Remmy Posted December 26, 2019 Posted December 26, 2019 Wow Ariana definitely has a lot in this set, huh? Not a fan of 7 rings & buwyg,ib. The rest are all nice, especially in my head. Interesting to have Shinin' be this high Right Words Wrong Time is nice but I wouldn't call her a Carly discography highlight or nothin'. I prefer NRO over HIH but both deserved to be hits! The GP really gave up on Katy Wicked Love Life's Too Short, Looking at Me, Fire There Will Be Blood + Hopscotch are the KNOCKS!
potent Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 Good Thing is cute, Fire and Contaminated are really cute! I wonder what Ariana is still to come
kiiwii Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 harleys in hawaii snatching top 30 stan a bit! bad idea getting some praise too
KasioKas Posted December 27, 2019 Author Posted December 27, 2019 20. Stroke - Banks This song is pretty brazen with its subject matter - but it's one of the songs that made me completely fall in love with this album. The choices to have an autotune on the word stroke, the instrumental - a basic beat with a mess of static hidden deep in the background, while she calmly sings directly to whoever it's about. The chorus is not much different but she changes it up slowly with her voice in a way that's still sexy, and then that static sound returns. The best part of this song is the lyrics and the weird instrumental that just fits. Then oddly it sounds like a normal dance pop-song in the bridge - before that static returns, it slows ever so slightly and that busy instrumental is back. It's just enough - and makes for an odd but enjoyable listen. 19. Saint Honesty - Sara Bareilles My fave song from this album easily - it's one of the most emotional songs from the album, and my gosh the lyrics once again tells a story filled with vivid imagery. Sara's lyricism should have earned her grammy noms and this in particular is one of her best. The fact that this was all recorded IN ONE TAKE made me love it even more! It's BEAUTIFULLY sung, the first chorus where she gently sings "honesty" on an otherwise head-voice verse and chorus is great. The image of honesty being in the form of much needed rain upon the faces of a dry/barren surrounding - brilliant. After listening to this song as much as I have, I still don't think i've fully grasped what Sara's full message is here; I think of a newly ended relationship, I think of religion, I think of freedom from a bad event that's happened. The final chorus in particular makes several comparances to religious terms, and it, along with the final chorus, are the highlight of this song. The final "RAIN" belt that she holds for a while, screams emotion and pushes her message of seeking the salvation of honesty even further! It's perfect, wouldn't change a thing. 18. needy - Ariana Grande Alot of people were hyped for this one, and Ari did not disappoint at all. She's brutally honest about herself here, and it's refreshing. Noone would dare admit they are needy in relationships or in life, but somehow she has millions singing along to the truth that sometimes we are, and I don't think that's neccessarily a bad thing. When she asks "Tell me how good it feels to be needed" it kinda drives home the point that in any relationship there's dependancy and sometimes it feels good to be leaned on. I love this song from beginning to end, the instrumental is abit loud, but it's constant - with the inclusion of snaps later on. The outro instrumental that takes over when she's done singing is PERFECT (!!) , it's on the same tone as the song and is an absolutely beautiful end. This song is a perfect slow ballad for this album - lyrics such as her beginning the second verse with "sorry" only to then apologise for saying sorry later frequently is extremely relatable, she's aware of who she is in a relationship and is clear about it upfront , and apologises for it over and over. It's heartbreaking but it's honest and I love this song for it soooo much. "after all this damage, I can't help it" reminds us that being needy after trauma is a natural state and reminds us that the whole album is more of a confession and inside look into how she really feels. Hearing her sing this through tears in the earlier live shows was tough to watch - but it again highlights how much of herself she's willing to include on an album and to her audience. 