Rating: 8/10
With the release of her third studio album, Singular Act I, Sabrina Carpenter proved that she was fully moving away from the “Disney Channel princess” sound that defined her first two albums, and into a much more mature, sophisticated, and lyrically advanced type of music. This album continued to prove that she is capable of making very vulnerable and captivating music, and I’m very excited to see where her next album goes.
It was a really interesting choice for her to split the Singular album into two parts (or acts, shall we say?) and I saw something the other day that said that the first act is all about exterior confidence and showing others that you’re strong, while the second act is more about interior confidence and showing yourself that you’re strong. I think that’s a really interesting take on the albums, and as soon as I started looking at the albums from that point of view, I started to really fall in love with their messages.
In this post I’ll be ranking all the songs from Sabrina Carpenter’s fourth studio album, Singular Act II, from least favorite to favorite. Feel free to let me know what your opinions on these songs are, and let’s get into the ranking!
9. I Can’t Stop Me (Track 3)
This song isn’t horrible. The instrumental captures a mood really well, Sabrina delivers some really beautiful vocals, and the lyrics are also pretty interesting. So I don’t know what it is about this song that I just can’t love. It might be the feature, because I’m not really a big rap person and I don’t think it added much to the song. I guess it’s also just a little boring. Sorry.
8. I’m Fakin (Track 4)
I think I would like this song more if she had gone with a funkier, grittier production style. The lyrical concept is pretty decent and Sabrina sounds nice, but the production is just very bland and makes the song feel very vanilla. I pretty much always skip this one unfortunately.
7. Looking At Me (Track 9)
Okay, so this is probably the most popular song on the album, and I wish so badly that I could like it but I just don’t. I like the confidence that this song oozes, but that’s about it. It’s just not really the genre of music that I tend to go for (super dancey, club-destined tracks) and I wish that the album could’ve ended on a more favorable note.
6. In My Bed (Track 1)
“Something animal inside me, trying to remind me, there’s no need to worry about it and lose myself.” Overall, a fairly solid opener for the album. Nothing outstanding and not even one of the best of the album, but it’s a good song and it’s fun to listen to. I love the synthy production and breezy vocals of the verses and pre-chorus, and even though the main chorus shocks you upon first listen, its dry and bubbly production and rhythm grows on you over time.
5. Pushing 20 (Track 2)
Oh, this is a fun one. It just goes hard, what can I say. From the sassy, vibrant production to Sabrina’s low and playful vocal delivery, this song is the epitome of a bop. And not just a bop, but also a self-empowering bop. In this song Sabrina sings about not feeling the need to put up with toxic people as she ages, and instead focusing on herself. It’s a great message, and such a catchy and infectious song.
4. Take You Back (Track 8)
Yet another extremely catchy, self-empowering bop. This song is so charming, and I just love it more and more every time I listen to it. The instrumental is really poppy and groovy, Sabrina’s vocal delivery is confident and girly and even humorous, and the song’s concept is pretty valuable as well. A song about realizing when someone is not worth staying with, ‘Take You Back’ is great to listen to when you’ve just gotten fed up with someone’s behavior. The opening piano line is so sweet and pretty and innocent, and the rest of the song is so sassy and cocky. I just really, really enjoy it. “Closest I’ve ever come to buyer’s remorse- if you don’t make me happy then what good are you for? But I just figured out now what hindsight means, up until now never had any reason to wish that I didn’t, but now I do.”
3. Exhale (Track 7)
A much more reflective and cooled-down song on the tracklist, ‘Exhale’ combines a simple warped-guitar instrumental with soft vocal delivery and thought provoking lyrics about anxiety. This is a very soothing song, and the music video is gorgeous as well. I think this is one of Sabrina’s most mature songs, and one of her most personal too. She created a very beautiful and emotional song here, and though it’s nothing groundbreaking, it’s very good and worthy of praise.
2. Take Off All Your Cool (Track 5)
“We could even kick it in the driveway, ’cause you know I’m not trying to over-complicate. If showing all your colors led to heartbreak, then let it break on me.” Oh, how I love this song. I love it so so much. There’s just something so endearing about this song, which is basically a plea from Sabrina to her new partner for them to finally start being their real selves around each other and to drop all pretenses of trying to seem cool to the other. The instrumental sounds like it’s from the 90s, and Sabrina’s vocals are passionate and emotive. I love the “yeah yeah yeah yeah” background chants too, they add so much dimension and flavor to the song. And then the bridge is really simple, but also wise and touching. I’ve listened to this song like a thousand times and I’m still not sick of it, it’s so good. “Don’t play hard to get, be hard to forget.”
1. Tell Em (Track 6)
I don’t know when exactly I realized just how good this song is, but it’s so good guys. I get chills almost every time I listen to this song. The simple instrumental manages to feel so dreamlike and mysterious, and Sabrina sings the lyrics so quietly and hesitantly, and the whole song sounds exactly how the lyrics feel. The refrain and outro at the end is so delicate and hopeful, it really makes the song complete and makes you feel what Sabrina was feeling. This song is gorgeous, and it’s also very calming and soothing. Definitely one of the best songs Sabrina has ever made. “You could be my dirty little secret, and you could be my everything I’m needing.”
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