Positions review

Ariana Grande stans have just been fed with her latest album, Positions, and let me just say, I am hungry for more. First, she teased us on Twitter where she announced a new album would be coming out. I waited in anticipation, checking Apple Music everyday to see if she had released it. Instead, I saw a song titled “positions” and I thought to myself, “I mean, that’s not an album, but I’ll give it a listen.” Safe to say, I loved it. I was so engrossed in the song, I hadn’t even realized she had released the album. 

Ariana has such a great voice with so much range, that her changing up the genre wasn’t an issue. I noticed in a couple of the songs, the R&B influence: the pace, the tone, the sultriness of her voice. I mean, she’s always had a breathy voice, but she somehow managed to lower it while keeping the volume consistent. I’m not a vocal coach, but even I know that it’s difficult to have a lot of breath and volume when you’re doing a low breathy voice. She’s just so talented, I could go on about her vocals. 

Moving on to the other songs, my top picks (aside from “positions”) would be: “34+35”, “obvious”, and “pov”. These were my favorites because, at least to me, they sound the most distinct and different from her other stuff. Ariana has this unique way of singing so you immediately recognize it’s her voice, but the downside to that is that a lot of her songs sound really similar, and that was my issue with a couple of the songs. Namely, “shut up”, “just like magic”, and “six thirty”. There’s nothing wrong with these songs, they just all sound like stuff she’s made before. 

I also wanted to talk about the features because they are great. “motive” has Doja Cat, who I am a big fan of and seeing her name next to Ariana’s left me puzzled, but I wasn’t entirely displeased. “off the table” featured The Weeknd, which (this is very biased, and I would like to apologize for that) is great simply because he’s featured. “safety net” features Ty Dolla $ign; it’s an okay song with a plain beat, but I do like the contrast between Ariana’s higher pitched voice with his deeper voice. I also enjoyed that he wanted to copy that breathiness in her voice, and it makes his voice come out a little softer than it usually does. 

Positions is different from her previous album, Sweetener, because like I said before, it’s got more of an R&B influence. Personally, R&B is my favorite genre of music: I like how mellow and calming it is, and this album provides that. Of course, it’s not entirely R&B because it’s Ariana and she’s mainly a pop artist (not saying she can’t stray from her genre, but she usually stays true to her form). It’s a little more depressing; for example, “pov” sounds a little more self-deprecating and somber. 

I could go on for hours about how great this album is and how it’s God’s gift to the world. Ariana’s really talented, and I think she shines the best in this album. I think if you like songs that have a more mellow tone, then this is the album for you. Her music has always been palatable, but I think this album is definitely gonna top the charts. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.