Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman

Ariana Grande
Dangerous Woman
2016
Spotify

What do you get when you listen to an Ariana Grande album? Great tracks, solid production and a talent who really rivals the absolute best in the business. Put Grande's vocals over damn near anything and you still have an edgy yet beautiful track. With a voice like her's it would be easy to rest on the ballads, follow the Celine Dion path, but Grande to her credit continues to experiment and continues to grow as an artist. While Her musical chops may have been cut singing the hooks on EDM tracks, she has certainly grown and certainly does not plan on resting on past successes. There is a strong lean towards old school sounds especially on "Dangerous Woman" as she pines for a man like James Dean and Elvis, but those moments are quite brief and the majority of the album is grounded strongly in the future. She doesn't shy away from going big like on "Into You" with it's bouncy beat and over the top vocals. Grande has the diva skills but far less of the diva tendencies. When she let's the reins loose and allows her voice to sail that is when we get peak Grande. This record also has much more focus than her last release. My Everything was good, but it was broad. Dangerous Woman feels much more personal and singular both in delivery and scope.

Where she falters however is when she brings in other acts. All the tracks with a rapper (Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Future) for the most part are pretty bad. They are generic both for Grande and the feature that she brings in. I'm not really even sure if Future was awake when He recorded "Everyday". Neither of them boost the other to any kind of higher level which is a shame. This just goes to prove that smashing people together just because they are popular does not mean musical greatness. "Greedy" feels the most free of all the tracks on the album. The horns blare and Grande does her vocal runs in almost an improv style. She has expanded her musical sensibility greatly and that shift really shows on Dangerous Woman. Doo Wop makes an appearance on "Moonlight" but it borrows on the vibe of the style rather than straight up replicating it (looking at you Meghan Trainor). For a pop record you also don't find yourself over powered with sugary sweet lyrics and constant empowerment anthems. Grande is better having an edge than all the other singers in this current crop, which just puts her slightly ahead. At almost an hour of music the album is big, and it delivers hard in the beginning yet fades as the record goes on. Dangerous Woman has it's faults, but as a whole this is a really solid record from a fantastic performer, giver her a shot, you won't regret it.

7.8 out of 10