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.

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!

Came right on time for a friends birthday!!! Package showed up with no damage at all . Definitely worth it!!

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.

彼女はアメリカのテレビドラマ「ヴィクトリアス」の出演者として一躍有名になったそうですが、 このアルバムを聴くと、こういったステップがなくても彼女は絶大な人気を獲得していただろうと思えてきます。 このアルバムのテーマは俗に言う"Back in the day"といったところでしょうか。 主に90年代のR&Bの雰囲気を取り入れ、全体的に気品の漂う作品です。 約半分の楽曲はBabyfaceがプロデュースしており、彼女の声にとてもマッチした楽曲が揃っています。 華々しいストリングスの音で始まる"Honeymoon Avenue"はオープニングにふさわしく、 彼女の伸びやかな声と楽曲のもつ華やかな雰囲気に惹きつけられます。 本作からの2ndシングル"Baby I"を初めて聴いたとき、「ポストマライア・キャリー」を突き進むような楽曲だったので、 驚いたのと同時に「こういうのを待っていた！」と、彼女にハマっていきました。 僕は声自体はマライアに似ているとは思いませんが、確かに太い声を出したかと思えば優しいかすれるような声で歌唱する方法は共通するものがあると思います。 ハイノーツもですが。 「『ベイビー、私ね、あのね、、、』って『あなたは私の全てよ』って言いたいのに、いつもうまく言葉にできないの」 というような内容の歌詞もとてもカワイイ。 先日公開されたミュージックビデオでは、キュートかつ美しい彼女が見れます。 "Right There"は彼女がファンだというラッパーBig Seanをフィーチャーし、Lil Kimの"Crush On You"と同ネタ使いのミディアム。 「"The Way"のパート2的な楽曲だ」とアリアナ自身が言っているとおり、曲の構成などが"The Way"と似ていますがこちらはまた違った魅力が楽しめます。 "Tattooed Heart"は誰かのカバー曲かと思うほどの名曲感があり、素敵なバラードです。 生バンドをバックに歌うライブバージョンも素晴らしいです。 "Lovin' it"はメアリーJブライジのクラシック"Real Love"を取り入れた、"Baby I"に通ずるキャッチーさを持ち合わせた曲です。 "Piano"は弾むようなピアノの音がポップで明るく楽しい曲。 ライブで聴いたらきっと手拍子したくなります。 "Daydreamin'"もどこか懐かしい雰囲気の、落ち着いたラブソング。 彼女を世に知らしめた楽曲の"The Way"は王道ネタBrenda Russellの"A Little Bit of Love"使いで 大衆受け必至なのですが、やはりトラックの爽やかさとアリアナの清々しい声が相乗効果を生んだヒットだったと思います。 晴れた日にこの曲を聴きながら散歩をすると本当に気持ちが良いんです！何度聴いても飽きません！ "You'll Never Know"にも一度聴いたときからその可愛さに魅せられました。 「今さらもう遅いのよ」系の歌詞も10代の女の子に支持されそうな曲だと思います。 The Wantedのネイサンとの共演曲"Almost Is Never Enough"は、2人の歌唱力が光る名バラード。 最初から最後まで聴き惚れること間違いありません。 一転してポップなMIKAのシングル曲、"Popular Song"も嬉しい収録です。 ラストはバラードではなく、思いっきりはじけたエレクトロな"Better Left Unsaid"を。 興奮のうちにアルバムは終わります。 アリアナの歌唱力にはもちろん、 デビューアルバムにしてここまで楽しく、耳馴染みしやすい作品を作り上げたことに感動します。 全米で売れに売れている理由も分かりました。 さすがBabyfaceさん！とも言っておきたい。 今年デビューの新人では間違いなくトップと言って良いと思います。 日本盤が出るときは、ぜひブックレットの写真充実やDVD付属などをお願いしたいですね。 ルックスも彼女の最大の魅力のひとつなんですから。