Track-by-track: My Everything - Ariana Grande

by Daniela

My Everything is Ariana Grande's sophomore album following Yours Truly (2013). I'm not going to bring up another singer who is known for her crazy pipes because frankly I know a lot of people are pretty sick and tired of the comparisons. But alas, Ariana has some crazy vocals that many humans are incapable of. Her rise to fame was a result of appearing on Broadway, numerous Nickelodeon entities and a successful YouTube channel. I liked Yours Truly because of the throwback feel with doo-wops and beautiful harmonies so there were high expectations coming into My Everything. Keep reading for a track-by-track breakdown of the songs on the standard edition!

"My Everything" album artwork

1 - Intro

The record opens with a breathy piano ballad. There's not much to say. It's only about a minute and a half long. I'm personally not a bit fan of intro tracks but it's nice. Nothing spectacular, just a bit cutesy,

Rating: 6

2 - Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea)

The second track is the lead single and what many call the song of the summer (if you're from the northern hemisphere). It's no surprise as the song has two of the most powerhouse artists of 2014. Both Grande and Iggy Azalea having been churning out the hits lately. It features a very prominent sax motif and anything with a good saxophone line wins in my books. The chorus is a bit of a change with a groove feel and Big Sean whispering that he's got "one less problem without ya."

Rating: 7.9

3 - One Last Time

This David Guetta written track is one of my favourites with Ariana singing about how she just wants one more chance with a lost love.  The build ups in the chorus and the hushed pre-chorus are great and gives the listener plenty to pay attention to. It's a more tame aspect of her vocals proving that she doesn't need to hit her head voice in every song. Sometimes simplicity is the best thing rather than playing all your cards in one move, or in this case by the third move.

Rating: 8

4 -Why Try

Why Try is the Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic) penned track that sounds very much like a Tedder track. From my initial listen I did like it but lacked memorability for the most part.  It's still a good song but it did have more potential to be something greater. I guess that comes with having high expectations by attaching Tedder's name. The na-na-na hook will stay in your head for a little while.

Rating: 7.3


5 - Break Free (feat. Zedd)

Out of all the reported collaborations, this one was probably the one I was most intrigued about. For sure it was going to be an electric and lively and it definitely was. I'm not a big electronics person but I felt like there was a happy balance. The last 30 seconds or so are fun as Zedd takes over and you fight the urge to dance around in public. Despite some horrible grammatically incorrect lyrics "now that I've become who I really are" (I can let that slide) it's just a fun song to listen to. And this was also produced by Max Martin who is well-known for slaying those amazing pop tracks!

Rating: 8.5

 

6 - Best Mistake (feat. Big Sean)

Another one of the more simple sounding songs but lace with an entrancing chorus . It doesn't need any out of this world vocals to be good as the soothing style is a big change from the upbeat Break Free. But, eh, just a bit too much of Big Sean's rapping makes it drag on too much for my liking.

Ratings 6.7

7 - Be My Baby (feat. Cashmere Cat)

Be My Baby is the proposed third single from the album and it will leave you singing "be my, be my, be my baby" in your head. The tempo changes throughout the song from snappy verses to slow building choruses. It's usually something that wouldn't be on my radar but it was a pleasant surprise. I would also suggest listening to the alternate version on Cashmere Cat's soundcloud account which you can find here.

Rating: 8.4

 8 - Break Your Heart Right Back (feat. Childish Gambino)

Ariana sings about an ex-boyfriend who cheated on her with another guy! It samples Mo Money MO Problems by Notorious B.I.G and Donna Summer's I'm Coming Out. I personally find the use of the Donna Summer sample a stroke of genius and I do give a bit of a chuckle every time it plays in the background. But I'm going to be a bit nit-picky and bring up something that does bug me about Grande's singing. I find that Ariana just doesn't annunciate the words enough. There are often times when I can't even tell what she's saying (and this goes for live performances too). The opening verse of this song is a good example.

Rating: 8.2

9 - Love Me Harder

Love Me Harder features The Weeknd and I'm going to be honest that I'm not too familiar with his work. The only other songs I've heard featuring him is Elastic Heart with Sia and Diplo and Devil May cry (Both from the Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack). The song showcases a pulsing beat and some eyebrow raising lyrics. Grande gives us a glimpse of her sultry side and probably the direction she'd like to keep going in her music career. Certainly a big departure from the songs on Yours Truly. I feel like something holds the song back from really taking off but it might also just be my own taste. 

Rating: 6.5

10 - Just a Little Bit of Your Heart

Probably one of the most lacklustre songs on the record. I'm going to be honest and say that I do tend to skip it everytime it starts to play. There's nothing that really separates it from other piano ballads that are out there. If Love Me Harder is the song that doesn't fully take off, then this one is the song that stays in the starting blocks. It's a cheesiness explosion.

Rating: 5

11 - Hands On Me (feat. A$AP Ferg)

This Rodney Jerkins produced track is one of the more mature songs but weirdly enough probably one of my most played songs from the album. It's catchy and bouncy that make it so memorable. A$AP Ferg's rap complements the tune and ahem, it's not too long. The banging beats are great for danceability and is probably going to be one of those fun songs for Grande to perform. I'm going to admit that I did get a bit of a shock from the lyrics. I had to look them up again because I couldn't understand her in most parts of the song.

Rating: 8.5

12 - My Everything

To close it out, My Everything croons about regret over a break up. It is significantly better than Just a Little Bit of Your Heart and much more emotive. There's something beautiful about an artist who can show their variety even through their own backing vocals. Although, not one of the strongest songs it does provide a nice conclusion to the record and brings the listener back to the same vibe as the intro. 

Rating: 6.4



Overrall I think the album is jam-packed with potential singles but I do think that it lacks the cohesiveness that was in Yours Truly. There's nothing too evident that links the record together. It's still worth a listen for R&B fans because of its variety. It's nice to see that Ariana doesn't have to rely on her head voice and whistle tones on absolutely everything.

KEEP

Album Average Rating: 7.3/10