By Kelly Kim
Correspondent
When you envision sparkly heart outfits, big go-go boots and voluminous silky blonde hair, there is only one person you can think of. Pop sensation and icon Sabrina Carpenter put out her newest album “Short n’ Sweet” on Aug. 23, including pop hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” which were released throughout the summer. It’s safe to say that Carpenter is the definition of what a pop star embodies and what they can be when given the right spotlight.
In her 12-track album, Carpenter takes the audience on a musical journey starting with a warning to other women in her seemingly “successful” relationship in her first song of the album, “Taste.” The album shifts to a heart-wrenching and emotional experience with a complex and unstable relationship in her song “Sharpest Tool.”
Humor is embedded within her various songs, with many bordering on the line of joyful and sad, the rest of the songs on the album all focus on topics that are relatable, current and common, making them great additions to an otherwise pop-focused album.
There is a sense of cohesiveness found within the similar upbeat melodies woven throughout “Short n’ Sweet.” This leaves the audience with a reminder that Carpenter has again come out with a fantastic album that documents the trials and tribulations of what it means to be a woman in today’s society.
From the lack of choices of men in “Slim Pickins” to the extreme and uncontrollable romantic interest portrayed in “Juno,” Carpenter understands the conflicted emotions of lackluster men to choose from to finding someone so irresistibly attractive that there is no choice but to bear their offspring.
Carpenter’s previous album, titled “emails i can’t send,” with pop hits “Nonsense” and “Feather,” garnered an overwhelming response and attention from the public, creating an immense amount of pressure to top.
Despite the initial pressures, Carpenter has created a sound paralleling that of her old music, retaining the same hard-hitting, extremely relatable lyricism with playful wordplay that the audience has become accustomed to.
As a long-time fan, I would say “Short n’ Sweet” is definitely a more developed sound for the singer. Starting with the level of production, one can hear the more refined and distinctive sound of the singer, making it known that she is trying something new and is doing it well. Singers always have to take a chance when it comes to switching up their music, but what has remained steadfast in the singer is her ability to showcase the pop star energy she was born with.
