Not shorter, but even sweeter (Short n' Sweet Deluxe Album Review)
Regular:
#1: Taste (5/5)
A recurring theme throughout this album is the new love triangle between Sabrina, Camila Cabello, and Shawn Mendes, and this song is all about that. Sabrina's voice is great here, and the production is great as well. This ended up being a smash hit, and I really think this deserved to do that well.
#2: Please Please Please (5/5)
The second single is funnily enough, the second song on the album. I enjoy this a little bit more than I should. The production is really fun, and Sabrina sounds really good here. The country twang is really nice to listen to. This song faded on me, and then regrew on me after they stopped overplaying it so much.
#3: Good Graces (5/5)
I love the production on this one so much. It's so fun. Also, I noticed she also said something about "talking cradles" in this one. Maybe she took inspiration from Taylor, but we couldn't really know. Anyways, this song's just super fun, and Sabrina sounds great. I really hope this becomes a single.
#4: Sharpest Tool (5/5)
This is the "slowest" song yet, but the production is still pretty upbeat. Sabrina's flow here sounds fantastic, and I do like the production. This one sounds weirdly clear, and I don't really know how to explain it. I feel like this will end up being one of the more forgettable songs on the album, but it's still really good.
#5: Coincidence (5/5)
I think this is another one about the love triangle previously mentioned. The production here is more acoustic than the other songs so far, but I kinda dig it. Sabrina's vocals are awesome here, and the whole song is weird but really good.
#6: Bed Chem (5/5)
So we're too lazy to spell chemistry now? Weird. The production on this one is pretty good, and Sabrina sounds pretty good here. The lyrics are a bit explicit, but I don't really pay that much attention to them. I'm glad this was the fourth single, as it definitely deserved it.
#7: Espresso (5/5)
We've arrived at most likely the biggest Pop song of the summer, and it definitely deserves that title. This is just so fun. The production is fantastic, and Sabrina sounds really really great here. Coincidentally, this song also released on the same day as Illusion, a song that I had very high hopes for as well! This definitely ended up aging better than that one...
#8: Dumb & Poetic (4/5)
The first slow song here, and Sabrina pulls it off well. The vocals on this one are off the charts. It's pretty minimalistic production, but those types of songs can work sometimes. The production builds here, and it's awesome. I won't be coming back to this one, but it's still a pretty solid song
#9: Slim Pickins (3/5)
Some of these songs are very country reminiscient, and this one is definitely one of those. Sabrina's voice is pretty decent here, and the production is solid. One of the funniest lines on the album is here, being "Since the good ones are deceased or taken". I don't know why, but that line made me laugh. Anyways, this song is a pretty decent one, but it's not going on my playlist.
#10: Juno (5/5)
I love this one. The production is so catchy, and I could see this being the next single after Taste peaks. Sabrina sounds super good here, and the bridge is awesome. I love when the bridge dies down at the start, but grows right back into the normal song. The little musical interlude is awesome, and the ending is great too. One of the best songs on the album.
#11: Lie To Girls (5/5)
This one starts off pretty slowly, but grows about halfway through the song. I love the production here, and Sabrina sounds really good. Towards the end there's this faster section that I really enjoy. At the end there's a really weird outro section, which kind of makes me think that this song was meant to be the end but they added on this next song...
#12: Don't Smile (5/5)
This song takes a turn on the classic saying "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" and twists it into "Don't smile because it happened, cry because it's over" which is GENIUS. The vocals on this one are great, and the instrumental is lackluster but works well. The harmonies here are great, and it's a great ending to a great album.
Deluxe:
#13: 15 Minutes (5/5)
Why couldn't this be track 15? It would've been perfect! Anyways, the first deluxe track also happens to probably be my favorite track of the deluxe. Sabrina sounds amazing here, and the production is just so fun. I especially love the layers in the instrumental. This really should be the single instead of Busy Woman. It's not too late to pivot, Sabrina! I definitely prefer this over the Madison Beer song of the same name.
#14: Please Please Please (feat. Dolly Parton) (2/5)
So Sabrina decided to get Dolly Parton on a remix for Please Please Please, which makes sense on paper, but it really should've been for Sharpest Tool. The production here is not good, and the mixing reminds me of the terrible yes, and? remix featuring Mariah Carey. Their voices don't mesh well at all, and while they sound great by themselves, sound awful together. The country instrumental also doesn't, work that well, even though it could've if it was executed better. Why did we have to make this?
#15: Couldn't Make It Any Harder (5/5)
I've seen people online compare this to Hopefully Devoted To You by Olivia Newton-John, and it sounds almost identical. I really like the different style Sabrina is going for here, and she pulls it off amazingly. The production is great, and Sabrina's vocal performance kills it here. I really hope to see her sing another song like this in the future.
#16: Busy Woman (5/5)
This track was a digital album exclusive when the album dropped, so I did review this one on my original post. This seems to be the focus track, and I do think that was a good decision, although 15 Minutes would've been better. Sabrina sounds really good, and the production is great too. I also think the "If you don't want me, I'll just deem you gay" line was delivered perfectly and is hilarious. I really enjoy the unhinged aesthetic of this song, and I hope she has more hilarious lines in her next album.
#17: Bad Reviews (5/5)
We've arrived at the last track, and it's definitely an interesting one. I love Sabrina's voice here, and the country production is great too. The harmonica in the instrumental is great, and I love how the production picks up after the interlude. Overall, a great way to end an amazing album
Overall Score: 79/85 (93%) - Great
Favorite Songs: 15 Minutes, Espresso, Juno, Good Graces
Least Favorite Songs: Please Please Please (feat. Dolly Parton), Slim Pickins
So the original album and the deluxe scored the exact same, and I feel like the original should've scored higher. I was a bit too harsh on Bed Chem, and it would've likely gotten a higher score without that review. I really enjoyed the deluxe tracks (minus that horrendous Dolly remix). Overall, Short n' Sweet is as amazing of an album as I remember it being. That's it for this review, so I'll see you in my next post!
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