Sabrina Carpenter may have reached the pinnacle of her musical career with this album release. Born in the USA, she has managed to create a successful career from both being an actress and a Pop singer. Although her earlier releases were moderately successful but nothing spectacular, this album incorporates a wide variety of influences from genres as diverse as Country, Rock, Disco and R&B. The singles from this album topped different charts across the globe and it seems now that Taylor Swift has some considerable competition, although Sabrina Carpenter herself opened for both Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift on their tours. The album itself was produced by a multitude of producers (as is the way at the time of writing): Julian Burnetta; John Ryan; Ian Kirkpatrick and Jack Antonoff. The album itself was released in August 2024 on Island Records. Let’s take a listen to this album and we shall hear if it is any good.

Taste begins with some good singing and decent-sounding guitar riffs. Sabrina Carpenter sounds like a great singer here. This quickly launches into a catchy and very good piece of music about an ex-boyfriend of Sabrina Carpenter’s. All the same, for 2024 Pop Music, this sounds very, very good and is a catchy and melodic tune that sounds upbeat and enjoyable. This is a breath of fresh air, and the lyrics are very interesting and humourous throughout. A genuinely good song to listen to, this is a fun and groovy effort from Sabrina Carpenter. Good job.

Please Please Please is one of the main singles. It has a funky, cyber Disco sound to it and sounds like a million dollars. Sabrina Carpenter sings about a lover who has been troublesome towards her. There are fantastic acoustic guitars, fantastic singing and a groove and feel to this music that sounds fresh, fun and futuristic. All in all, a good listen with some good lyrics about what a relationship should be. This is a very good song and is nicely effeminate throughout. This song sounds sweet and is a plea to a lover to make things right. Fantastic.

Good Graces has some interesting construction with glassy acoustic guitars and some interesting electronic sounds, before quickly launching into a superb song with a great mixture of acoustic and electronic sounds. Sabrina Carpenter sings well here, and this tune has a contemporary, K-Pop styled feel to it. This is Sabrina Carpenter singing about her disregard for a man in her life, and this album has some overt uses of the F word. In any case, this is a catchy song, although if this album has a flaw, the lyrics are somewhat trashy. Still, this can be easily overlooked. A good song about losing love to hatred, with clean and pristine Pop sounds throughout. Good to hear all the same.

Sharpest Tool begins with some more acoustic guitars and enters into a song about the disappointments that a relationship can bring, and alludes to a man not being the best of the bunch. Nonetheless, this does sound excellent and has a very contemporary musical feel to it all. It is full of passionate and suppressed emotions. If anything, this album is the best example of relationship issues from a lady’s perspective. All in all, this music is very beautiful, nicely produced and matches Sabrina Carpenter’s music and voice. Her singing is very ethereal throughout, although she is singing an angry song here. Nonetheless, a good listen and something that both men and women alike can relate to. Despair about an affair in one’s love life is present here, and the music is a great match for the song itself. A great song about being cheated on.

Coincidence begins with a count in and strummed acoustic guitars, launching into an upbeat song with some fantastic singing that sounds great. This is exactly the sort of music that music listeners, both young and old, need to hear in 2024. This has some great backing vocals in the chorus and is a good mixture of sounds and playing. The lyrics are about a lover who is an obvious cheat, and it is an interesting and nicely layered tune. Although this is meant to sound like a live song, it is not live at all. Still, this is a good listen that makes sense if you find out your lover is a big cheat. Decent to hear.

Bed Chem has a pseudo-1980s musical feel, with funky Fender Stratocaster guitars and launches into a good song about getting it on. It sounds good and has a very K-Pop feel to the music, once again. Although this music is very processed sounding, it is excellent for what it is. An excellent song about dirty sex, just like what Doja Cat would do in her music, this sounds really upbeat and very, very good. Another decent song from this album, and this has some accessible music set to adult themes and lyrics. Very good, all the same, this is an interesting listening experience. Worth hearing if you like contemporary Pop Music. It fades out nicely at the end.

