If you have heard “Problem,” “Bang Bang,” or any other of Ariana Grande’s smash singles this summer, then you have already heard her entire sophomore album. Her collection of unassuming, mid-tempo songs run together so easily that it’s almost impossible to tell them apart. The tracks from album opener “Intro” to title track “My Everything” sound digitally polished to perfection, with no room for experimentation. A collection of guest stars occasionally help to break the monotony, but none have a particularly great effect. Ariana Grande has a massive set of pipes, but until she’s able to use more than one chord progression, no song will really stand out.
GRADE: C-
DOWNLOAD: “Break Your Heart Right Back”
SOUNDS BEST WHEN: you’re standing in line at Starbucks complaining about “all that reading for class”
