Pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter released her new album, “Short N’ Sweet,” on Aug. 23 and album’s name is witty, charming and energetic, just like the array of 12 songs on the album.
This is Carpenter’s sixth studio album in total and second album without Disney’s management.
In the new album, Carpenter focuses on the ups and downs of a relationship, jabbing at exes and singing ballads for her boyfriend, Barry Keoghan, showing off her writing skills in “Short N’ Sweet.”
“Please Please Please” and “Espresso” were a familiar ABBA-sounding duo on Carpenter’s new album. Both songs are enjoyable, but the overplaying on social media has bored me.
The full-album release was refreshing to hear from the pop princess. Carpenter opens her album with “Taste,” a classic pop song. The energetic and lively track has an indie pop feeling and a chorus that will get stuck in your head for the next few days.
The most entertaining part of the song being dropped was the speculation that came with it. The most common theory is Camila Cabello was the other woman while Carpenter was in a relationship with Shawn Mendes and that Cabello would never be better than Carpenter.
With or without the speculation, “Taste” was written with humor and wit, which was the biggest appeal to the song
Carpenter’s genre-hops through the album, from a Dolly Parton-like country song, “Slim Pickins” to the 90s R&B “Good Graces”. The pop star also has a campfire-like song, “Coincidence”. The blend of genres in the album is what makes each song unique.
While I’m not a big country fan, Carpenters’ “Slim Pickins” is a song that I really enjoyed. Carpenter uses a softer chorus for this song which suits the country theme and allows the instruments such as the fiddle and acoustic guitar to highlight the song’s bluegrass feel.
“Good Graces” isn’t anything special it’s not bad, but in comparison to the other songs on the album, it didn’t amaze me. I am not a fan of when an artist uses raw audio in the middle or at the end of the song. It becomes too distracting and takes away from the rest of the song.
Songs like “Juno” and “Bed Chem” seem to be fan favorites on the album. With fun lyrics, vocals and upbeat instrumentals – like guitar and drums – it’s hard to undermine the songs. Both are a bit more raunchy than most pop songs, which kept me more engaged.
Other songs like “Lie to Girls”, “Don’t Smile” and “Dumb and Poetic” pull a few heart strings and all three are directed at bad boyfriends. The songs have more melancholy lyrics and a blend of acoustic guitar, strings, and piano that provokes an angelic feel to Carpenter’s vocals.
“Sharpest Tool” has easily become one of my favorites on the album. With snarky jabs at exes and relatable lyrics, the song was an easy like. The song has a softer mix of instruments and sweeter vocal notes. But with Carpenter’s lyrics, there is a representation of unmasked anger and hurt through lyrics like: “We never talk it though, how you guilt tripped me to open up to you.”
Powerful lyrics like this can be heard throughout the entire song, emphasizing her point on how much anger can stem from one short relationship.
Overall, Carpenter’s blend of genres and themes of the songs made the album an interesting listen. The main theme of the album was about how impactful a relationship can be, whether it’s short or long a relationship can be sweet or hurtful.
I have had this album on repeat since first listening to it. While I have my favorites and least favorites, I found it to be a delightful set of songs that appeals to younger generations. The album is different compared to other modern pop albums with more raunchy, witty and humorous lyrics to Carpenters’ boldness to experiment with different genres. “Short N’ Sweet” was worth the wait and worth a listen.