‘Short n’ Sweet’ By Sabrina Carpenter— A Review
A very personal album that puts Sabrina Carpenter on the right path as she’s not quite there yet
yo,
‘Short n’ Sweet’ is Sabrina Carpenter’s sixth studio album, released on August 23rd by Island Records.
This record marks a very reflective and introspective period of the artist’s career, also setting her in the right direction.
In addition to the release, Sabrina will begin her Short n’ Sweet Tour to promote the album on September 23rd in North America.
The tour is also scheduled to Europe in March 2025, so fans worldwide will be able to enjoy and get to know her most recent creation.
The album explores themes of childhood, friendships, and the relationships that have marked Sabrina’s new beginnings in life.
Having started out as a Disney kid in the 2010s, each track reviews her journey and growth as both an artist and a soloist.
Critics argue that Sabrina had already transcended her early years by the time she released her previous project, ‘Emails I Can’t Send’, and in ‘Short n Sweet’ the artist takes her style with warm pop and dance hooks even further.
And despite not being super familiar with Sabrina Carpenter’s discography, I see that.
Thematically, ‘Short n’ Sweet’ touches on well-known pop material, often addressing teen love, emotional vulnerability, and self-discovery.
Yet, with a fresh, powerful, and elegant sound, capturing her sweet resonant vocals and cheeky, eye-winking confidence, but only on a few tracks.
The popular singles Espresso and Please Please Please, are standout examples of her signature catchy pop sound, despite being a bit overplayed.
It is clear that Sabrina is still finding her definitive style. She has grown tremendously since her Disney days yet hasn’t fully transcended into a unique artistic identity.
Apart from the already mentioned singles, some other tracks where Sabrina stands out include Taste, Bed Chem, and my personal favourite Juno.
She embraces playful, flirtatious energy and showcases her strongest vocal performances — Sabrina’s exact jam.
Tracks like these offer the listener insight into her fun side and her ability to create catchy hooks, making them undoubtedly highlights on the record.
And well, the rest is pretty much ‘go girl, give us nothing’ energy. That or poor attempts on different genres or artist’s styles.
Good Graces sounds literally like an Ariana Grande song, while some others, such as Dumb & Poetic and Lie to Girls, feel like poor attempts to make a Taylor Swift track.
Slim Pickins as well, simply failed to approach country music more or less like Kacy Musgraves does.
The lack of originality in these tracks ultimately drags the album down.
I can see where Sabrina was going with this record. I mean, me and everyone, the album is pretty straightforwardly teen love pop.
And despite filling all the boxes in that niche, it’s hard for me to truly appreciate something so basic or even blend straight after listening to ‘Imaginal Disk’, ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’, ‘BRAT’ or even something more underground, like the GG Fearn’s album I covered last week.
All the projects I mentioned have something that sets them apart. All have an intention to break boundaries and not simply make radio pop music.
There’s obviously a place for every niche in the music industry and I get the appeal, at least in some parts of the record. It simply doesn’t stick to me overall.
After my first listen, I would argue that Sabrina should’ve gone for a more interesting or daring production, even moving a bit from the pop atmosphere.
But now I realize that not everything can or has to be experimental, even though, in a way this record already is.
As mentioned, Sabrina tries a lot of sounds here but in my opinion, she’s really good on that fun and catchy pop, and that’s the style she should go for.
Musically speaking, Sabrina’s vocals were a highlight, despite the dull and plain lyrics in the majority of the record.
Some lyrics did catch me off guard though. The line — I’m so f*ckin’ horny — on the track Juno for example, was a bit uncalled for but ultimately cheeky and funny, exactly what Sabrina’s music should sound like.
Some instrumentals and production details are solid, occasionally offering great moments, such as the beat on Sharpest Tool and the guitar on the following track, Coincidence.
However, as the album goes, I grew tired of those.
The outro track, Don’t Smile, for instance, had the potential to be a somewhat great track with a good message but it just feels so blended and on that point, I just want the album to end.
Ultimately, ‘Short n’ Sweet’ didn’t really bring a lot to me if I’m being honest.
Don’t see much replay value due to the dullness of the majority of the record or the overplay aspect on the songs that actually standout.
After a few listens I gotta say that I’ll be placing this record very low on my 2024 album list.
Nevertheless, as I mentioned before, it does have its place in the industry/niche and ‘Short n’ Sweet’ has the ability to be a great boost for Sabrina Carperter’s career, especially with her tour starting right away.
The critic was good, receiving a 72/100 in AOTY and also debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart
So, I think Sabrina is going in the right direction, and I hope in future projects she gives us something more on her style.
Because as of this record, I can’t place it anywhere above a mid-rating.
5,5/10
Highlights:
- Juno
- Espresso
- Taste
Peace,
Isi
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