17. Dancing with a Stranger - Sam Smith & Normani Sam really surprised me with this one, I know he loved 5H but a dance pop-song with one of its members where they both shine? What a great track. I love that it's them singing to each other - and I have the perfect image of a mv for this, I really wish they'd pushed it more as a single. The accusatory "Look what you made me do!" over the mid-tempo beat with a whisper of longing that he didn't have to dance with stangers and could just be in their relationship again - yet hoping for jealousy from the other - it's so well done! I love Sam's voice soooo much and the way he sings the first words of each line of the chorus differently to the rest of the line is BRILLIANT ("look what you made me do, I'm with somebody new, Ooh, baby, baby") before sadly finishing the last line "i'm dancing with a stranger" it's so great! Normani matches his emotion perfectly, and mimicks his way of singing the chorus I just mentioned, but adds a bit of sass to her verse. Their voices then mesh together perfectly. Finally, Sam in a lower tone is so fu**ing sexy when he sings the chorus for the last time, while Normani ad libs, and then he smartly switches to (either upper register or a higher head-voice) when he sings it again and Normani joins him ughhhhh I love it! AND the final "I'm dancing, I'm dancing!" That high-note in the background YES SAMUEL THIS IS WHAT I WANT FROM YOU!!!! It's such a departure and evolution from his previous work - it's still heartbreaking but over a more upbeat tone and instrumental. I love it! 16. LOVE AGAIN - Daniel Caesar & Brandy Brandy is really wrong for out-singing this gentleman on his song. Although apparently they're equally credited so she's not technically a feature, he takes up the entire first half before she comes in with her verse, and though slow at the start, begins adding masterful runs and incredible emotion that elevates the song ten-fold. Don't get me wrong, Daniel impressivley keeps up, but the VERY SECOND brandy makes her debut with runs and harmony over the beat she commands it as HER OWN. It's a perfect way to come into the song, and she immediately begins with a perfect lower register before ending her verse with a great run. Here's the thing, Daniel does his part very well, but while he just sings the lyrics, Brandy sings it with ad libs and harmonies added here and there to make it better. Had it just been Daniel, I think this would have been more one-note (no offence to him), but there's so much to listen to when Brandy's included, so many more juicy layers. Man I love her ad libs and runs to songs soooooooo much She skates on this song, she sounds like such an angel. The way she solely ends the song is perfect. 15. Gone - Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens WHEW I love the lyrics to this so much! It's relatable AF. It immediately stuck out as the best on Charli, the instrumental is PERFECT, the lyrics describe me PERFECTLY "Don't search me in here i'm already gone" PERIOD! The lyrics to the entire chorus I sing out loud every. single. time. I feel the same way about most people in most rooms, and in most social settings where you're uncomfortable and have only attended out of obligation, like some family events or some work gatherings, this is the exact feeling you sometimes get where you'd rather be around people you like or alone. The instrumental is a really fun support to both of their vocals. The feature here is so great, she adds to the song rather than taking anything away, and the inclusion of french in singing the chorus - BRILLIANT IDEAEven the outro is great! but the instrumental + lyrics make this song the gem that it is. 14. NASA - Ariana Grande This song also describes me perfectly. It's not that I don't want to be around you most of the time, but dammit sometimes I just need my own space. I learned to love myself and be alone before & without you and sometimes I need a reminder of that. I've experienced this in my own life and really don't get when people take offence to me saying so. This song is really fun, the lyrics are light but the message is very clear, and it's so bloody relatable to me that I HAD to make it this high, because I know EXACTLY what she's singing about and most times "I'mma need space" too! I could literally copy/paste the verses and send it to people and it would convey my message PERFECTLY. The verses are so on point!! "Bottom line, Usually, I would love it if you stayed the night, I just think I'm on another page tonight, It ain't nothing wrong with saying I need me time" YESS ARIANA YOU GET IT!! Also the lyrics are just so clever - "I'm trying to self-discover", "Give you the whole world, I'mma need space", "Keep me in your orbit and you know you'll drag me under" - all match her space theme in a fun way while not straying from the main message. It's just a fun, ACCURATE pop song and one of my most played of the year. 13. Say So (feat. Jojo) - PJ Morton I really wrestled with whether I liked this or LOVE AGAIN more this year , but even though this was released earlier and might've gotten old, it HASN'T. Both PJ (who I didn't know before this song) and Jojo sing with heavy emotion to each other and copped a grammy nom for good reason . PJ holds his own well against his superior vocal counterpart, and Jojo does well to match him on the intro humming and runs. A beautiful way to start . They sing the first verse and chorus together and their runs, their