Yours Truly

Let me just say it first: Ariana Grande is the package deal. I have loved her for a few years now since she first appeared on VICTORIOUS as "Cat" in mid-2011. She stole my heart as the ditzy, red-velvet haired girl with a booming, beautiful voice and I was hooked from the get-go. Needless to say, I was very happy to hear her coming out with this first album and looked forward anxiously for the album's arrival. Though a little late, I am preparing for her sophomore record, MY EVERYTHING, by reviewing YOURS TRULY as well as I can. HONEYMOON AVENUE: This song is a wonderful opener to the album. Ariana delivers heart-felt vocals with clarity, though at times the lyrics are a little hard to understand. I do think though that the lyrical delivery is something of a stylistic choice. When she sings in her lower voice, she produces a huskier vocal, which, though unclear, is quite beautiful. One of my favorites off the album. 9.5/10 BABY I: When I first heard this song I was a little befuddled - I thought, "She is capable of so much more." But, this really is an amazing song. After a few listens, I thought that this really was throw-back R&B at its finest. The opening vamp is so diva-ish, it just makes you go "Woah!" 9/10 RIGHT THERE: Besides having heard of Big Sean through Naya Rivera's freshman single "Sorry" and learning of the two's romantic partnership in mid-2013, I really was first introduced to Big Sean through this single. I was not a fan, but really I am hooked on his music now. I used to hate rap, but I tolerate some rappers now (Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Macklemore, etc.) as long as the material has some substantial meaning. Though this really doesn't, Ariana delivers as a follow-up to "Baby I". 7/10 TATTOOED HEART: Hands down one of the best songs on the album. This song is pure blue-eyed soul, and Ariana just knows how to give it up. Her emotion mixed with her rich, lush vocal ability makes for a genuine tune that I can play over and over and over again. 9.5/10 LOVIN' IT: This song, if nobody has noticed already, heavily samples "Real Love" by the one-and-only Ms. Mary J. Blige. I used to love this song. It's bubblegum pop mixed with some R&B vocals and is nice, sure, but to me...I don't know, it just isn't my favorite for sure. 7/10 PIANO: I thing this song is really just a filler. Catchy, but not memorable, plain and simple. 5/10 DAYDREAMIN': This song is really an okay song. It is in the vein of "Tattooed Heart", but not of the emotional quality I expect from Ari. 7/10 THE WAY: Catchy, I love this song. It gets a little repetitive though and I get tired of hearing it. Wasn't the best lead single to me. There were plenty of other better choices. 8/10 YOU'LL NEVER KNOW: This song is a real grower. I now love this song, though it used to be the only one I wanted to skip when I used to listen to this album. I appreciate it more, now. It is a true-to-form throwback. I love it! 10/10 ALMOST IS NEVER ENOUGH: W.O.W. is all I can say. Wow. I love this song, and I love that it is longer than the COB version, which saddened me at only 3 minutes long. I knew there was more!!! And who knew that somebody from THE WANTED of all bands could sing so well! Probably my favorite off the album. A real classic. 10/10 POPULAR SONG: As much as I think this song shouldn't be on the album, it is really a cool, true backstabbing song. Great vocal performance, though I appreciate Priscilla's version as well. Ariana is much more marketable and really shines on this song. 7/10 BETTER LEFT UNSAID: Like "You'll Never Know", this song was a grower. First I hated it, now I love it and am sad when it ends because that end is the end of the album. I was remorseful that this album did not have a deluxe edition. Amazing, as always! 9/10 In all, this album was amazing, and I can't wait for the new one! 8.25.2014, here we come!!! With love, Kennan Lukacs

I love it! It sounds beautiful on my cd player! I saw one problem! When I opened it the front came off! I was able to put it back on though! Way easier than I anticipated! I honestly am so happy I bought this!!! I hope all arianators loved it too!!!

