When you think of Ariana Grande, what pops into your head? Is it her iconic ponytail? The Bb5 belt that she hit in “breathin” during the second leg of the Sweetener World Tour? While I’m sure most of you would answer “yes,” my mind instantly thinks of when she released one of the strongest pop albums of 2016. It was filled with her signature high notes and the most quality pop production and really solidified her spot as one of the main girls in pop music. What was this album? Dangerous Woman.
Normally, pop stars start their albums with the most energetic song on the album to catch listeners’ attention. But Grande is no regular pop star. So what did she do? Start the album with a ballad that would show off her strongest asset - her voice. “Moonlight,” the original title track for the album that was switched last minute, is a classic love song that fans would argue is one of her best ballads to date. Grande belts “I never knew, [...] you could have moonlight in your hands 'til the night I held you” over an instrumental comprised of strings, backing vocals and a snap. The simplicity of the track combined with Grande’s stellar vocals makes this a contender for one of Grande’s best songs ever.
A few tracks later is the house-inspired feel-good certified-bop “Be Alright.” Grande reassuringly tells us that everything is going to get better and that we’ll all overcome our obstacles soon enough. While some songs with this theme end up being cheesy anthems (think “Firework” if Katy Perry wasn’t so charismatic), Grande manages to deliver a fun yet inspirational song that personally makes me want to dance every time I hear it. Many fans love the song for its iconic choreography on the Dangerous Woman Tour. And speaking of concerts, I find that this song is especially motivating during these tough times and I can’t wait to hopefully see Grande perform this song live in 2021.
While Dangerous Woman isn’t as guest feature-packed as its predecessor My Everything, it still has its fair share of rap verses. “Let Me Love You” is a sultry trap banger that features rapper Lil Wayne about loving someone after a breakup. Fans were shocked when this song was released because of its darker production, as they were so used to her upbeat, classic pop production on songs like “Problem” and “Break Free.” The reggae-trap fusion track "Side to Side" features Grande’s frequent collaborator Nicki Minaj. The song is about not being able to walk after an intense night with a lover and it was released as the third single off the album in summer 2016. Minaj’s verse includes some iconic lines, such as “I give zero f*cks and I got zero chill in me,” which was eventually printed onto a sweatshirt and sold on Grande’s website.
One standout track on Dangerous Woman is “Sometimes.” The track is centered around a guitar and modern drums and is about being in love with someone and never imagining being able to leave them. Grande’s vocals sound exceptionally perfect on this song and her voice goes well with the simple yet genius Max Martin production. Not to mention that the lyrics are also great on this song. She sings “Is it love? Is it lust? Is it fear? But it's hard to breathe when you're touching me there, hard to breathe when you're kissing me there, hard to breathe when you're not here” in the bridge of the song. If I could only listen to one song on Dangerous Woman for the rest of my life, this would definitely be my first pick.
In conclusion, Grande soared on Dangerous Woman. Each song is just as good if not better than the last and there truly are no skips on this album. In fact, there are so many amazing songs on this album that we didn’t even get to mention all of them!
Stream Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande on Spotify and Apple Music.
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