Ariana Grande – My Everything (2014)

Ariana Grande – My Everything

2014 has been an absolutely massive year for Ariana Grande. The pint sized pop singer with the powerhouse vocals has absolutely dominated the pop charts this year. Following on from her 2013 debut Yours Truly, the former Nickelodeon starlet was dogged with criticisms about how she was just another run-of-the-mill child star turned pop singer. While the album wasn’t necessarily terrible by any means, on My Everything Ariana seems determined to escape the Mariah Carey comparisons and deliver a fully formed album at all costs. Fortunately, this seems to have paid off for her, as My Everything is quite an enjoyable listen and easily one of the best sophmore albums of the year.

Lead single and album opener “Problem” has been absolutely inescapable on the radio since about roughly mid-April. Ariana’s vocal performance will makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The ‘parp-parp-pa-parp’ section with the horns might be one of the most glorious instrumental hooks of the year. Iggy Azalea’s verse sounds like pretty much every other verse she’s ever dropped. That is to say, it works well in the context of the track, but it’s nothing you’re gonna be placing on a pedestal either. “Break Free” with it’s electro house beat,provided by German whiz-kid Zedd, is the dictionary definition of a club banger. It’s poppy enough for Top 40 radio, but you could drop it in the middle of a peak-hour set you’d still have at least half the club grooving to it. “Be My Baby” see’s Ariana try her hand at Jersey Club, with the mixing duties provided by Norwegian producer-of-the-moment Cashmere Cat. It’s a great track, with Cat’s spastic production knocking back and forth throughout the song, and Ariana’s voice undergoing some digital manipulation midway thorugh the track, making for a downright chilling performance.

The majority of the featured artists on the album range from passable (Iggy Azalea) to somewhat great (Zedd, Cashmere Cat) to downright bizarre. “Hands On Me” would simply be a cookie-cutter club track, were it not for the strange feature of A$AP Ferg, dropping hype statements like a madman while Ariana channels Mariah Carey with ease. Big Sean sounds braindead on “Best Mistake”, presumably spitting his lines with one eye on the clock. The soft piano chords on “Big Mistake” are pleasant, but the beat doesn’t so much thump as much as it squelches lazily along. It’s definitely one of the few let-downs on the album. “Break Your Heart Right Back” is a smooth, gloriously slow-jam of a track, featuring some menacing chords and a delightful snap rhythm. The sample of “I’m Comin’ Out” by Diana Ross induces some some sweet “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems” vibes, and Childish Gambino’s verse fits the party-oriented mood that the track’s going for. “Love Me Harder” is the album’s  standout, and features guest vocals from Canadian R&B-troubadour Abel Tesafaye (a.k.a The Weeknd). After releasing some sweet mixtapes, and following them up with a dud of an album; it’s great to see The Weeknd back on top form. Ariana and him play off of each other in the absolute best possible ways, with her sultry vocals intertwining with his high-pitched croon.

Ariana Grande avoids the dreaded sophmore slump with ease on My Everything. She manages to traverse her way through R&B, EDM, Jersey Club and hip-hop with ease, and does a damn good job of putting her own stamp on the genres. Ariana wastes no time in putting those four octaves of her voice to good use on My Everything, with the singer’s voice being an absolute standout. If there’s one album in 2014 that could sum up the sound of Top 40 radio, it’d easily have to be My Everything. It’s a solid album that should provide plenty of enjoyment throughout the rest of the year and into 2015. Expect some great things from Ms. Grande in the future.

7/10