Though Grande’s subject matter shifts after “Shut Up,” the song’s Disney-like strings carry through the rest of “Positions,” which is brighter and sprightlier than the comparatively bleary “Thank U, Next.” At times, the tidy arrangements can call back to her debut - no surprise, perhaps, given that she worked with a studio team led by her longest-term collaborator, Tommy Brown, and largely went without the A-list freelancers (such as Max Martin and Pharrell Williams) she’s employed in recent years. Keith Richards on his X-Pensive Winos reissue, a new Rolling Stones album and living in American during COVID. Perhaps ‘positions’ should be focused on the future Ari, as opposed to the old.Keith Richards on catching COVID: ‘I’m impervious. Given her efforts to take a trip down memory lane, Grande brought up lots of feelings for long-time fans. Overall, the album was moderately underwhelming, despite the lyrical and soothing tracks at hand. Most of the tracks sound similar, which can be perceived as somewhat boring. These feature more alto vocals and more intense bass.Īside from a few key tracks, Positions just doesn’t incorporate as much variety as was anticipated considering the hiatus between Thank u next and Positions. ‘Obvious’ and “positions,” the single track debuted in late October which caused a frenzy amongst “Arianators,” Grande’s fan base, are the most diverse of the bunch. However, there is not much variety within the songs themselves. It can be hard to distinguish when one track ends and another starts as the majority of the songs open with echoic, angel-like vocals. While the album takes listeners back in time, both musically and visually, it doesn’t come without a cost. Grande also chose to return back to her ballad roots, and incorporate more R&B style vocals into ‘positions.’
T he album art also features a very retro Grande, her outfit as a nod to 60s fashion. Doja Cat),” “my hair” and “love language.” This is relatively new territory for the pop singer. Additionally, several of the songs on the album have a very retro feel, including “motive (feat. The lyrics in Positions goes deeper than in previous albums and also cross boundaries as far as vulgarity goes for the singer. While Grande doesn’t care to hear what her critics say, there are still certain people’s opinions which matter greatly to her. In this sense, the two tracks contrast quite heavily. However, in “pov”, she wants to be seen as however, the person she is singing about sees her. In the first, she wants her critics to stop their slander of her and to “shut up”. It then dives right into “35+34”, the controversial tune.īoth “shut up” and the closing track “pov” address how Grande is perceived by other people. This track is successful and introduces the album well. The album opens with “shut up”, in which Grande calls out her critics and tells them maybe they should just “shut up”. Positions debut 14 songs and features artists such as Doja Cat, Ty Dolla Sign, and The Weeknd. While Positions features more mellow tracks, reminscent of Yours Truly and Sweetener, two of Grande’s previous albums, the lyrics encapsulate the confidence Grande emitted in Thank u next.
In particular, ‘35+34” sparked great controversy on Twitter, just hours after the album’s release.
Ironically, this album features some of Grande’s raunchiest lyrics yet. In contrast with Thank u next, P ositions appears to be much more delicate. P ositions is reminiscent of Grande’s earlier work, with more of her falsetto and whimsical instrumentals being featured. This is the singer’s first album since Thank u next was released in Feb. Ariana Grande has taken the music world by storm, yet again, with the release of Positions this past Thursday.