Sweetener

by Ariana Grande

Overview

Ariana Grande never explicitly mentions the bombing at her Manchester Arena concert on Sweetener, the first album she's recorded since that May 2017 tragedy, yet its presence is evident throughout the record. It's there on the opening song, an interpolation of the old Four Seasons song "An Angel Cried," its title suggesting sadness. It's there in the hopeful closer "Get Well Soon," whose gospel turns of phrase play like a benediction. It's there in the percolating "The Light Is Coming," which dismisses darkness. Most of all, it's there in the maturity and focus Grande displays on Sweetener, an album that broadens and deepens the R&B inclinations of 2016's Dangerous Woman. Grande may still find some space for silliness -- witness "Pete Davidson," a minute-long ode to her fiance which winds up with her repeating "happy" as if it were a mantra -- but Sweetener never seems frivolous. The love songs carry weight, there's gravity in the effervescent re-creations of disco; the sparkling EDM surfaces of "Good Night N Go" coalesce into a sweet romanticism, and the big club beats seem elastic, not rigid. Similarly, Grande never pushes these songs too hard. Instead of favoring vocal pyrotechnics, she demonstrates restraint, which isn't merely an indication of stylistic maturation but how her songs resonate without such tricks. Such concentration doesn't simply result in a stronger set of songs, but an album that coheres in a way other Ariana Grande albums don't, which means Sweetener is something of a double triumph: she's come through a tough time stronger and better than before. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	08/17/2018
Label:	Republic
UPC:	0602567838098

Tracks

1. raindrops (an angel cried)
2. blazed
3. The light is coming
4. R.E.M.
5. God is a woman
6. sweetener
7. successful
8. Every Time
9. breathin
10. no tears left to cry
11. borderline
12. better off
13. goodnight n go
14. pete davidson
15. get well soon

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ariana Grande   Primary Artist,Lead Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Missy Elliott   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Nicki Minaj   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Pharrell Williams   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Rickard Goeransson   Guitar
ILYA   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Max Martin   Bass,Drums,Keyboards,Percussion
Ilya Salmanzadeh   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Peter Lee Johnson   Strings

Technical Credits

Charles Anderson   Composer,Producer
Bill Zimmerman   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Ben Sedano   Assistant Engineer
Jeremy Lertola   Assistant Engineer
Robin Florent   Mixing Assistant
Nathan Scherrer   Video Producer
Scott Desmarais   Mixing Assistant
Manny Park   Assistant Engineer
Brian Malik Baptiste   Composer,Producer
Kim Krysiuk   Composer
Ethan Tobman   Production Design
Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Sam Holland   Engineer,Mixing
Noah Passovoy   Engineer
Randy Merrill   Mastering
Hart Gunther   Assistant Engineer
Andrew Coleman   Arranger,Engineer,Digital Editing
Hit-Boy   Producer
Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine   Vocal Engineer,Vocal Recording
David Kim   Assistant Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Ramon Rivas   Assistant Engineer
Rickard Goeransson   Composer
Ariana Grande   Composer,Executive Producer
Dave Meyers   Video Director
Mike Larson   Arranger,Engineer,Programming,Digital Editing
Onika Maraj   Composer
Chris Khan   Assistant Engineer
Nick Gilberg   Video Editor
Stefan Sonnenfeld   Colorist
Iain Findlay   Assistant Engineer,Assistant Engineer
ILYA   Mixing,Producer,Programming
Eazy $ign   Engineer
Scooter Braun   Executive Producer
Bob Gaudio   Composer
Imogen Heap   Composer
John Hanes   Mixing,Engineer,Assistant,Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Pharrell Williams   Composer,Producer
Max Martin   Composer,Producer,Programming
Michael Foster   Composer,Producer
Missy Elliott   Composer,Engineer
Manny Marroquin   Mixing
Peter Svensson   Composer
Phil Tan   Mixing
Savan Kotecha   Composer
Nicki Minaj   Artist
Corte Ellis   Engineer
Chris Galland   Mixing Assistant
Chris Kahn   Assistant Engineer
Scott Cunningham   Photography Director
Kris Crawford   Assistant Engineer
Cory Bice   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Guillermo Lefeld   Assistant Engineer
Maxine Ashley   Composer
Thomas Cullison   Assistant Engineer
Jacob Dennis   Assistant Engineer
Ilya Salmanzadeh   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Programming
Chauncey Hollis   Composer
Brendan Morawski   Assistant Engineer
Jon Sher   Assistant Engineer
Victoria Monet   Composer
Tommy Brown   Composer,Producer