emotion - it all works perfectly. Then Jojo gets her own verse, where she can shine brighter - she lets loose a little, throwing in beautiful runs amidst her lines - the final "I need to know if this is really real, And if you feel the same way that I feel" is excellent. It still holds the emotion but she goes off a little before remembering she's just a feature and pulls it back lmao . Pj including her on this was a smart idea because with her this song is a clear 10/10. The final "lalalala, lalalala" is a cute addition and just fits with the whole song. At first I thought it questionable as it seemed that it was just included for a lack of lyrics in that part of the song, but actually, after singing with such emotion to one another, this part really just brings it back to smiles and love and a more somber mood (esp when you see them perform it live). It's like the song is building up until that point, with the singers frustrated as they sing the lyrics begging each other to "just say so" before this moment, then it calms down, it's beautiful and now one of my favourite parts of the song. Afterwords, the lyrics take a kinder route with "Baby I hope that you understand, This is for my peace of mind" before returning to more emotion at the end of the verse where they're belting again - and dammit Jojo's belts are brilliant!! Her falsetto in the final few lines of the chorus and the piano outro - Perfect decision on her part. It's different but not too much. The song is perfect form beginning to end and is thus my fave collab of the year. 12. Tell Em - Sabrina Carpenter While act 2 was rocky for me, Tell 'Em was a clear and IMMEDIATE favourite. It's lowkey - it's chill - but Sabrina sings it in a lower tone and ACES it from beginning to end. It's clear that this song is about keeing a relationship to themselves, but there's just something about the way it's sung + the lyrics that is soooooo appealing to me. I think Sabrina's take on relationships is similar to mine, keep it lowkey. On Act 1 she sung that her and her partner don't have to go out much, she just wants to "hold tight" and now this kind of pushes that narrative further. I prefer that to being all show-y and flashy about a relationship, not knowing how long it'll last in the long run. I especially love the chorus where she runs on "We ain't gotta teeellllll 'em" while she adlibs and runs around it. My greatest praise for Sabrina last year was her excellent runs and ad libs, they were placed at the perfect time on each song, was never too much, always elevated the song, and this is a perfect sum-up of all of that . I think maybe that's why I like it so much too, and I wish Act 2 had more of it - not to say it's lacking in any way though. I love how long the song is, I love how she's trying so hard to convince her lover. I love how she almost whispers it to him, it's extremely intimate . "So we tell 'em, mmm, It might be too much for them, they might get jealous, hey!" I love that! She's clearly trying to plead her case and make him see her side of it, and she's not giving in or letting him disagree. "I know they can see, I know they can tell it So we ain't gonna tell 'em (Shh)" That shh at the end is PERFECT. She just wants him to hear her out. No, no don't interrupt. I'm right and you know it. I LOVE THAT!! THEN, just when you think the song is starting to sound like much of the same, she switches with the verse "You could be my dirty little secret And you could be my everything I'm needing" again almost whispering, luring him. A soft but intricate run closes the verse. Then the chorus returns, LOUDER, BIGGER AD LIBS. A choir behind her singing the title "TELL 'EM"(though not too grand because this is a chill - mid tempo remember? Are they singing in support of her or against her? Are they telling the guy to tell everyone!?) while she repeats to either him or herself over and over "We ain't gotta tell nothin' to no one" once, then again higher and in harmony. SABRINA FU*K YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I love this song so much wtf? It's masterfully crafted honestly. The final bit, "Ain't got to tell, we ain't got to tell them nothing" repeated over and over. Convince him. Convince myself. Don't say anything. You then start to wonder why on earth she's sooo desperate for noone to know. @Bxtch Thank you for helping me discover this girl. Then the outro harmonies. The outro harmonies a la Brandy or Ariana. I honestly kept seeing Ariana singing this song, she would nail it, but no, what Sabrina did, the choices she made, the things she added. It's all hers and it's perfect. Whew this write-up is long as f**k i'm sure none of y'all will read it. 11. Fix It - Dinah Jane Again, knew little about this girl as an individual, but this song right here is so well made. The intro and instrumental with snaps has a throwback rnb vibe, the lyrics seem personal to her but still relatable for anyone