thank u, next – Ariana Grande

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2019	thank u, next	Ariana Grande	★★★½	74	Pop	R&B

After a five-year run with numerous Billboard Hot 100 hits and three solid albums, Ariana Grande’s 2019 record thank u, next is probably her best and easiest to listen through from start to finish. 

“imagine” and “needy” are good R&B-styled tracks near the top, “fake smile” has a good hip-hop beat with a recycled Wu-Tang Clan sample, and “bad idea,” “7 rings” and the title track are the heavy hitting, catchy, pop singles.

It’s not the most innovative record, and Grande’s vocals can sometimes be a bit too showy for me, but it perfectly captures the more sentimental, personal radio pop of its era, and at 41 minutes and only 12 tracks, there’s no filler at all.