‘positions’ – Ariana Grande

2019 was Ariana Grande’s year. After releasing the viral, critically-acclaimed Sweetener in Aug. of 2018, Grande came back just six months later with thank u, next (tu,n). Arguably her best album, tu,n brilliantly fused trap and pop elements on well-written, vocally-impressive tracks that dominated the charts, cementing Grande as a true force to be reckoned with. She broke the record for the largest streaming week ever for a pop album and was the second most-listened to female artist on Spotify for the entire year. Plus, the Sweetener World Tour, which Grande spent the remainder of 2019 on after the release of tu,n, was just as successful as the album, grossing over $145 million over the course of 101 shows.

Thus, all eyes were on Grande when she began teasing her sixth album, positions, a few months ago. Unfortunately, however, positions didn’t quite live up to the expectations set by Grande’s previous work. 

Hear me out. When positions shines, it glitters and gleams. The watery synths, vivid atmosphere and heartfelt harmonies on “safety net (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)” are heavenly, as the pair passionately sing, “I’ve never been this scared before / Feelings I just can’t ignore / Don’t know if I should fight or fly… [You’ve] got me tripping, falling, with no safety net.” 

“pov” is a special, once-in-a-lifetime kind of song. Grande has suffered a lot in love, with the tragic loss of Mac Miller and very public split with Pete Davidson, so the bittersweet melody of “pov” simultaneously breaks and heals my heart. Grande emotionally declares, “I wanna love me / The way that you love me / For all of my pretty and all of my ugly, too / I’d love to see me from your point of view,” showing a new willingness to open up to herself and others again. 

Last but certainly not least, “my hair” sounds like a Christmas song, from the wistful bits of trumpet and leisurely plucks of guitar to sparkling strings and steady drum pad. The lyrics are a different story, as Grande not-so-subtly invites her lover to, “Run your hands through my hair / ‘Cause, baby, that’s why it’s there.” The final chorus of “my hair” is sung entirely in whistle notes, which sounds fantastic, but honestly, hurts my throat a little bit just hearing it, and leads me to one of my greatest points of contention with this record.

positions feels less like a body of work with purpose and themes than it does a chance for Grande to flex her vocal abilities. Though extremely impressive, vocals are only one factor in the big puzzle of an album, and when all the other elements are severely lacking, as they are on this LP, it becomes glaringly obvious that there was no evolution or improvement upon Grande’s catalogue here. Sonically, positions is an awkward, woeful blend of cinematic string arrangements and Grande’s tired pop-trap (“six thirty,” “obvious”). And the lyrics? 

Egregious at some points. Not that Grande has ever been known for her songwriting or story-telling abilities, but goodness gracious. “Even though I’m wifey, you can hit it like a side chick”? “Got the neighbors yelling, ‘Earthquake!’ / 4.5 when I make the bed shake”? An entire chorus of the repeated, “Are you down? What’s up”?

I understand that Grande was going for a fun, light-hearted sound, but it’s jarring to jump from profound, meaningful tracks about learning to love again (like “safety net” and “pov”) to “Tonight, I want to get nasty / What you waitin’ for?” 

As I said earlier, when this album shines, it glitters and gleams. But, the low points on positions are so low, they may as well be in Hell. 

6 / 10