who's wanted to fix a rocky relationship - i'm guessing with family. What I love about this song is primarily the lyrics. Not sure what she's been through but the words "I'm tired of seeing mama fighting for me, But I know she'll keep fighting 'til she knows I'm ready, Well now I'm offering to fix it" is deeply emotional. The chorus, though a seemingly serious topic, is still very catchy, and it's here that she shows her vocal prowess, more than on any other song on this ep. I love that she can actually sing this live, because it's my favourite part of the song. She pulls it back on the verse, mostly to get the listener to listen to the words carefully again, instead of doing too much vocally to match the chorus pace, but begins adding harmonies and ad libs to make it more interesting. I love that the bridge has new lyrics, then the explosive chorus comes in again and it includes additional lyrics too! The temporary commentary - I surprisingly don't mind at all, because it fits the message of the song perfectly. Then, my favourite part - She decides to just go OFF vocally on the final chorus. That high note I- , it immediately made me pay attention on first listen and play it back, it's demanding!, and the emotion behind it is soooo heavy. It's a perfect solution to the build-up that's been happening for the whole song up until then. Her ad libs are great and those high notes . Great end, great song.
ATRL Moderator Tsareena Posted December 27, 2019 ATRL Moderator Posted December 27, 2019 stroke is a bop needy, gone, NASA, Fix It was surprisingly a bop and opened my eyes to Dinah Jane more
KasioKas Posted December 27, 2019 Author Posted December 27, 2019 (edited) Spoiler On 12/25/2019 at 8:35 PM, JGibson said: Harleys In Hawaii + Fire Great songs! On 12/26/2019 at 12:06 AM, Legend E said: Godless and Contaminated Banks delivered with this WHOLE ablum! On 12/26/2019 at 12:18 AM, Mr. Loco said: Ariana slaying this set with 7 rings & boyfriend TALENT On 12/26/2019 at 6:35 AM, Wicked said: Nah I actually really liked The Boys, but it seemed like no one else did lol. I want to give anime more of a fair shake, but the ones people have told me to watch weren't my thing. Nice TV list and I'll be back for the rest of the songs! ah gotcha thanks for checking it out! On 12/26/2019 at 12:54 PM, geodancefreak said: There Will Be Blood On 12/26/2019 at 2:16 PM, Lazuli said: right words wrong time is a strange choice as your top dedicated pick but i appreciate the boldness! contaminated, all the ari songs except boyfriend nn yeah everyone in the album thread ignored me when I said so On 12/26/2019 at 2:56 PM, Jet said: Ari slaying as per usual 22 hours ago, TheWayWeWere said: RWWT delivered omg, finally some love for Boyfriend 7 Rings is too low omg, I need to hear Painkiller, is this JT leftover? Bad Idea and Fake Smile YES Painkiller is so great! let me know what you think! 21 hours ago, kelly-clarkson said: 7 rings, bad idea, Looking at Me, Shameless, Cry For Me, Harley's In Hawaii Every Single Time is the best song on Happiness Begins I have to agree 20 hours ago, Remmy said: Wow Ariana definitely has a lot in this set, huh? Not a fan of 7 rings & buwyg,ib. The rest are all nice, especially in my head. Interesting to have Shinin' be this high Right Words Wrong Time is nice but I wouldn't call her a Carly discography highlight or nothin'. I prefer NRO over HIH but both deserved to be hits! The GP really gave up on Katy Wicked Love Life's Too Short, Looking at Me, Fire There Will Be Blood + Hopscotch are the KNOCKS! Why is shinin this high interesting? I hate you asjhdhjfjb 11 hours ago, potent said: Good Thing is cute, Fire and Contaminated are really cute! I wonder what Ariana is still to come Wait and see 7 hours ago, kiiwii said: harleys in hawaii snatching top 30 stan a bit! bad idea getting some praise too 10 minutes ago, Tsareena said: stroke is a bop needy, gone, NASA, Fix It was surprisingly a bop and opened my eyes to Dinah Jane more LOVE Fix It, i'm definitely paying attention to her now. TWO more updates coming, #1 Album & #1 Song Predictions? Edited December 27, 2019 by KasioKas
Navyofbadgals Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 Needy Gone I'm indifferent towards NASA hasn't really aged well for me, but the verses are still great (a focus tea)
ATRL Moderator kelly-clarkson Posted December 27, 2019 ATRL Moderator Posted December 27, 2019 Oh wow the Sabrina slayage needy is cute I enjoyed Dinah's EP. I hope she sticks with this kind of sound (or similar) which fits her voice because I wasn't a fan of Bottled Up
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted December 27, 2019 ATRL Moderator Posted December 27, 2019 Dancing with a Stranger
potent Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 Dancing with a Stranger is amazing, my #1 song of the year I think I liked Gone, I don't really care for Charli but love Christine & the Queens.
