The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board.
After a dull summer of music releases, Sabrina Carpenter has come to the rescue with the release of her seventh studio album Man’s Best Friend. The album was released just over a year after her last album Short n’ Sweet and it’s hard not to compare the albums to each other. The success of Short n’ Sweet was shocking to say the least, with three songs hitting 1 billion streams, a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album, and her first album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200; it was groundbreaking. It’s difficult to follow that success so effortlessly.
The previous album cycle was so successful that it felt like Carpenter was jumping the gun with this release. In an era where artists are taking more than two years to work on an album that lasts under an hour, I love it when artists aren’t afraid to keep releasing music as they’re inspired and don’t listen to a release schedule. However, after listening to this album, it feels as though she could’ve spent a bit more time tweaking the album, and it would have been perfect.
My Problem with the Tracklist
The songs on the album are really good, there’s no denying that. But the tracklist is not. Listening to the album for the first time was hectic. Similar to Short n’ Sweet, Carpenter experimented with different-sounding tracks, but they were broken up throughout the album in a way that made sense. In Man’s Best Friend’s case, it makes all of the tracks seem disconnected and ruins the cohesiveness of it. It took a few listens of the album for me to understand what it was going for, and even then, I’m still a bit confused about the order. Carpenter said in a newsletter after the album's release that she tinkered with the tracklist until she felt it was perfect, and this was the product. She also explains that the order is supposed to give the same feeling as someone in a dying relationship, which still doesn’t save the tracklist.
“Manchild” wasn’t the best choice as an opening song. The song is really catchy, but doesn’t fit the rest of the album. It feels like an extension of Short n’ Sweet instead of its own sound, making it feel completely disconnected from the rest of the album. “House Tour” would have been a perfect opener for the album. It highlights Carpenters' clever writing, and the song is about welcoming someone in, which would have been such a fun song to start the album with. There are some songs, like “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry,” and “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night,” that are really good lyrically and sonically, but they come after songs that have such different sounds which makes them hard to enjoy. If the tracklist had been tweaked just a little more, Man’s Best Friend would have been a lot better.
Ears Best Friend
Looking past the tracklist, Man’s Best Friend’s sound is so unique and fun. It’s clear Carpenter is heavily influenced by artists like ABBA, and Dolly Parton, just by listening to a few songs. Her country roots were very strong in songs like “Go Go Juice,” and “Manchild.” It was very refreshing. I love it when artists venture back into the original genre that got them interested in music; it feels like such an ode to the art. The album also has a lot of ABBA-esque pop songs that are so upbeat and simply entertaining. It's easy to tell Carpenter had a fun time recording the songs as well; her excitement and passion for her job seeps through every song.
In my Short n’ Sweet review, I mentioned that ballads aren’t my favorite songs on any albums, and this opinion still holds strong. While I think the ballads on Man’s Best Friend are much stronger than on the previous album, they’re still not my favorite on the album. “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night,” and “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” were fine, but definite lows on the album for me. “Sugar Talking” was surprisingly enjoyable, similar to “Don’t Smile” on the previous album; it’s slow, but the production makes it sound dreamy. Ballads are always important to any album, but sonically, they’ve never been standout tracks. The general sound of the album was a little messy, but the highs are high, which is a win in my book.
Lyricism at its Best… and Worst
Carpenter is a genius songwriter. Her subtle innuendos and sexual metaphors are always silly, and entertaining. While that writing is throughout this album, they feel very hit or miss. “House Tour” is one of Carpenters' best written songs. It drips with humor and metaphors to the point that it becomes addictive to listen to. Trying to get a man to come over by comparing herself to her house and offering to give a “tour” is so bizarre, but only Carpenter could make that metaphor charming. “When Did You Get Hot?” combines a sensual sound with funny songwriting in a way that’s so good. If Carpenter took her songwriting and turned it into a routine, she could be a true stand-up comedian.
On the other hand, “Tears” was a huge disappointment for me. Carpenter has proved countless times that she knows how to be cheeky with her writing, and “Tears” goes in a completely opposite direction; it feels a little intense. On an album that’s chalk full of crazy writing and one liners, writing lyrics like “tears run down my thighs” seem a bit too on the nose. I’m all for creative expression but when we know how she writes, having lyrics so plain and simple on the second track of the album was an interesting choice. “Tears” aside, Carpenter did a great job writing about the end of a relationship in a way that doesn’t seem too serious, but still relatable.
Goodbye
While I do have some gripes with parts of it, this album is going to age like fine wine. It’s hard to hate something that comes from Carpenter, with her eccentric sound and lyrics being so addictive. It’s clear that the criticisms that will come from this album will become motivation for whatever the next album has to offer. Some songs on the album that already stand out to me are “Nobody’s Son,” “When Did You Get Hot?,” “Go Go Juice,” and “House Tour.” These tracks encapsulate Carpenters' sound perfectly, and they’ll stay in my music rotation for a while.
Sources: Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Grammys, Billboard, X/FormelyKnownAsTwitter, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Byte, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify
Images: Spotify, Last.fm, Last.fm
Contact Sam Jasionowski with comments at samantha.jasionowski@bsu.edu or @s.jasionowski on Instagram.
