Ariana Grande understood the assignment, that’s for sure.
She put herself in the hands of Swedish powerhouse producer and songwriter Max Martin. (I told you about this last fall.)
The result is a winning, tuneful R&B album called “Eternal Sunshine.” Ariana wrote all the lyrics. Martin — who’s written dozens of great hits for everyone — did the music.
There’s only one “interpolation” — a semi cover of Brandy’s “The Boy is Mine.” Otherwise, the songs are fresh and melodic and catchy. Ariana sings, she doesn’t put her voice through any tricks. There’s no yodeling. Her gorgeous tones are heard clearly and straight on, with strings and real instruments playing behind her. There’s a trombone!
Like the movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” the album is about forgetting if not forgiving. In the movie, minds can be wiped clean of memories. It seems like Ariana would like to do that concerning her recently ended marriage. She’s moving on with her boyfriend, Ethan Slater, whom she met while making the “Wicked” movies.
The album has a lot of potential singles and very playable tracks that should give it a long life. We haven’t had one of those in a while. Nicely done.