Jorge Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 Dancing With A Stranger Ariana Grande songs are really good
kiiwii Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 dancing with a stranger, needy & NASA act II was indeed rocky, but Tell Em didn't stand out to me. guess it's time i re-listen to the whole album
Remmy Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 Dancing with a Stranger Tell Em & needy Saint Honesty is gorgeous yup, even though I think Orpheus is the better ballad. Gone and NASA both serve excellence Still don't know why Ari didn't put that one out as a single.
Green Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 Dancing with a Stranger, NASA, needy, Gone NASA and needy are 2 of my faves from TUN.
TheWayWeWere Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 Stroke is such a BANGER JoJo serves vocals on Say So NASA my favorite album track from TUN Gone is such a masterpice
KasioKas Posted December 28, 2019 Author Posted December 28, 2019 (edited) Albums List (6 - 1!!) (Each album featured on this list will include two of my favourites) 6. Charli - Charli XCX - TIE Never been a huge charli fan, I consider her music hit or miss, I either connect with it or I really don't. Prior to this I'd only heard some one-off singles, leaks, and I didn't mind Pop 2 or Number 1 Angel and kept a couple songs from both projects. That said, I gave this a shot and was blown away to find out that from start to finish there was literally not one song I wanted to delete. Truly, it flows really well, and most interesting of all to me are the risks she took - the instrumentals are insane, but I oddly didn't mind them. I liked them alot. From the intro song (which was my 2nd intro of the year) to the very weird, cluster-f*ck of features track 'Shake It', it was a really enjoyable listen. There are mindless pop songs, there are emotional, slow ballad songs, her features are mostly pretty great, bar Tommy who... well let's just say i've never heard anyone ruin a song like that in my life. I'm SOOO glad she released another version later with someone who replaces him. I'm definitely gonna keep listening to her going forward, mostly because I can't quite put her in a box, her music style and sound is very odd and I like that. I'm curious to see where she goes and how she evolves. Recommend: Gone // Cross You Out (feat. Sky Ferreira) // Silver Cross // Blame It On Your Love (feat. Lizzo) 5. Inspired by True Events - Tori Kelly I was lucky to hear most songs from this album before release by going to her live London show and was utterly flawed and speechless at hearing this woman sing live. Her talent is undeniable and it was easily one of the best nights of my life and of 2019 . Hearing some of these new songs with a live guitar and some of the stories behind them made me extremely excited for the studio versions and putting them on repeat. That said, when the album finally released, it was a bit different to what i'd imagined.. still great, but let's just say songs sound louder and grander live . The issue here was that most of the album was mid-tempo/slow and while that matches the heavy emotions and really tough year Tori had that fueled the creation of this album, it's so slow throughout that at times you get bored. I was extremely excited to hear new music following her grammy-winning EP last year but this didn't meet my high expectations. Compared to her debut, which had more highs and was a more acceptable mix of uptempo and ballads, this was mostly slower songs that i''ve got to say really hurt replay value for me for the album as a whole. I'm not sure why noone, not even Tori herself noticed this, (perhaps blinded by the emotionally heavy lyrics and how personal they are to her to include a song that's any departure from that) but one can record an emotional up-tempo song.., hell Paramore did a whole album of sad lyrics over up-tempo beats with 'After Laughter', and Ariana did so with 'thank u, next' this same year . That said, where Tori shines with this is her voice (obviously) and the lyrics. She's improved immensely as a writer and it shows, she's able to convey her deepest thoughts, tell stories the length of a song that provide vivid imagery, and invoke the sadness she feels from the listener when playing them . The few slightly upbeat songs like 'Language' and '2 Places' are where she shines brightest, because amidst