Ariana is an amazing talent and it is SO easy to compare her to Mariah Carey with her four octave range and a smooth style that combines pop and r&b and a debut album release at 20 years old, the same age as Mariah's. But comparing the two is not fair because Ariana has a style that is quite unique. She proves on this album that she can sing every style of music from Jazz to Broadway to Pop to Hip Hop and R&B. Yours Truly shows all that she is capable of. Of course the music industry is very different now than in 1990 when the album Mariah Carey debuted. The competition has grown immense from numerous alternate sources ranging from pros to homegrown artists on the web. Now with the instant gratification on line, fans are not as patient as before willing to wait for an artist to grow, mature and experiment. So thanks to a team which includes co- producers Scooter Braun and Harmony Samuels and co-writers, Samuels, Babyface(!) and even Jordin Sparks on "The Way," with Yours Truly we get the mature sound and a wonderful showcase of her bag of tricks. What is so impressive about Ariana on this album is how everything fits together so well as she morphs from old fashioned R&B (Honeymoon Avenue, Tatooed Heart) to contemporary Hip Hop (Right There, The Way) to Pop (Baby I, Almost is Never Enough) to Dance (Better Left Unsaid) and even Broadway (Popular Song). Her executive producer credit proves how involved she was in creating this consistency. "Popular Song" is really more pop than show tune, a reworking of Popular from the show Wicked complete with auto tune vocals and synth programming. But throughout it all we never lose Ariana's smooth style. And like the rest of the disc, she never loses her sense of pure enjoyment of the music. Most of the tracks showcase her pure vocals with no audible auto tuning and many jazz influences such as finger snaps. Interestingly while her debut single from Yours Truly "The Way" is a Hip Hop track, that groove is not the most ideal for her artistry. The track with Mac Miller still works very well because it sounds like a collaboration. The vocals sound like they are coming from the same studio and the romantic text is consistent between her vocals and his rap. On "Right There" Big Sean sounds like he is literally phoning it in as a guest artist and the song could still succeed without him. Not surprising considering how many sung/ rap collaborations have the rap taken out for certain radio formats. Her best collaboration on the disc is Almost is Never Enough with Nathan Sykes formerly of the Wanted which was originally released on the Mortal Instruments soundtrack. Their harmonies blend so well it is as if they were an actual act and not just separate artists coming together on one song. Perhaps their harmonious blend translated into more when they became a couple. With this song and the 11 others, Ariana has your attention, brings you in and then never lets you go. Her vocal artistry makes her very easy to enjoy and has me looking forward to her next release later this year.

I have all Ariana's albums except one. I will say that I love this one. All the songs are amazing. You can't help but sing & dance to the album especially when driving, lol.

Man oh man oh man. Ariana Grande. I love saying that name now. Just a week ago, I didn't really care much for her. But last week, on January 29, I listened to Ariana's debut album for the first time. I'm honestly sorry that I had not listened to it sooner (her single The Way didn't really catch my attention and her character Cat Valentine threw me off too (how can Cat sing?)), because as soon as Honeymoon Avenue was wrapping up, I KNEW that what was up ahead (11 other tracks) was going to be SHEER genius. I was not disappointed at all! I have underestimated this girl's musical talent. SHE IS TRULY THE REAL DEAL. People, give this album a listen. I guarantee you that you won't be disappointed. All of the songs are FAN-tastic (Right There music video - I love it). She definitely deserved to win the best new artist award at the AMA's last year. Her killer performance of Tattooed Heart....goosies... Seriously, if Ariana was on American Idol, she would wipe the floor with all the contestants. You wouldn't be able to tell her nothing. That voice is just stellar. One of the best voices I have ever heard coming from someone who's only 20 years old. Ariana has so much control, so much character, so much tone...I can tell it's her singing (even though thousands of people say she sounds like Mariah Carey)... Mmmh mmmh mmmh....I just can go on and on and on about how great Ariana Grande is. This past week has just been Ariana overload. I can't get enough of her. And she's just too cute and seems like she has a really great personality. I'm definitely an ARIANATOR now. BUY THIS ALBUM!