Espresso is the biggest hit from this album. It begins with some warped and funky Fender Stratocaster guitar, launching into an awesome and great song that is listenable, danceable and enjoyable throughout. Sabrina Carpenter sounds confident throughout and she details her romance/sex exploits throughout, comparing her lover to an Espresso coffee. This is a very fantastic listening experience that is gorgeous textured and fun to hear. Some of the lyrics aren’t world-class here, but that is largely forgivable as this is a brilliant track to listen to. If you want a song to listen to with your morning coffee to think about during the day, this is it. Fantastic to hear.

Dumb & Poetic is a more moody tune with more acoustic guitars and sounds really down and distressed. Nonetheless, this song is a sad listen about someone who needs some serious help. Again, this is another great song that sounds like a man who has fallen apart, and who is too effeminate for Sabrina Carpenter. This is very nicely produced and mixed throughout, and it has some moody strings throughout to match it. A sad listen.

Slim Pickins begins with some banjo, and acoustic guitars and has a pseudo-Country Music feel to the music at hand. Sabrina Carpenter sings sweetly about the fact that it is very difficult for a lady to find a decent man these days. A good song, if a little cheesy to listen to. In any case, this song makes a great deal of sense to many listeners out there as divorce rates are sky-high today and young people struggle to hold down a relationship. A weird listen, but an enjoyable song nonetheless. The music throughout is a strange mixture, but again, it sounds good. Worth hearing, once again.

Juno begins with some 12-string sounding acoustic guitar, launching into a good hybrid of Rock and EDM-based beats. This is another radio-ready and catchy song that sounds incredibly gorgeous and melodic throughout. This is a great song about falling in love with a man who a lady desperately wants to get it on with. Nonetheless, again, this does sound really professional musically and romantic lyrically. An awesome and variable song about love and sex, perfectly intertwined from the female perspective. A brilliant and enjoyable song that ladies should play to their lovers if they are itching for some. A set of slide guitar solos are present here, which sounds interesting as well. A very beautiful and interesting listen for young women out there.

Lie To Girls begins with reversed cymbals and launches into a sadder-sounding song with acoustic guitars playing along nicely. This is a tune about dealing with the worst in a partner. The song itself is Sabrina Carpenter demanding male listeners not to lie to their ladies, and it makes a great deal of sense, without being a psychologist listening to this. There are some interesting and layered sound effects throughout, added for emphasis. Unfortunately, guys frequently lie to their other half, and get away with it. Sabrina Carpenter underlines the fact that this is not on, in a beautiful and sonically wonderful song to hear. This music has a ton of layered production and sound effects throughout but sounds rich as a result. Nonetheless, a beautiful song that has a section with acoustic guitars and electronics to conclude with. Good effort.

Don’t Smile begins with some piano and quickly launches into a retro-sounding tune with some heavy beats. This is a good listen but is a little weaker as a tune. This explains why this song is the last on the album. Regardless, this sounds very sad, moving and emotional throughout. It has Sabrina Carpenter stating that her love with a man is over, which is deep and sad throughout. In any case, this song is a very different tune with Sabrina Carpenter putting in her feelings about some painful memories from personal experiences in the past. A really great song for what it is. A decent finish to a genuinely great album to listen to. This ends with some nice guitar parts and the backing track playing on.

This is a genuinely great album that is one of the best Pop albums so far from the 2020s. It has a great mixture of sounds, melodies, production and consistency. Understandably, some of the lyrics are very contemporary but if that is a flaw of this album, it is a very minor flaw. This is a winner of an album to listen to, and it sounds very beautiful and varied from a listening perspective. Should you listen to this album? If you like contemporary Pop Music from a talented female singer who puts her heart on her sleeve, give this a go. Some older music fans will not like this music, however.

A great Pop album of the 2020s.

9/10