Album Review.
Likes: That's My Girl, No Way
Dislikes: Work from Home
Overall: Summer-perfect pop; still no real harmonies or strong vocal moments, but the writing has improved some.

I'm one of those listeners that caught Fifth Harmony in their infancy on U.S. X-Factor. I watched them audition individually, be put together and almost win the whole darn thing. I had an early investment. I feel they've progressed steadily, but there are definitely important kinks to smooth out. In terms of their music, they've maintained a wooing, fiery aplomb that grounds them as they coast around styles, so they don't sound like they're having an identity or branding crisis. Last year's Reflection was R&B-laced pop with hip-hop strands. 7/27 (the date of their formation; why the album wasn't released at that time is a mystery to me) is a breezy, jaunty and perfect-for-summer LP of acoustic pop, tropical house and electronic dance. Many of the tracks are an amalgamation of these genres, starting with one type and ending with another, or a different one per section of the song (i.e. verse, chorus and bridge). This can be annoying if you dig a track's initial vibe, but by and large, it earns the producers (which includes Stargate and Alexander Kronlund) points. For example, I would be perfectly fine if "Gonna Get Better" remained a sweet, acoustic "through-thick-and-thin" ballad.
 
The writing has beefed up; it's more pensive and a bit romantic. "Write on Me" (co-written by Stargate and Priscilla Renea, among others) and "No Way" (Victoria Monet) are superlatives. The album wouldn't be complete without some dregs of the low-grade standards of today, though, right? Apparently, the best way to say you're not to be mistaken for an easy catch or lay is "Don't get me f**ked up" (from "Not That Kinda Girl"). The most articulate way to tell a guy he's a treasure is "You're pretty fucking dope" ("Dope"). Lyrics now are so conversational, and not in a good way. The language is casual and ineloquent. There's no effort to have them read like poetry or...well...lyrics. Away from the uncouthness, the funky "Not That Kinda Girl" (featuring Missy Elliott) marks the spot. It's so 80's, that you'd swear it samples Janet Jackson or Prince. "That's My Girl," which singer Tinashe partly penned, hits too: it's fortifying girl-group goodness that will have you ready to attack the day. "Destiny said it, you got to get up and get it, get mad independent and don't you ever forget it," is doubtlessly a deferential nod to one of the biggest-selling female collectives of all-time, Destiny's Child. Part of what made them, and other major groups, so iconic was a signature. No one else could do "Independent Women," but DC. No one else could do "Wannabe" or "Waterfalls" but the Spice Girls and TLC. 5H can't continue to let their sass be their sole discriminating trait (though it's a strong one), while the music lags behind. They have some cute bops, but any other troupe could sing them and it wouldn't make a difference. Moreover, there's nothing that truly showcases their vocal ability, either individually or as an ensemble. Fifth Harmony's their name, but there are barely any harmonies or a cappella moments. The material so far is nowhere near timeless and does them a disservice. At a simple and undemanding level, 7/27 is great to put on and let rip while you clean the house, cruise or host a barbecue. If you have great expectations, hopes and dreams for this party of five (I seriously loved that show), it'll do for now while you wait for things to come together.

Album Review.
Likes: Dangerous Woman, Be Alright, Leave Me Lonely
Dislikes: Everyday, Bad Decisions
Overall: Especially generic music, silly lyrics and a childish basis ruin any possible bright spots
 
Record labels don't do their acts any favors by having them release albums annually, as they could suffer from fatigue (promotional/touring periods are physically and vocally grueling), overexposure, and not having any room to grow creatively. The young and green are hurt the most by this practice, and it's even more damaging with artist development being a thing of the past. Like a seed that's never watered (or even planted), they're left to be impotently stagnant, with only a suggestion of what they could be. As many of her contemporaries, Ariana Grande is a prime example of this. She had vocal dexterity and all the right influences and favorite artists (including Mariah Carey and Brandy), but she was prematurely placed center stage without the tools to cultivate her own identity, brand and trajectory above the minimum pop-starlet requirements (charting and sufficiently likable). It shows when you're thrown in a pool and asked to swim like Michael Phelps. She sold out Madison Square Garden before she learned to sing with zeal and conviction, have stage presence and assuredness, really nail an 8-count and formulate a cohesive "sound" (she waddles between throwback R&B and dance queen).To boot, her imaging was erratic and extreme, going from toddler-teen to sexed-up teen in the blink of an eye (not sure why "genteel young-adult" wasn't an option).
 
Grande sings with confidence and has more writing credits on her 3rd studio LP, Dangerous Woman, but her overreaching problems are just as appreciable. The patterned and non-proprietary way in which the material is drafted denotes it's all about meeting requisites; none of it seems to come from the heart. Many tracks have an effect-heavy, flat-line, characterless and repetitive production design (ex. "Touch It" and "Side to Side" with Nicki Minaj) that goes nowhere. Even when I was making a conscious effort to pay attention, I couldn't. I kept having to replay songs to remember how they sounded (has Max Martin lost his hand of Midas?). The vocal arrangements are predictable; you know what she's going to do before she does it. The lyrics? Lawd, have mercy....there is definitely a theme, but it's disappointingly jejune and callow. Ariana's definition of a "dangerous woman" is a woman who's lustful and chases after bad-boys *rolls eyes.* In March, she told Billboard the record's title was changed from Moonlight to Dangerous Woman because it was "a lot stronger" choice: "I want to be empowering my fans...To me, a dangerous woman is someone who’s not afraid to take a stand, be herself and to be honest." When the new name was first announced, she quoted feminist author Nawal El Saadawi on Instagram: "They said, 'You are a savage and dangerous woman.' I am speaking the truth, and the truth is savage and dangerous." Too bad the lyrics aren't about any of that. What stand is being taken? What savage truth are we tackling? That you're horny? Aren't we all sometimes? It's not like she discussed sex within the context of gender-politics. Using what's actually there, to spring-board from the title-track, Dangerous Woman could've been Crazy Beautiful or "Love the Way You Lie" in album form. Applying it more literally, a self-sabotage or femme-fatale concept would've been efficient. Since no one thought to drive down any of these honeymoon avenues, I'm left to assume the swap had to do more to do with a change in direction than anything else. Seeing as how the song "Moonlight" (also super bland, but pretty) doesn't match the others and "Focus" was dropped altogether, I'm thinking I'm right (plus, she all but confirmed it on Jimmy Kimmel's show).