Longtime fans of Grande will rejoice and continue worshiping. This review isn't for them, because they'll buy the album anyway. For those of you tottering on the edge: yes, the album is worth it to hear the freshest voice in pop at the moment, but try a couple songs first. It didn't disappoint, and even exceeded expectations. Good original songs with a couple of tracks previously released. Nothing to complain about there. However, her "original" sound has been tried and true by many other artists. Half of her music is piano ballads, the other R&B. While it's somewhat different because of her voice, various songs across the album are strikingly similar and after a while they all seem to blend together. Honeymoon Avenue, Piano, and Almost is Never Enough are all distinct standouts, but the rest are generally passable. That isn't to say that the album is bad. Taken as a whole, the album is a strong debut but with a good amount of room for improvement. She's already being compared to Mariah Carey, but obviously she will never have the musical influence or talent that MC did. Nevertheless, the album is solid and worth a listen.

I've loved Ariana Grande since I saw her on "Victorious" but I didn't know she could sing until I saw her singing on the show background. She sounded fabulous! I finally got to listen to her sing and I was just blown away. First of all, she does not sound exactly like Mariah Carey! There is a slight resemblance but personally, I prefer Arianas' voice! Her voice (in whistle tone) is pretty, pure and full. Mariah often sounds like she's struggling some. She has great moments though! I still prefer Ariana, though. ALL the songs are GREAT. My favorite is "Almost is Never Enough", which is a duet she did with Nathan Sykes. BEAUTIFUL. I also, love her music videos. All are beautiful and not trashy. She is bringing that fun spirit back into music, which I adore! So many artists keep putting out sex, sex, sex or heartbreak songs, etc. It's refreshing to see a young woman just having fun, laughing, enjoying life and being CLASSY while doing it! On top of it all, Ariana is a sweetheart. She really is an amazing person. She's so kind and lovable. She's a lady and sophisticated. This young woman is more than worth supporting and I always will! Love you Ari!

A Parents Review I first heard of Ariana when my daughter introduced me to Victorious. Since I am a mom of a pre-teen I tend to listen to (and watch) a few things that dare call themselves entertainment. I am 30 so I still have a young heart, but as a parent, some of the music these days worries me. So, I like to listen to (and watch) what my kids do to kind of censor what they take it daily. Long story short (if that's possible) I instantly was drawn to Ariana. I can honestly say that she reminds me a young Mariah Carey with her sultry mature voice and her vocal range. When I first heard "The Way" I thought it was a new Mariah song, even my boyfriend thought so! When we discovered it was Ariana, I was floored. If you watched her on Victorious, you know she was quirky and awkward! This is far from awkward, this is well put together and well presented. There are some songs that are very "POPPY" to me, but for $3.99 I will buy the whole album and play the heck out of the 5 or 6 songs that I like. "Almost Is Never Enough" has to be my favorite. Really brings back that feel of Etta James and Billie Holiday! This album is a must for both parents and their kids as it has something for everyone to enjoy!

A voice like an angel

In goeie staat helemaal zoals een lp hoort te zijn top!!

Yours Truly es el álbum debut de Ariana Grande, y desde su lanzamiento dejó claro que una nueva potencia vocal había llegado al escenario del pop. Con una mezcla de pop y R&B, el álbum muestra influencias de divas como Mariah Carey, especialmente en canciones como "The Way" y "Baby I". Sus melodías suaves y ritmos nostálgicos se complementan perfectamente con la capacidad vocal de Grande, llenando el álbum de armonías dulces y ganchos pegajosos. Yours Truly es un viaje melódico que presenta a Ariana como una artista versátil y talentosa, marcando el inicio de su brillante carrera musical.

War nicht im Päckchen bei der ersten Lieferung. Doch nunnerhalte ich die CD.

Ci sono tutte le premesse per il futuro incredibile di questa giovanissima artista, e tutto meritato dalla sua precoce professionalità.