Review Summary: A clear step in the right direction, but still not reaching her full potential.
Sometimes I wish that modern pop music wasn’t so juvenile. Upbeat production and astounding vocal melodies can, more often than not, be ruined by mindless lyrics and an overall sense of the music itself being for 16 year old girls. Sabrina Carpenter started as a Disney Channel girl, and like loads of others, has propelled herself into international superstardom. The real question is, how do these child stars turned musicians always hit the big time? Her previous album,
Short and Sweet, was a catchy, country-tinged dance pop album that suffered heavily from sounding exactly how you’d expect with themes of break-ups, parties, late night conversations, etc.
Man’s Best Friend is a definite step up and way more consistent than its predecessor, but still far from perfect.
Manchild is the perfect opener, and sadly, the highest point of the entire album for me. The lyrics are kind of childish, but also kind of humorous if you don’t take them too seriously. It kicks the album off on a really fun note with its insanely catchy chorus and Sabrina’s seducing vocals. The production is organic and perfect for a bright summer day. Other tracks like Nobody’s Son, Never Getting Laid and House Tour are heavily influenced by genres ranging from 60s disco and soul to 90s R&B to krautrock, trip hop and minimalistic post-punk. Hearing all of the different sounds is a welcome change from the previous album.
Sabrina really runs into problems on tracks like Tears and We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night, songs that are no more than teenage sobfests. There is zero creativity that goes into those songs; they’re really just taking up space. Manchild is immature too, but it’s catchy as hell and doesn’t have a single line as cringeworthy as “I get wet at the thought of you.” It’s really a shame because there are moments of genius throughout the album, but certain tracks just drag it down. The good thing is, the truly bad moments here are few and far between.
Go Go Juice is a super fun song that wouldn’t sound out of place being sung by some drunks at a karaoke bar. There’s a bit of a Southern twang to it while maintaining all of the twinkly pop sensibilities. There are plenty of moments here that suggest that Sabrina could make an entire album full of country/folk songs and it would probably be a hit. The atmospheric flurry that hits during those moments makes you feel like you’re on cloud nine.
Based on her two most recent albums, it’s clear that Sabrina is a talented artist and she has the potential to create a modern pop masterpiece at some point in her career. It’s also clear that she still hasn’t grown up completely. The teeny bopper breakup anthems can only take you so far and eventually I’d like to see her put her talents all the way together. The flickers of brilliance are scattered all throughout
Man’s Best Friend, and for the most part, it’s a great album with some moments of weakness. It’s a clear step ahead of
Short and Sweet, and hopefully, will be another stepping stone on the path to her magnum opus.
