Review: Ariana Grande - My Everything
By Xavier Veccia, Managing Editor
[Republic Records; 2014]
Rating: 6/10
Key Tracks: “Love Me Harder,” “Best Mistake”
Ariana Grande might look familiar, she was known known for her role in Nickleodeon's "Victorious" before she was ever a pop-star sparkle in a label executive's eye. Or maybe she sounds familiar because songs like “The Way” and “Problem” have been repeated endlessly on pop radio stations throughout the world. However, all of what came before is, like "Victorious," simply childish compared to what Grande does on My Everything.
Grande has had an interesting path to stardom. It all started with the Broadway musical "13," in which she was part of the young cast. From there it led to television, which included some songs on the "Victorious" soundtrack. But Grande wasn’t really unleashed on the world until last year when she first released “The Way,” featuring Mac Miller. This past summer she became a true superstar with her smash hit “Problem.” This made My Everything Grande’s now-or-never moment--her chance to prove she was deserving of the spotlight aimed at her.
What makes Grande special in comparison to the rest of the pop landscape is her voice. While most pop artists hide behind vocal synthesizers galore, Grande has no need to. Her powerful, sultry voice can reach all ends of the vocal spectrum, making her one of the most flexible and dynamic singers out there at the moment.
Her flexibility shows on My Everything, including a large amount of featured artists and meshing with them well. The piano-heavy “Best Mistake” features Detroit rapper and Grande’s current boyfriend Big Sean. It sounds eerily similar to Big Sean’s Hall of Fame, which makes it no surprise that Key Wane produced a large part of both. Grande takes a more sultry, soft spoken approach to the song to match Sean’s aloof flow.
Then there’s the A$AP Ferg featuring “Hands on Me” on which Grande goes higher and more energetic to match Ferg’s natural charisma.
But the perfect example of Grande’s flexibility is “Love Me Harder,” where Grande talks about taking “the pleasure with the pain” in a love song that feels more like a plea than a celebration. So when The Weeknd shows up in the second verse, it’s no surprise. The song reeks of The Weeknd’s now familiar brand of disco-meets-R&B, allowing the duo to deliver a dark, bass-thumping ballad that’s hard not to love.
However, when Grande’s left to her own devices, the star’s desires become less clear. On the song “My Everything,” Grande shows off her vocal range over a soft piano that brings to mind a smoky room and a bedazzled Grande hunched over the instrument. But “Why Try” has an uptempo drum beat mixed with lyrics like “We been living like angels / Living like devils” and vocal synthesizers to create a sound as generic as anything else one can hear on the radio.
Grande’s still so young and so filled with potential, it’s hard to tell exactly how her career will pan out. My Everything certainly proves she can outperform most pop stars, but she’s also proved how easy it is for her to fall into the same old song and dance as the rest of them. She can either be the next Mariah Carey or the next P!nk and there’s no way to tell which way she’s leaning towards.
My Everything is worth the listen just for Grande’s incredible voice. Just know in five years, this album will either be the start of a beautiful career or a remnant what could have been… It all depends on Grande’s decisions from here forward.
