“Yours Truly” by Ariana Grande

Total Album Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

If you haven’t heard of Ariana Grande yet, get ready because you will. The 20 year old singer/actress released her first album “Yours Truly” on Sept. 3, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200. This is merely the beginning for her as her songs and notoriety continue to soar with each passing second.

There is absolutely no doubt that Ariana Grande can sing. Her voice is remarkable. It resembles a mix of Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys. While that’s obviously a huge comparison to live up to, Grande’s high notes and powerful vocals certainly deliver and give the listener something truly unique.

Of course her radio hit “The Way” was one of the best on the CD. However, “Baby I” and “Daydreamin’” were just as impressive. “Baby I” was catchy and fun while “Daydreamin’” had sugary sweet lyrics that perfectly matched the song’s title and Grande’s smooth croons. “Tattooed Heart” was also notably interesting with a melody that fit the lyrics and made it a perfect slow song, just like “Almost is Never Enough.”

“Popular Song” was really catchy, but the line “Cause you’ve got an awfully long way to go,” and the chorus of  the song originates from a version of the track “Popular” from the Broadway musical Wicked. Although “Honeymoon Avenue” and “Right There” were nice attempts, they were too slow and didn’t live up to the hype of the rest of the album.

The only thing that could’ve been left out of Grande’s music was half of the collaborations. Rappers Big Sean and Mac Miller took attention away from Grande, and their lyrics seemed unnecessary. On the contrary, Nathan Sykes from the British boy band “The Wanted” and British singer Mika were nice additions to Grande’s songs because of their similar tones.

Grande is currently making TV and radio appearances  while also  doing small venue shows when she isn’t opening for Justin Bieber on his worldwide Believe Tour, courtesy of their manager Scooter Braun.

Grande has been around the teen scene for quite a while now, playing as Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon’s hit show “Victorious.” She now reprises that character in a spin-off series called “Sam and Cat.” Before all of that, Grande made her start on Broadway in the musical “13.” Little did I know when I saw the show in 2008, Grande would grow into an artist I wouldn’t be able to ignore five years later.

Below is my review of the tracks (out of 5 stars):

1.”Honeymoon Avenue” – 3 stars

2. “Baby I” – 5 stars

3. “Right There” (feat. Big Sean) – 3 stars

4. “Tattooed Heart” – 4.5 stars

5. “Lovin’ It” – 4 stars

6. “Piano” – 4 stars

7. “Daydreamin’” -5 stars

8. “The Way” (feat. Mac Miller) – 5 stars

9. “You’ll Never Know” – 3.5 stars

10. “Almost Is Never Enough” (feat. Nathan Sykes) -4.5 stars

11. “Popular Song” (feat. Mika) – 4.5 stars

12. “Better Left Unsaid” – 4 stars

Lauren Fabiszak is an A&E Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.