Etcetera OG ✎ COMPLETE

; ariana grande "dangerous woman" album review

                  I'm going to begin this review by admitting that I was never a big fan of Ariana Grande's music. I've no idea why, because I always knew she was crazy talented. But even her big radio hits, I just could never get into.

                  It's different now, of course. "The Way" and "Problem" and all of her other singles finally grew on me – I particularly enjoyed "Love Me Harder," even when it first came out. And lately, I finally know enough about her to enjoy her as a person too. I'm actually even a little annoyed with myself, because I think I used to openly dislike her despite forming that opinion on the trash that's been said about her by my friends or online. I should have done my research earlier, because she's great.

                  So anyway, after hearing "Dangerous Woman" and "Into You," I knew that I had to pay attention to this album. I've never listened to an Ari album in its entirety before (although I'm considering it for Yours Truly now that I see how many of its songs I actually already like), so you'll be experiencing this with me. Apart from those two promotional singles, this is a first-listen review. And I'm pretty excited.

                  Here we go:

01: MOONLIGHT – 10/10

                  I don't know what I was expecting from this song – from any Ariana album opener, at that – but it wasn't this. It's soft and it's sweet, and to be honest it gives me all the Grease vibes. I picture white pillows and white blankets and muted colors – my brain can't decide on soft pinks or gentle blues. I picture a balcony with a crazy beautiful sky, stars on full display and a full moon so bright you hope that somewhere NASA's taking professional photos and documenting it. In an iTunes review, someone said that if your favorite Ari song is "Honeymoon Avenue," then you'll love this. I've never heard that song, so I can't really speak on it, but for those of you better versed in her albums I thought that might be useful. But yeah, despite being surprised, I quickly fell in love with this. Favorite lyrics: He's so bossy / He makes me dance

02: DANGEROUS WOMAN – 10/10

                  Honestly, this was the perfect first single. I feel like I usually don't like when the title track is the first single (don't ask why, I don't even know), but I can't imagine any other being a better choice. It has everything – catchy verses and a strong, catchy chorus, impressive vocals for days, and an edgier sound that sets it apart from her older singles from other albums. And if you haven't seen the video on her Vevo channel singing it a cappella, you should probably go watch it, because it's pretty amazing. I'll say no more, as we've all heard it already. Favorite lyrics: All girls wanna be like that / bad girls underneath like that

03: BE ALRIGHT – 8/10

                  I know this one was released early (or she performed it somewhere?) but I didn't get the chance to listen to it before the album's release. Unsurprisingly, the beat is great. I think I was kind of hoping for more from the chorus; it was mostly just "We're gonna be alright" repeated, which made the verses and the pre-chorus the stand out moments. Both held their own quite well, but I feel like it just wasn't the right song to follow "Dangerous Woman," which was strong everywhere. And from what I've heard of her older stuff, it sounds a lot like this. So bottom line is that this was a safe song. It's easy to like, you'll snap your fingers and get into the harmonies of the pre-chorus, but I don't think it will ever be a lasting favorite. Favorite lyrics: Can't seem to get where we're going / but the hard times are golden