Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter | Album Review
Maybe Not So Sweet, But Definitely Short. Sabrina and her 6th LP
LISTEN TO Short n’ Sweet: APPLE MUSIC | SPOTIFY
Sabrina Carpenter’s 6th Studio Album or, as she calls it, her 2nd studio album, Short n’ Sweet, made a huge debut with 57.3 million streams on its first day on global Spotify, and there is no surprise for that.
Sabrina Carpenter is an American singer and actress who has been dominating the charts with her two striking singles “Please Please Please” and “Espresso”.
If you thought that such a transformation from a regular pop girl to the huge levels of mainstream happened so suddenly, you would be right.
Her previous works from 2015 to 2019 did not get much recognition, although the two latter works, namely Singular Act I and Singular Act II, showed some progression in her as an artist. Those two records demonstrated Sabrina’s journey towards fame, as both releases delved into live and fresh melodies with the incorporation of R&B influences.
However, it was her fifth LP, emails i can’t send, that truly solidified her position as a leading candidate for the pop queen title. Sabrina regards this part of her career as a reboot that starts from sincere and confessional pop with zero sophistication. emails i can’t send grasped the audience with its alternative production, and Sabrina’s ability to go beyond TikTok-songwriting style that allowed her to defy other pop artists and cement her as a new trend in 2024.
With a quick overview of Sabrina Carpenter’s career and why we’re mentioning her here, let’s dive into her latest record Short n’ Sweet, and examine how sweet it is.
Both lead singles “Please Please Please” and “Espresso” showed Sabrina in various positions. While “Please Please Please” is a more confessional pop melodic track, “Espresso” takes on a more dynamic, fun, and catchy tone. With two of those singles, Sabrina already gives us a glimpse of the potential diversity that the full record will offer.
It seemed like the album would lean towards dance or disco-pop, but how does the overall picture look with a complete release?
Well, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short ’n Sweet is quite short but rather bittersweet.
After a great lyrical peak by Sabrina’s standards on her previous LP — emails i can’t send, she delves into the corny and generic topics on that record. Essentially, Sabrina continues taking shots at her exes and exploring the romantic and physical connection with her sex-inclined lyrics.
They don’t sound gentle, or intimate, instead, they are simply straightforward. Like on “Slim Pickins” Sabrina says:
This boy doesn’t even know the difference between there, their and they are
Yet, he’s naked in my room
Since the good ones are deceased or taken
I’ll just keep on moanin’ and bitchin’
Unfortunately, this is not the only example where Sabrina’s delivery of intimate topics doesn’t captivate you but repulse you. On the same track, in the beginning, Sabrina sings:
A boy who’s jacked and kind
Can’t find his ass to save my life;
In other instances, like in “Juno or “Bed Chem”, her seduction is not smart, or flirty, but it is rather corny and cringe. Alongside the bland-like production, Sabrina doesn’t involve you much and falls short pretty quickly.
Talking about production, we get the credits from producers like John Ryan, Jack Antonoff, Julian Bunneta, and Ian Kirkpatrick. With such a big diversity of producers, the album somehow comes across as one-dimensional.
I quite like her work with Julian Bunneta, namely on songs “Don’t Smile”, “Espresso”, and “Good Grace”, however with others, it is more of a hit or a miss.
Jack Antonoff’s involvement was extremely unnecessary. As his synth work, alongside the addition of acoustic guitar instruments on tracks like “Sharpest Tool”, and “Lie To Girls” completely kills off the all originality that Sabrina could have had. Such narrow-minded decisions in production are one of the primary factors why most of the record sounds unoriginal.
Talking about the other leading producer here, John Ryan, his presence was a complete disaster for me. Other than a few notable involvements in “Good Grace” and “Taste”, his tendency for country-pop on “Coincidence” or folk-esque accompaniment on “Dumb & Poetic” both do not benefit Sabrina well.
Those examples of production make Sabrina sound like Taylor and Billie, but not her. Even if her delivery and her majestic voice are the most dominant elements of the song, they just blend in with the regular pop.
However, from the positives, I still liked Sabrina’s more punchy, funky, and catchy production, and I think that’s what she does the best here.
The immaculate catchiness of “Espresso” or “Good Grace”, and the great tempo of synths on “Please Please Please” are great examples of what Sabrina could do best. Memorable bridges that shift from the melodic delivery to something more charismatic make Sabrina an extremely interesting figure to witness in the current pop.
With the example of “Don’t Smile”, it is also clear that with the right accompaniment, ranges of Sabrina’s singing and voice could deliver a decent melancholy that sounds like nothing else but Sabrina.
I feel like I could have received the record much better, if not for the conventional production.
Sabrina should try to collaborate with such producers as Ilya Salmanzadeh, and Max Martin channeling Ariana Grande’s easiness. Both of them could give you a dynamic and memorable production with a mix of confessions and melancholy.
Another thing, maybe she should try next time is to not limit herself to a few producers if you have a short track list. This doesn’t benefit the engagement of the listener, and to my surprise, creates an inconsistent mess.
To sum it up, Short n’ Sweet is a pop record that has a few standout moments, but it doesn’t go further than that.
Sabrina is charismatic, catchy, and dull at the same time. With this being her first major record, she might have potential in future records, as I already foresee plenty of new opportunities for her on the horizon.
As of right now, I give it a 5.3/10, as I have enjoyed quite a few songs.
FINAL RATING: 5.3/10
FAVORITE TRACKS: “Espresso”, “Good Grace”, “Don’t Smile”, “Please Please Please”
LEAST FAVORITE TRACKS: “Lie To Girls”, “Slim Pickins”, “Coincidence”
Scores guideline:
0–2 (dramatically bad)
2.1–4.5 (bad)
4.6–6 (mediocre/mid)
6.1–6.9 (Ok)
7–7.5 (good)
7.6–8.6 (great)
8.7–9.9 (amazing)
10 (perfect)
