I tried to get the album last night at Target but they were actually sold out so I listened this morning on Spotify. I have only listened through all the way once, but went back to repeat my favorites. Here's my thoughts after 1 listen:
1. raindrops (an angel cried) 5/5 - I really love this one, even if it's just a 30-second intro. I loved it from the first clip she posted where she's sitting on the staircase. Beautiful way to open up the album.
2. blazed with pharrell williams 3/5 - One of my least favorites. There just isn't anything about it that really grabs my attention. For such an upbeat song, I honestly found it boring.
3. the light is coming with nicki minaj 4/5 - This song would be so much better without that annoying sample in the background every 5 seconds. It is just so overused. It has effect during the hook but otherwise really doesn't need to be used through the entire song. And it is also very random, like a guy shouting at a political debate about wanting to speak really has nothing to do with what the song is about. It just seems random and done for shock value that doesn't end up adding anything, but rather takes away from it. Other than that, I actually quite like the song itself.
4. R.E.M. 5/5 - I really like this one. This is one of the few tracks Pharrell did that I like. It's very dreamy and relaxing. However, something that I dislike about it is the constant breathing as a beat effect. I found it kind of distracting and annoying.
5. God is a woman 5/5 - I initially thought it was good but didn't get the hype over it but it is always stuck in my head and I actually like it a lot more now. The video is awesome too. Definitely one of the standouts on the album.
6. sweetener 4/5 - I like this one a lot, I don't know if I love it quite yet, but it was one of the ones that stuck out to me. It reminded me instantly of her first album with those retro R&B pop vibes.
7. successful 3/5 – This is my other least favorite on the album, might be my least favorite overall. It just has no real hook to it and the background music sounds like it’s from a video game. I saw someone online describe it as sounding like music from Animal Crossing and that’s pretty much what it makes me think of lol The lyrics are kind of cringey. It’s very filler-ish. Once again, a Pharrell Flop.
8. everytime 5/5 - To be honest right now I am kind of blanking on how it sounded, but I do remember I liked it.
9. breathin' 5/5 - 100% my favorite on the album. I just love it and wish the whole album had lived up to this quality. It is such an anthem and kind of reminds me of Be Alright from Dangerous Woman, not so much in its sound, but it's a similar concept about getting through a tough situation and that everything will be ok. I really love songs like that, especially when they are upbeat. After the first chorus when the beat and bass drop in, it's just fire. I am in love with this song. I remember it made me kind of want to cry while listening to it but in a good way, like it is kind of bittersweet because it's about trying to overcome a bad situation but like in a happy way if that even makes any sense.
10. no tears left to cry 5/5 - Always loved it. Easily one of the standouts.
11. borderline with missy elliott 4/5 - It's ok, not great, but not quite as bad as some of the others Pharrell did.
12. better off 5/5 - I liked this one a lot. It's kind of sad but one of those things where you know leaving a bad situation will be better in the end.
13. goodnight n go 5/5 - This is my other favorite, though slightly behind Breathin'. It is so beautiful and the best part comes towards the end. I got chills listening to it and it made me want to cry kind of. I really love the instrumental part that comes after the hook, it's so cool. It has a modern electronic sound that I hear a lot in production music tracks nowadays, like the kind of stuff YouTubers use in their videos.
14. pete davidson 3/5 – This is just nothing but a filler track. It is so short that there is really nothing to take away from it. And I thought it was cringey to actually name a song after him, it was alright when it was just called pete but calling it pete davidson is just cringey IMO.
15. get well soon 3/5 – I really wanted to like this more because I thought it would be a really emotional anthem about moving on from the Manchester attack, but the sound is kind of just all over the place for me and has this weird production stuff going on. I am just not really sure what to make of it yet. It reminds me of her stuff from Yours Truly.
Overall rating: 4/5 I am not really sure what to make of some of it yet as I haven’t listened enough. There are some hits and misses. I agree with those who say the Pharrell tracks are the weak spots. It seems this album is getting a lot of mixed or negative reviews. The album would be so much better if she stuck mainly with Max Martin and Ilya, their tracks are the standouts. On the other hand, when I initially heard Dangerous Woman I didn’t really care for it and it grew to my favorite album from her. I also appreciate the intent behind sweetener because it’s so different from her other albums, it has more of a theme to it about love and light and happiness. I think many people would be able to relate to it and apply to it whatever they may be going through. I also like that it has a lot of ‘90s R&B influences.
Highlights for me include:
raindrops
R.E.M.
God is a woman
everytime
breathin’
no tears left to cry
better off
goodnight n go