With her sophomore album, My Everything, Ariana Grande decided to take a full step into the pop star world, while still staying true to her R&B ballad roots. The resulting record is kind of a jumbled mess, but not inherently bad. This album is filled with many standout songs, but it’s biggest flaw is undoubtedly the lack of cohesiveness and terrible tracklisting order. Nonetheless, we’ll get into that later. I do think Ariana made an improvement upon Yours Truly when it came to the overall quality of songs, so I’ve given this album a rating that’s half a point higher.
Tag Archives: music
September 2020: Music Recap
It’s been yet another month filled with some great song discoveries, so here I’ll be listing all the songs I’ve started listening to over the past month! Also, for those who may care, this past month I sort of got back into my musical theatre phase (I was really into it a couple years ago then randomly fell out of it) so you can expect some reviews of musical soundtracks in the future! Now without further ado, let’s get into the September Music Recap!
5 Seconds of Summer: Calm (2020) Songs Ranked
After moving into a new sound with the 2018 record Youngblood, 5 Seconds of Summer continued to branch out in terms of their sonic direction with their fourth studio album, Calm. While Youngblood (which is my personal favorite record of theirs) was very cohesive and focused on a pop-rock sound, Calm is much more eclectic and experimental. That’s not to say it doesn’t flow well though, because it does. Even though the songs all have very different sounds, the album still manages to feel like a complete, compact body of work, which is something that I have to give 5SOS praise for.
Autumn Playlist
Autumn is a wonderful season. It’s where the world starts to slow and cool down, and we all have a chance to cozy up and admire some of the beauty that surrounds us. That sounds really cheesy, I know, but Fall really is a magical time of the year. It’s warm and wistful and peaceful, and I wanted to create a compilation of songs that capture that feeling, so here’s my Autumn playlist!
Ariana Grande: Yours Truly (2013) Songs Ranked
Recently (like over the past month) I’ve gotten into Ariana Grande’s music, so I’m very excited to begin reviewing her albums. For this one, I’ve found that she, similarly to most artists, has a debut album that, while not bad, is somewhat bland, with a few really good songs but mostly just filler-esque tracks.
Michael Jackson: Thriller (1982) Songs Ranked
I don’t even know what I can say about this album that hasn’t already been said. It’s just an iconic piece of work. I don’t even think it needs an introduction but I’ll try my best. Michael Jackson’s Thriller ushered in the new sound of 80s R&B/pop with it’s glossy, slick, stellar production. I honestly think the production is my favorite thing about this album. Even if there were no vocals and the entire album was just instrumentals I would still be down to listen to this album (however I’m glad that’s not the case because, even though it surely doesn’t need to be said, Michael is an outstanding vocalist who adds so much personality and flair to everything he sings).
August 2020: Music Recap
I’ve had a pretty good month in terms of song discovery, so let’s get into all the new songs I’ve been enjoying this month!
Taylor Swift: Folklore (2020) Songs Ranked
Although it was entirely unexpected, I’m very happy to be reviewing a new Taylor Swift album. I wasn’t expecting to be able to do that for at least another year, but here we are and I’m so happy. This is definitely my favorite project of Taylor’s that she’s released in a while, and I love the storytelling and sonic direction she went in for this record.
The Beatles: Beatles For Sale (1964) Song Ranking
I’ve viewed a fair share of “Ranking The Beatles Albums” articles in my time, and an overwhelming majority of the time, I’ve seen Beatles For Sale ranked as the worst in the band’s catalog. Because of this, I had pretty low expectations going into this album, and unfortunately, I have to agree that this is my least favorite project from them (out of what I’ve listened to). With the exception of one song (which is in the top spot), none of the songs were that impressive. This album just didn’t have the charm that a Beatles album usually has for me.
July 2020: Music Recap
Here’s all the songs I’ve been listening to this past month! Feel free to leave song suggestions if you want, I love discovering new music!