ALBUM REVIEW: Short n' Sweet Delux
Valentine’s Day was made extra sweet this year with the release of the deluxe version of Sabrina Carpenter’s Grammy award-winning album Short n’ Sweet. This version features four brand new tracks and a new duet version of Please Please Please featuring the incomparable Dolly Parton. The new tracks stick to Sabrina’s usual formula featuring cutesy turns of phrase, glittery production, and a hint of country flare.
The stand-out track is “Busy Woman”. This song is peak Carpenter, featuring her signature flirty confidence that’s a little bit threatening when she doesn’t get what she wants. She reminds us “If you need my love, my clothes are off I’m coming over to your place / but if you don’t need my love, I didn’t want your little bitch-ass anyway”. In the verses, Carpenter sings over just a drum beat, reminiscent of Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” and the general 80’s pop sound that saturates her music. The rest of the production is all out with echos, layered vocals, and a bursting chorus that is becoming a staple of Carpenter’s sound. If for some reason you still need proof that Carpenter can make an earworm, this is the song for you.
“15 minutes” is also a bursting pop hit. Carpenter reflects on what could be only 15 minutes of fame, quipping “It’s fleeting like my battery life / Hard to hold on to like every guy,” but concludes that she “can do a lot with fifteen minutes”. It’s always nice to hear an electric guitar in pop songs these days, even though it fades out to a more standard drumbeat after the intro.
Despite the disrespect the song faced on Twitter, “Please Please Please” featuring Dolly Parton is a beautiful tribute to an artist whose music paved the way for the kind of country pop that so many artists dabble in today. The track takes on a different production than the original, dropping that 80s pop feel and adding violin and a banjo melody to lean further into the Appalachian country that Parton pioneered. The chorus is particularly beautiful, with Parton layering in a high harmony.
Carpenter slows it down for two more country-inspired tracks “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder” and “Bad Reviews”. The former offers a new side of vulnerability to the album, with Carpenter confessing “I know you’re frustrated / Cause I will not let you touch me”. This track was a refreshing change from Carpenter’s usual effortless, sexual persona, reminding us that it doesn’t always translate to her personal life. “Bad Reviews” falls flat, playing on the good girl ignores the red flags trope that is already so prevalent on several of the standard album tracks. Simply put, I’m tired of hearing about how she dates guys who suck! Girl, we get it!
Despite her play on 15 minutes of fame, it’s clear that Carpenter is in the pop game for the long run. The new tracks are fun and familiar, fitting seamlessly into the standard album. These tracks leave little to be desired from the pop princess, except maybe some new source material and a bit of experimentation that will hopefully diversify the sound of her next album.
- DJ Delia AKA Cordelia Janow