Ariana Grande’s petal Never Fully Blooms: Review

Ariana Grande knows how cruel the world can be. “Society desperate for remedy/ Empathy, fix this reality,” she declares on “kiss me,” the sprawling opener of her eight studio album, petal. It’s no surprise Grande adopted this philosophy – love as the cure for a rotting world – given everything she’s been through: most notably, a terrorist attack during the “Dangerous Woman Tour” in 2017 and the death of her long-term partner, rapper Mac Miller, a year and some change later. More recently, she’s experienced scrutiny from a parasocial public, with many questioning her dalliances with various Wicked co-stars and taking issue – or concern (if you can even call it that) – with her increasingly gaunt appearance. That’s a lot for one person to handle. But, in true pop star fashion, Grande uses her greatest gift – music – to nurse her wounds. Her last effort, the celestial eternal sunshine, saw Grande deploy her post-Sweetener blend of lo-fi R&B and pop to express her woes. Now, her sadness has hardened to “an unfiltered rage.” On petal, Grande triangulates grievances with her celebrity, the press, and lovers past, all while proving she’s still got a few more stylistic circles to squar...