a sea of sad ballads, these are songs where she's a bit more loud and expressive, a bit more free to sing high notes and include louder instruments and belt here and there. Language is perhaps Tori's best song imo , and it's a shame it's buried on this album. She needs to learn to stop playing it safe and take risks with different producers. She doesn't have to chase hits, she doesn't have to release pop songs that are not her style, but she does have to release a mix of tempos on an album that will keep the listeners engaged and coming back. I've ranked it this high because her voice is impeccable; and whether it be a ballad or up-tempo she includes INSANE runs, riffs and harmonies that make my heart melt. Eventually however, that won't be enough, I need her to elevate to a new level. This album is great because it's a snapshot of her horrible year and she poured it out into song; now it's over, and I hope her next effort reflects a more positive and upbeat vibe, and she utilises her voice to its fullest like she did on 'Language'. Recommend: Language // Coffee // 2 Places 4. Clarity - Kim Petras I didn't necessarily discover Kim this year, heard some of the one-off singles last year but didn't really look into her too much. Then I found out she's trans, has been through a lot to get to where she is and is really vocally talented. I walked into this album with expectations low, but for a debut pop record it's really solid! Putting aside the people she worked with on these tracks, most songs are explosive, fun as hell, vocally powerful on some tracks and overally really enjoyable. The lyrics falter here and there, and there's little/no real emotion in her songs, even in the slower ones, but when she decides to have fun she NAILS the bops and the highs on this album far outweight the lows. For a debut, it's a terrific start and she's definitely earned a new listener in me as i'll be checking out all future work for more hits. Too bad I didn't listen to 'Heart to Break' because it would've been very high on my songs list last year. 'Do Me' & 'Icy' are the two best songs of this album, they're EXPLOSIVE, they're pop music at its absolute best. There are also alot of skips on this though, which is why it didn't make my top 3. Kim needs to get better at having a more cohesive album and better lyrics - much, much better. I love 'Shinin' but it's sooo cringe in its positive message lyrics that it's hard to keep on repeat. How/why did you not re-write some of it? Both verses and chorus have lyrics that are really poor and she's mature enough to sing and know better. I love that she's using her voice to its fullest (even on her halloween EP released later this year), but as a body of work, it can be improved. Recommend: Do Me // Icy // Blow It All // Another One Spoiler 3. Amidst the Chaos - Sara Bareilles I LOVED 'The Blessed Unrest' and was SO excited for new music from Sara - she did not dissappoint at all! She has such a beautiful voice, and again her amazing lyrics tell multiple, detailed stories of love and heartbreak in the most enjoyable songs! Songs like 'Wicked Love' & 'Saint Honesty' are so cleverly written, while others like 'Poetry by Dead Men', another song that invokes imagery, is a bit tongue in cheek but gets her point across. I'll say it again this was robbed for Grammy noms , it's a cohesive body of work, with really interesting sounds that stood out, and I kept playing many of these songs throughout the year. The lovely harmonic "you" on the chorus of 'Eyes On You', the beautiful ballad 'If I Can't You' and GREAT key change. This album felt like a confident scream into the void. Songs like 'Fire', 'Armour' and 'Wicked Love' are empowering, never in a cringe way, but she's speaking to the listener through her songs, maybe through her experiences, in a fullfilling way - a way that makes you want to sing along and feel that same confidence to do better and be better. Recommend: Saint Honesty // Wicked Love // Fire // Armor Spoiler 2. III - Banks So i'd just discovered this girl this year, after her album thread blew up and I decided to check it out. I'M SO GLAD I DID. WHO is this girl whose voice, lyrics and songs are all so great. I love every single song on this album so much and loved the weird instrumentals that were on some of them, like Stroke which never felt like too much. When she releases up-tempos they're BOPS and when she