predetermined prowess she has in the singing department. What was she thinking?

Forgetting the singles, this album takes several steps for the better with some decent poppy tunes like "NASA", which manages to pull off a more typical vibe from her despite failing to capture the expected and almost necessary grandeur of the title - if I hear a song called "NASA" I want it to be a soaring, operatic banger or a spacey, personal synthetic tune, not a mediocre mash of the two. Granted, this is still a good song and I'd take it over the singles and most of "Sweetener". The more complex and rhythmic "Bloodline" follows this and provides almost a sonic part two to "Greedy", this time with more interesting lyrics but admittedly less groovy instrumentation. For me, this is the first indicator of true strength from Grande in a more trap style, the point I begin thinking that yeah, this could work.

Following this we get the forgettable "Fake Smile", sounding like a forgotten "Dangerous Women" demo that still needs a tonne of work in the production and a whole new vocal take and beat. Thankfully, I can say that that's one of the lowest points on the entire album, and it's not all that terrible. After this though we get into the peak section of the album where the songwriting, production and instrumentation all actually shine and show off just what she can accomplish with the right tones, vibes and execution. First we get "Bad Idea", my absolute favourite on the album and perhaps one of the best of the year with such a great guitar and synth line that loops alongside an energetic and spiky beat that compliments her enthusiastic vocals really well, surprisingly so. It might not go down as one of her best ever but for me this is a profound effort that showcases the quality she can produce and should be producing.

"Ghostin" is not something I expected to be a ballad from the name and placement in the tracklist but everything about it works so well, displaying what she can do with true minimalism and her voice and far surpassing any ballad she's done before. Ariana Grande claims that the entire album is the most personal work she's ever released which may be true; regardless, this literally is the most personal song she's released and I am very pleased with it.

The final song on the album and the final song I think deserves a paragraph to itself is the latest single "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored", a song that for all the trap beats and egocentrism I have to commend for all that it brings in terms of fun and enjoyment, qualities all the best Ariana Grande songs possess. "Break Up..." is the perfect example of a song which can move you or get you moving, because although the lightheartedness is pretty central there remains a sense of introspection that interweaves itself into the album and successfully makes it the personal record she wanted it to be.

It definitely caught me off guard but I have to conclude to enjoying this album, at least mostly. It is by far the most consistent, albeit the least exploratory record in her discography with genuine, solid songs making up most of the tracklist and only a couple weaker songs that are unfortunately really on the bad side. Yes, she could have spent longer perfecting each song and maybe perhaps she might have came out with a better album but I think the rushed release is a result of the trauma she's gone through recently and that it was necessary for Grande to put it out now as opposed to in another six months time. Although not every track hits home, a combined consequence of the mixed production and underwritten moments, there are more than enough highlights to call this a good album, in fact I'll rank all her albums at the end of this post and you'll see where this one places.

Overall, "Thank U, Next" gets a solid 7 out of 10 from me and I definitely recommend this to any Ariana, trap, pop or general music fan. Considering it houses what is currently her biggest hit, I am still worried that this will fade and its impact may wane like many shorter, quick-turnaround releases do, but personally I think it deserves to be remembered as her most personal album to date.

Best Songs:
Bloodline, Bad Idea, Make Up, Ghostin, Break Up With Your Girlfriend I'm Bored

Worst Song/s:
Imagine, In My Head, 7 Rings

"thank u, next"

Ariana Grande

08/02/2019

Ariana Grande's Studio Albums Ranked
Keep in my mind this is my onion, and the comment section is there for you to share yours (which I'd love to hear).

1. Yours Truly (2013) 7.5/10

2. Dangerous Woman (2016) 7/10

3. Thank U, Next (2019) 7/10

4. Sweetener (2018) 4.5/10

5. My Everything (2014) 3.5/10