Ariana Grande was born to be a star. Performing in musical theaters since a child, she landed a role in the Broadway musical "13", managed to steal the spotlight from Victoria Justice in her show "Victorious", all the while delivering some seriously phenomenal covers of modern pop music. So why did it take three years to finally get a debut album in stores? Perhaps it was due to the underwhelming performance of her debut single "Put Your Hearts Up", or it's possible that Ariana simply didn't have time to record, since she was kept busy by "Victorious" and her other TV ventures. A more definitive clue, however, may lie in the fact that about a month prior to the release of "Yours Truly", Grande switched the album's title from the original "Daydreamin". Take that into account, and add a surprise summer smash in "The Way", and it's apparent that Grande's biggest influence is Mariah Carey, but she doesn't want to be a mini-Mimi. She'd rather be a star in her own right, so she conflicted with her record label about the direction of her debut, opting for a revised 90s R&B sound rather than a bubblegum-pop vibe in the vein of her TV character. It's pretty ironic, though, as the head-numbing roster of songwriters and producers all try to give her the star-making material she so clearly deserves, going as far as to blatantly rip-off other melodies (see "The Way" again, as it interpolates "A Little Bit of Love" and the lyrics to "Still Not a Player"). Clearly, neither Ariana nor her collaborators learned the lesson of "Put Your Hearts Up"-- which was a watered-down "What's Up?" from 4-Non Blondes--as much of "Yours Truly" is centered around old-school samples, not necessarily as obvious as "Hearts Up", but it's still a bit unnerving all the same. And while that's the only problem with this record, it's a considerable setback, as it was meant to propel Ariana into higher stardom as a singer, not a character. Indeed, "Yours Truly" could be simply put as Cat Valentine meets JoJo, as the syrup is swept across the ballads "Almost is Never Enough" and "Honeymoon Avenue", but the core structure of early 90s hip-hop/soul remains intact with "Baby I" and "Daydreamin". That's not to say that it's all in an unpleasant fashion, because as much as Ariana Grande would love to pull of her own persona, she's never the less able to sell the song she's given. Her charm and sensually sweet vocals bind "Yours Truly", which is no small feat considering that the production can be so laid back, the album kind of drifts away, most of the songs end cold and a bit unresolved. There's no denying that Ariana can make a good record, her prowess has already been proven with "Victorious" and by her own YouTube videos, but "Yours Truly", unfortunately, is not that record. It ends up being good enough, it's not as hip as it thinks it is, but it's smooth and listenable. It's a start, now if Grande can get out of her default mode of covering other artists, then things would get interesting (this being proven in the album's last song "Better Left Unsaid", which boasts an EDM hook and a fresh hip-hop production, two things that hint at what could've been).
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Honeymoon Avenue 2. Baby I 3.
Right There
4. Tattooed Heart 5.
Lovin It 6. Piano
7. Daydreamin 8. The Way 9. You’ll Never Know
10. Almost is Never Enough 11. Popular Song 12. Better Left Unsaid
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