Why Ariana Grande's "Sweetener" was a disappointment after another

[SpeechIess 1,060]

i wish she would go away  op snapped...

[SJAG 1,597]

21 minutes ago, ItsTommyBitch said:

To me and many of the critics that have reviewed this album, part of the beauty comes from the fact that it either subverted or said "**** you" to what people wanted it to be. She made the album she wanted to make. 

Thank you for sharing your opinion in a polite way. I admit I was shallow myself with some considerations I've made, but I didn't want to make the thread even longer that it already is, so in order to sum up my thoughts I didn't explained myself well enough so I get the misunderstandings. That's why I'm replying to clear things up. I liked "Sweetener", I'm not hating on it. I'm talking about how people expectation were way higher than what the album turned out to be. By saying that mature contents don't make a mature album I mean that you can't say Sweetener lyrics had deep meaning or great lyrics (with few exceptions) since most of the songs in the album were about sex, and I'm not saying sex songs are shallow, but hers are, I took GIAW as an example, because instead of showing and empowering women for their mental abilities, it was all about women power in bed, she kinda objectify women in a subtle way by saying that her bed skills are so good that it feels like having a spiritual experience. But I still listen to the album and sing along. I was just saying that her album is a bit overrated, but still good.

[Flawless 2,234]

As I already said in another thread critics doesn't count only the songs of the album in a review. Her image is good, she is getting hits, she doesn't have any scandal around her so this helps. She's just a sweet girl releasing a sweet album and for the first time she's risking something new, trying to avoid the pop formula a little bit. It's ok to dislike but it's not fair to say she doesn't deserve something just because you didn't liked. 

[Alphaz 7,956]

I feel you, I only like couple of tracks

Most of them are kinda mehh

[Antoni 5,332]

If these are the criteria by which Ariana is not a pop legend, then neither is Britney Spears or Rihanna.

[Smother Em Eh 7,088]

Agreed! And No hate for this album or anything but come on it isn’t worth a “80” on Metacritic. 

[StrawberryBlond 14,716]

I'm right with you, although I'm nowhere near as impressed all the same. I think it was mediocre, just slightly better than her debut. Big disappointment after her best album, Dangerous Woman. I think the production of the songs was uninteresting and a lot of them sounded the same. Majorly let down by the fact that she didn't have a lot of substance to the album. Before Manchester, she was already working on this album, however, the attack happened and it affected her so much that she claimed there was going to be a song about it on her album and that the whole experience was going to inspire her new work as a whole. To say I was let down by NTLTC was an understatement. I have nothing against defying the cliche by making a upbeat song in response to a tragedy as opposed to a ballad but this song was so awful in parts and to me, it wasn't the song of someone who had just witnessed a terrorist attack. It was just a generic pop song with bad singing techniques at the "pickin' it up" bit and the "shut your mouth" line is NOT something you want to put in a song that's supposed to be about healing people. The beginning sounded like it was going to be so epic and gorgeous and then it devolved into bland genericism and I don't see how it truly correlates to the tragedy. And this Get Well Soon song is even more baffling as to what it has to do with the tragedy and is even worse, just repetition of nothingness. The biggest crime is that she made almost the entire album about Pete, with the exception of those two tracks and Better Off and Goodnight n Go (which I assume are about Mac). Back when we didn't know that her and Pete were a thing, this was not the kind of album I expected her to be working on. It's super cringey when a singer makes their entire album about their new love that's just come into their life when, being celebrities, we know this relationship could fail just as fast and then the album's going to be remembered as a farce forevermore.

I thought this would be her first truly grown up album of substance and about more than just sex (not that there's anything wrong with that but diverse subject matter is nice) and instead we got an album devoted to a guy that she's just started seeing in the last few months. *shakes head* I so hope she comes back stronger with something better sooner than we think.

 

[littlepotter 74,831]

alright now it's clear to me that the only reason why yall stans are not enjoying the album but the gp and critics (and me) really did was because we did not have expectations. like yes i kind of expected ntltc to be a powerful ballad but i did not want it to be so as soon as that beat started to pick up i went along with it and really enjoyed the song. same for tlic, at first listen i found it so strange and anticlimactic but then i listened to it for what it is and it's a ****ing bop, so is the rest of the album which i can't stop replaying. and shame on you for repeating that sexual themes are cheap.

[AlejandroooO 515]

Not to be rude but she's happy with herself living like a 17yo as this helps selling records. Watching her life style , tweets and listening to her music I'd think this person is 18yo not turning 26. 

[crackpoppodcast 1,528]

In my opinion, all of the features on the album are pretty lackluster, but overall the album is good. It’s different. It’s cute. By no means is it my favorite album of all time or even one of them, but people are treating it like it’s on the same level as MDNA or something 🤭 sorry not sorry 

[Supersonic 49,376]

Issa lot of emotions jusr for pop music

[JesseBabe 837]

I do agree with you in some parts of your OP. I think for me, Dangerous Woman was one of my favorite albums of 2016/2017. Like I legit listened to it on repeat for months. That album turned me from a causal listener to a fan. 

I was excited for Sweetener. I like R&B infused music, so the snippets she was releasing were hyping me up. I wasn't super into the singles released (besides GIAW), and when the album was released I was like hmm... okay . Not exactly what I thought was going to happen, but let me give it a chance. I think the album is cute, sweet. I wish Pharrell's production wasn't so overbearing and loud with all the different sounds he tries to throw into one song (all the sheesh's, uh's, voice overs etc.). I think it does take away from her singing at times. I almost wish Sweetener was released before Dangerous Woman in a weird way. 

Like is it the worst album of 2018? No, but definitely not what I had hoped for.

[dynamite 57,075]

I'm listening to it for the first time rn

 

First track finished after like 6 seconds and I was like O.o

[dynamite 57,075]

blazed sucks

the light is coming sucks

 

R.E.M is what?

 

I'm already bored of this album

[Solitaiire 2,564]

Oh well, who's right, a user on ggd or more than 15 critics who do that for a living? oh well...

Also, if you have expectations for something and it doesn't happen you're bound to be dissappointed, so that's your own fault.