gets slower the lyrics take the forefront and they sound relatable and honest. The intro is my favourite of the year, it's loud, it's demanding AF, it's an explosive start to an album . It then immediately goes to the BOPS of the album to keep that energy, and from then you can do nothing but sit back and listen and enjoy this fantastic journey . There are no skips, not one, the ballads are still interesting and while I don't feel a great deal of heavy emotion from her, the songs are so appealing that I don't care. I don't mind the one feature but i'm sooo glad this is mostly solo, it's a great introduction of her for me and I've seen that others think her last effort was better so I can't wait to dive deeper into her discog. I played this album out and i'm still not the the least bit tired of anything, the replay value is insane! The sign of a high quality piece of work. Recommend: Gimme // Propaganda // Contaminated // Stroke // Godless Spoiler 1. thank u, next - Ariana Grande (& k bye for now (swt live) - Ariana Grande ) Here's why this copped #1. Emotion, lyrics, vocals. That doesn't seem like much, but oh boy it is! No other album this year has come close to providing these three is such large amounts on one album that i've heard this year. In terms of emotion.. well, we all know her recent past, and up until Sweetener I admired her honesty, last year I praised it as a "cohesive message of positivity & life-affirming messages entwined with love in all of the songs' lyrics [...] as well as stunning melodies make this a highlight". But, the positive messages and overall vibe, while honest, was in my opinion a step in grievance that she had to overcome. TU,N on the other hand, is the brutal truth. It's not an artist hiding sorrow and pain behind kindness, but instead tackling that sorrow and pain head on, no bulls**t. This seems more genuine, more real. I admire her SO much for bearing this much of the ugly truth to the world rather than only portraying the sweet positive messages, because it makes the audience connect to her alot more - and hey!, she got her biggest hits from this body of work too. Songs like Ghostin' are so emotionally heavy that, like Ajay said in her review, you really have to be in a certain kind of mood to listen to it again. It's haunting, it's heartbreaking, and it's honest. 'imagine', 'bad idea', 'fake smile', 'in my head', 'needy' all have her telling stories about herself, and what she's like, or what she wants, or what she's been through, and in doing so it's so. damn. relatable because truth is, we're all f**cked up too. In terms of lyrics, my one criticism for Sweetener last year was "the lyrics more than anything, sounded only slightly more mature than previous releases, while still having some kid friendly lyrics that I didn't care for, like on Get Well Soon." but too hell w/that on TU,N. Again, brutal honesty. She bares her inner feelings in 'NASA' and 'fake smile' about what she wants and what she refuses to do going forward, she apologises repeatedly and confesses her tendencies in 'needy', projects her bad habit in 'bad idea' that she may have had while going through her trauma, expresses her deep longing on 'imagine', and therapeutically dismisses past mistakes and looks toward the future on 'thank u, next'. Lyrically, this album is miles and miles ahead of any of her past work (& I dare someone to disagree w/me). She wrote it with friends in a short space of time and laid out her truths and it shows, and it's exactly what i've always wanted from her. In terms of vocals... well come on.. it's obvious. I need not point out the whistle note in 'imagine', high notes in 'bad idea' or 'break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored' or 'bloodline' or 'in my head', it's pointless. She's one of the greatest voices of her and any other generation, and in case anyone dares deny that... THIS PUTA DROPPED A LIVE ALBUM. All I've ever wanted was an HD version of Breathin's bb5 live and she offered it to me on a silver platter, along with 31 more of her songs sung like with a myriad of new runs, highnotes and even an additional new song only performed heard on tour . IMPECCABLE, from start to finish, she shines on every song, and to be able to do that night after night just blows my mind. Some live recordings honestly sound better than the studio versions, which reminds me AGAIN that.. Finally, I just