Ariana Grande - Positions (Review)
Ariana's least ambitious project to date...
30th October 2020
Republic
My Rating:
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3.8
/10
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REVIEW
Three albums. Three albums in two years. The saying 'too much of a good thing' comes to mind, although in truth I wouldn't be complaining were this album as good as or better than its predecessors, but unfortunately that isn't the case. This is Ariana Grande's sixth album, and the fourth album of hers I've reviewed now on my blog, and over that time if there's one thing she has succeeded in achieving it's establishing herself as the woman at the forefront of pop music, and someone who can be respected as an artist far more than just about any of her peers, her transition from child-star to popstar far more graceful than most. That being said, respecting Ariana and enjoying her music are two very separate entities, and that brings me nicely onto my first point.
On each of Ariana's albums, we've experienced a clear progression of her career as she's matured not only in her lyrics and presentation, but also the themes, her last two albums having songs specifically addressing her mental health and, in the case of the incredible fake smile, resulting in the best song of her career. Now, regardless of which phase of her career you prefer, each album has moved forward, the theatrical side of her debut moving into the EDM and dance pop of My Everything, to the electropop of Dangerous Woman, and the trap pop of Sweetener and thank u, next. Even with the stylistically similarities of her last two albums, they are artistically very different beasts, the latter especially impressing me with its emotional highpoints and tight production, even despite some truly weak singles.
Now, going into this next album, I'll admit I was concerned. Yet again she's coming through with a short turnout period, and without a significant change in popular music since the last album, those changes often driving Ariana to challenge herself to keep up to date as a leading figure in pop music. With regret, positions feels to me like she's lagging behind. No, music hasn't completely moved on, but there is absolutely no progression here from thank u, and if anything this is a regression in terms of its almost exclusively lust-based subject matter, failing to expand on the more introspective elements of her last two albums and feeling one-dimension as a result. In fact, going from the lead single "positions", a simplistic but catchy song that promised fun, and then listening to the album as a whole and being greeted with a slog of lofi beats to study to with too many tracks, almost none of them connecting, requiring me to forcibly focus on songs that seemed to want to lull me to sleep.
Boredom. Can I hold it against the album? Well, when all I'm getting is languorous, stagnating trap pop, the beats and melodies leaving no impression on me whatsoever, and lyrics that mostly fail to even be provocative or exciting then absolutely, this album being boring is a valid criticism, and one based more on its failure to achieve its aims than its vibe. This is Ariana Grande, one of the best voices in pop music - failing to engage is just embarrassing, and yet this isn't the first time it's been a problem. On Sweetener, Grande's fourth studio album, I took issue in the same lacklustre writing and performances, although the album's moving, shifting beats had the power to redeem certain songs, a saving grace absent from positions.
This album is hurt by its lack of variety, its cohesion between songs becoming an arduous familiarity before you've reached half way, the promise of "just like magic" squandered by its lack of development, the fun synths on "west side" confined to a minor role in the background, a repetitive detail left unexplored and wasted. The best song here is easily the aforementioned title track, and even that fails to compete with the best songs from any of Ariana's previous albums. This album wasn't a missed opportunity, but one that serves no purpose. I will never revisit it, never add any of its songs to a playlist, never even bother to check out the music videos or performances. This is her weakest album, and I sincerely hope she chooses to move forward with her next one.
TRACK RATINGS (/10)
1. shut up - 4
2. 34+35 - 4
3. motive - 6
4. just like magic - 6
5. off the table - 5
6. six thirty - 4
7. safety net - 5
8. my hair - 5
9. nasty - 4
10. west side - 4
11. love language - 4
12. positions - 7
13. obvious - 4
14. pov - 5
BREAKDOWN
Ambition: 2
Atmosphere: 4
Catchiness/Enjoyability: 3
Content/Ideas: 2
Emotion/Engaging: 4
Execution: 4
Production: 5
Structure: 4
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Lyrics: 4
Vocals/Flows: 6
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Total: 38
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