There’s two things my mind keeps tracing back to when I listen to ‘My Everything’ – Nickelodeon and Mariah Carey. I know we all know her very well from those Nick shows, and I know she has been compared to Mariah a lot, but I am yet to be able to set her apart. Undoubtedly, Ariana Grande is talented. The girl can sing, she looks great and she’s likable. Also, credit to her for turning sexy without completely running off the tracks and doing a Miley. Not that new Miley is that bad, but anyway. Ariana is your typical pop star and this is your typical pop album. Even with a little urban vibe, these songs most likely will not have longevity. But, it will be fun while it lasts.

So far, the songs released from ‘My Everything’ have been a clever choice. Break Free would not have been possible and a hit without the touch of Zedd. Problem is a fast paced track that maintains interest and is good for a sing along. Bang Bang, though dominated by Jessie J throughout the whole song, is a lot of fun and it’s exciting to hear who wins the high note competition in that one. Oh, and let’s not forget Nicki Minaj. Nobody has an album without some input from Nicki Minaj in Pop these days. But that’s it. Realistically speaking, these are the strongest songs on the album. If I were part of Ariana’s team, I’d make One Last Time the next release. The big drum, soulful dance rhythm is gelled together with a sweet melody topping. It speaks about the desperation of love from the only one you have eyes for. This one is destined to be big and I absolutely love it.

It’s really hard not to compare Ariana to Mariah when tracks like Break Your Heart Right Back, Be My Baby, You Don’t Know Me and Best Mistake come up on the album. One more than the other, infuse the sweet head voice sound and remarkable controlled runs made famous by Mariah. From the voice, all the way down to the actual beat created to set the foundation for the famous voice, is extraordinarily familiar. The tunes are R&B that allow you to finger click along.

Why Try, Just A Little Bit of Your Heart which was written by 1D’s, Harry Styles by the way and My Everything are your slow flowing and ballads of the album. With a piano laid out across the background of the voice, these songs are angelic and heavenly. Sweet harmonies to tighten up the sweetness of her voice and the pain in the lyrics are also included.

Love Me Harder reminds me of something Lady Gaga would do. It has a slow dance vibe and would have naked people performing contemporary dance in the video if one was ever made. Hand On Me is a fun song which is just filling up space on the album. Whilst, Only 1 is supposed to be fast paced, but lacks the interest with its live band-like sound.

At the end of the day, ‘My Everything’ won’t change your life. It’s not inspiring or exciting. It’s cute. It does need a couple of listens to really get a grip on it, but that’s not how you want your albums to be. Regardless if it’s Ariana’s second or not.

I give ‘My Everything’ by Ariana Grande 3 stars out of 5, and I’m being generous.