Ariana Grande is an undeniably talented vocalist. She utilizes her four-octave range as her own
personal instrument, and although it’s impressive, her newest album, “petal,” proves even one of the greatest vocalists still needs the support of strong production and instrumentals.
“petal” released July 31 and opened with “kiss me,” an instantly immersive track that set a high bar for the rest of the record. Its introduction quickly escalated into a spatial audio experience that felt different from any other current pop releases or her past music.
When the verse commenced, all that remained was Grande’s voice and a steady beat – but in every chorus, the surround sound returned and the song became memorable.
What followed this track, however, made the album forgettable, as it lacked the same depth of “kiss me.” Rather than a complete immersion in a futuristic, three-dimensional sound, the production, credited to her and ILYA, feels hollow and plastic, something that could be attributed to the apparent lack of live instrumentation.
“stay” and “nobody, nowhere” reveal the monotony of the album. The tracks feel flat, as though Grande is placing choppy cuts and reverb-heavy vocal effects in the places where she could put live instruments and chord progressions.
For her past three albums, Grande has primarily layered her vocals into harmonies on synth backing tracks. It was new in “Positions,” it was done best in “eternal sunshine,” but now in “petal,” it’s overdone.
In this album, her vocals don’t carry enough weight, as she opts for a cleaner, more melodically-confined album, straying away from ballads that would free her voice to roam all the ranges it can.
When she sings this album live, meanwhile, on her current Eternal Sunshine tour,it sounds its most captivating – her vocals conveying more emotions from sadness to gratitude to resentment as she riffs the lyrics that feel stagnant in the recorded album.
One aspect of the album that feels different than her previous records is her intertwining of many different versions of herself. From song to song, it feels like different phases of Grande are standing in front of the microphone.
“like i do” intertwines the falsettos Grande showed us in her role as Glinda in “Wicked” with an R&B “Thank U, Next” style production.
This choice matches the theme of her tour, as she pays homage to every version of herself – embracing them instead of rejecting them.
The lead single, “hate that i made you love me,” is another strength of the album, attributable to Max Martin’s contribution to the production. The producer is known for his infectious pop melodies, as heard on many of Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift’s music, in addition to other Grande songs like “Problem” and “Into You.”
This album simply feels like Grande doesn’t have much to say. She recycles the same scattered themes of self-worth while facing public scrutiny, the end of relationships, moving on and healing without developing or revealing anything new through lyrics or sound.
Rating: 2.5/5