Ariana Grande’s Weird Take on Love
The singer’s new album <em>Sweetener</em> semi-successfully upends pop’s usual approach to scale and tension.
In her best songs, Ariana Grande makes it feel like she has mastered gravity. She’ll arc out her light, sharp voice as if it’s a dart while her producers kick up a windstorm, making it all the more gratifying when she hits the bulls-eye. For the girl-group frenzy of “,” of bass seemed to launch her upwards as if by trampoline. The EDM juggernaut of “” crackled and groaned, Decepticon-like, as she sung from on top ofthe chassis. “” had reggae rhythms working like sea waves, and she seemed to be executing a
