Album Review: Ariana Grande Takes R&B To Disneyland

It wasn’t anything serious, she filmed it in sepia tone on her Macbook Photobooth application and wore a hoodie. Her hair was still bright red. She was celebrating 96,000 followers on Twitter. I was already a huge fan, and I would listen to just about anything that girl sang. So, I guess that’s how it happened. When I was 16, I memorized all the lyrics to “96,000” from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical In the Heights because Ariana Grande posted a video to YouTube covering the song. I spent just as much time on this task as I did memorizing Nicki Minaj’s “Superbass,” so no, I wasn’t f*cking around. Ariana did something magical: she made musical theater cool.

When Ariana’s Babyface and The Rascals-produced debut album Yours Truly came out in 2013 I knew I was onto something special. Her music was bubblegum-R&B: whimsical, soulful, rich, like off-Broadway grunge. “Honeymoon Avenue” was a fan-favorite, becoming a sonic reference point for the rest of her career. This first album is where the vision for Ariana Grande’s sixth studio album, Positions, was born. Her 2015 holiday EP Christmas & Chill, made for the first time without her label and entirely with friends (like co-writer and artist Victoria Monet), is where she picked up the blueprint. One musical comeback (Sweetener [2019]) and grief-ridden exodus (thank u, next [2019]) later, and the album that represents the truest evolution and synthesis of her discography is ready. Without following pretenses, and instead enhancing and refining her playful, cinematic, string-heavy style, Positions positions Ariana as the freshest new voice in R&B.

Positions opens with “shut up,” following in the tradition of My Everything’s “You Don’t Know Me,” and Dangerous Woman’s “I Don’t Care”. Ariana uses violins and theatrical melodies to stand up for herself and set the tone for the self-assuredness we find throughout the rest of the album. “shut up” features some of the most beautifully layered harmonies Ariana has ever produced, cementing her place as one of the best vocal arrangers in the business. “34+35” bridges the album into its bouncy, sexy, and playful essence. The rhythm and melody of “just like magic” calls back to the likes of early 2000s Chris Brown (abuser) while Ariana swears by the power of manifestation. Getting more serious and enlisting the help of The Weeknd, she becomes vulnerable and wonders if she’ll ever be able to love the same way again. Reminiscent of an old Janet Jackson track, the words of the chorus spill out over each other with a cadence that mirrors the desperation of their meaning: “Just wanna know / Is love completely off the table?”. While the Doja Cat featured track “motive” felt mildly boring and might warrant a skip, “off the table” is a strong collaboration that gushes its distinctly sad narrative.

The epitome of Ariana’s sound and personal growth at this point in her career materializes on “six thirty.” This track builds on and improves production choices from her early discography by invoking sounds of British grime and distorted, experimental pop. It comes together feeling cute and bouncy but lyrically remains grounded in self-awareness and vulnerability. If this track is all we got from Positions, it would be worth it. As it progresses into its latter half, the album grows sonically darker and smoother--from honey to molasses. “my hair” showcases Ariana’s love for 70s soul while “west side” utilizes a more contemporary electro- trap that reminds me of Jpegmafia and the likes. Title track “positions” earns its spot as the most polished R&B track on the record, while “love language” reflects a perhaps more experimental side of Ariana, with a hectic backtrack that sounds like the score to a high-stakes scene in a Bollywood film. Positions closes beautifully on Whitney-Houston-meets-80s-classic-rock inspired ballad “pov,” rejecting the tired narrative that you can’t love somebody until you love yourself--and instead celebrates the cultivation of self-esteem through mutual love and support.

The only downside to her success is that somewhere along the way, her fame outgrew her and she deleted most of her personal YouTube videos. Otherwise, Ariana Grande continues to evolve and with every new album she releases further hits the mark on the postmodern R&B dreamscape she’s been trying to nail since she first stepped into a studio. Positions probably won’t have the effect of an album like Sweetener or even Thank U, Next by being a huge pop star, pop culture moment, but it doesn’t need to be. Ariana has never sounded more confident with and connected to herself and her vision. Much like Charli XCX’s 2020 release, how i’m feeling right now, Ariana nestled into her quarantine romance and found space to confront her deepest fears and to revel in abundant gratitude. Positions may not be a loud statement to those expecting moments like “Into You,” or “God is a Woman,” but it certainly is a step forward into a more authentic, evolving Ariana Grande.