want to leave this quote here again below, she said it in an interview for Sweetener, did it again with this album and it just reminds me why I will forever stan this girl, and why she is amongst my favourite vocalists of all time at such a young age. I'm sorry she went through what she did, noone should have to go through that ever, but this album? What a specatacular way to express your pain through art and sing that art out to the world on a tour night after night . It must be very cathartic for her - she started the tour crying through multiple songs, and ended it belting them out louder than ever. What an excellent pop masterpiece. Quote “Those moments to me are when a song comes together,” Ariana says. “When you get to the chorus, you do a couple of ad lib takes and you do all the harmonies in the world. My favourite things are vocal production, harmonies, and vocal arrangement. That’s when a song has its legs.” Recommend: imagine // bloodline // bad idea // needy Edited December 28, 2019 by KasioKas
KasioKas Posted December 28, 2019 Author Posted December 28, 2019 Spoiler 3 hours ago, TheWayWeWere said: Stroke is such a BANGER JoJo serves vocals on Say So NASA my favorite album track from TUN Gone is such a masterpice YESS!! thank you sis! 4 hours ago, Green said: Dancing with a Stranger, NASA, needy, Gone NASA and needy are 2 of my faves from TUN. album update 14 hours ago, kiiwii said: dancing with a stranger, needy & NASA act II was indeed rocky, but Tell Em didn't stand out to me. guess it's time i re-listen to the whole album Yeah Act II is fine, preferred I. 4 hours ago, Remmy said: Dancing with a Stranger Tell Em & needy Saint Honesty is gorgeous yup, even though I think Orpheus is the better ballad. Gone and NASA both serve excellence Still don't know why Ari didn't put that one out as a single. I don't think any singles would have done well after the album was released. + atrl would drag her for chart positions and s**t 18 hours ago, Jorge said: Dancing With A Stranger Ariana Grande songs are really good 21 hours ago, Mr. Loco said: Dancing with a stranger On 12/27/2019 at 9:51 PM, Legend E said: Dancing with a Stranger 22 hours ago, potent said: Dancing with a Stranger is amazing, my #1 song of the year I think I liked Gone, I don't really care for Charli but love Christine & the Queens. LOVE this DWAS love, Sam truly did that On 12/27/2019 at 9:25 PM, kelly-clarkson said: Oh wow the Sabrina slayage needy is cute I enjoyed Dinah's EP. I hope she sticks with this kind of sound (or similar) which fits her voice because I wasn't a fan of Bottled Up I agree re: Dinah, can't wait for her next EP tbh. On 12/27/2019 at 6:30 PM, Navyofbadgals said: Needy Gone I'm indifferent towards NASA hasn't really aged well for me, but the verses are still great (a focus tea) nn not a focus comparison I- FINALE TOMORROW
Remmy Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 Wasn't feeling Charli (album) - but my top 2 (Gone and CYO) are present on your lil list of faves! Admist the Chaos Clarity + thank u, next are nice although not every song is strong. Do Me, Icy, Saint Honesty, Fire and needy Quote I don't think any singles would have done well after the album was released. + atrl would drag her for chart positions and s**t Yeah, that's true. Still deserved some love though! And well, I'm sure that doesn't matter much except when she interacts with stan twitter
ATRL Moderator kelly-clarkson Posted December 28, 2019 ATRL Moderator Posted December 28, 2019 Coffee is my favorite song on Tori's new album. Even though I'm not used to listen that kind sound, Tori's voice fits so good in that style. TUN bloodline is such a bop bad idea too
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted December 29, 2019 ATRL Moderator Posted December 29, 2019 Sara was quite disappointing for me
witness1.3 Posted December 29, 2019 Posted December 29, 2019 No Lies spotted with Harleys In Hawaii I agree that Charli’s music is very hit or miss but I think self title is the most hit or miss of them all Betty’s self title was awful… just like you I only kept like 6 songs. Death By A Thousand cuts is Top 5 from Lover! Justice for 365!
Jorge Posted December 30, 2019 Posted December 30, 2019 I Love Tori Kelly, I still remember when she was MTV Push Please, don't forget to visit and comment on my Top 100 Countdown
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