Sabrina Carpenter released a deluxe edition of her Grammy Award-winning album “Short n’ Sweet” on Feb. 14 with five new songs.
Do the new songs live up to the rest of the album? Or did they fall short?
The first of the new songs on the deluxe edition is “15 minutes,” a very upbeat and danceable song that fits the vibe of the whole album, and was a great new edition. The song is catchy, lighthearted and fun. I found myself bobbing my head to the beat and tapping my foot while listening to it. This was probably my favorite of the new songs.
The next new song was a different version of Carpenter’s smash hit “Please, Please, Please,” except this version featured country music icon Dolly Parton. This wasn’t just a copy-and-paste rendition of the original song, it was updated with a bit more of a country twist.
I found the song charming since Carpenter was making this with Parton. But to me, this song was a simple cash-out opportunity for both parties involved. I’m already not a big fan of “Please, Please, Please,” so I really didn’t need to hear it again on the album. Sure, it’s cool that Parton was on this track, but my opinion doesn’t change on the song. It’s boring and overplayed, and I really didn’t enjoy it all that much.
Next on the list was “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder,” a ballad. The subject matter of the song was very nice, I’ll give it that. In the song, Carpenter explains how hard it would be to be in a relationship with her since she has been brokenhearted many times by former partners that skewed her view on love. At least that’s what I got out of it.
Usually, I’m not a huge fan of pop ballads. But this one wasn’t too bad. It had all the expected elements of a sad pop song, which is fine. On the same token, I’ve seen this formula time and time again, so it was kind of hard for me to get behind it.
I don’t dislike slow songs, but this one seemed too formulaic despite the touching subject matter. It just didn’t seem very genuine even though I’m sure it was.
“Busy Woman” came next, and this song was a huge 180 from the previous song. This song was rhythmic and followed the overall vibe of the album. It was an enjoyable song, and it was very humorous since it was a completely different sound from the previous one.
In “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder,” she was all sad and down on herself about all her heartbreaks, then in “Busy Woman,” she sent the message, “if you don’t want me, I’m fine, I didn’t want you anyway. I’m a busy woman.” I thought the sudden change in attitude was awesome.
The final new song was “Bad Reviews” and probably my least favorite out of all the new songs. This song was Carpenter’s response to all public criticisms about her and her relationships, but she casually brushes it off, which I love. It’s invigorating to me when artists disregard critics and continue to do their own thing. Way to go to Carpenter for that.
But this song just wasn’t it. I loved the message, I really did, but I just couldn’t like this song. I can’t even pinpoint the exact thing I don’t like about the song; all of it was just bad.
I’ll say it again: the message is great, but the lyrics are basic and the production is lackluster. There was so much that I feel Carpenter could’ve done with this song that she just didn’t. The song felt lazy, and it really wasn’t a great closing to an above average pop album.
Overall, “Short n’ Sweet Deluxe” was a decent album, and most of the songs fit the album well. For fans of Carpenter and even new listeners this is a worthwhile listen. Be aware though, this is just a pop album so you know what to expect listening to it.
