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CRITIC REVIEWS
83
Positions fits neatly in the pop princess’ catalogue and feels like a worthy continuation of her story. The narratives (much like the vocals) are lush, filled with graceful twists and turns, plenty of side characters to keep our attention, and a star worth rooting for.
80
Ariana Grande's Positions is a perfect pop album in a very conservative sense of the term.
80
With 'Positions', Grande has positioned herself comfortably in a genre that she’s all too familiar with.
80
Using her big voice to whisper through songs that flip your expectations with tempo and ferocity, Positions is a mellow but upfront affair ... Even though bangers are scarce on the ground, Positions solidifies Grande as one of pop’s leading voices.
80
Positions is Ariana Grande’s most carefree, playful, and mature work to date.
80
While thank u, next was an album of self-realization, Positions is an album of self-indulgence.
80
With her pleasure-seeking hubris leaving little to the imagination, perhaps it’s unsurprising that the production plays it fairly safe: Grande falls comfortably back on 90s-indebted, trap-speckled R&B, her voice breathy and gleaming.
74
Her third album in two years searches for peace, tracing the quiet work of piecing yourself together and delighting in giddy new romance at the same time.
72
With Positions, Grande shows that strength can be found in vulnerability, leaving us with a message that feels particularly resonant right now, when everyone is struggling in one way or another.
70
On ‘Positions’, the star’s sixth record, you sense she might be enjoying a new calm.
70
Positions is minor growth, major strength and a solid step forward in the right direction for one pop’s most exciting stars.
67
It might not make for her most arresting album nor her most dramatic, but it’s certainly her most sensuous.
67
Positions isn’t a perfect album, but the LP is a more-than-worthy stepping stone to whatever comes next for the artist.
63
The lack of grit, grunge or goo keeps Positions distant from the listener, sitting far away, somewhere in the dark. Grande needs them to listen, but there’s still no emotional dialogue between the two parties or greater insight into the core of the issues that have her, eternally, switch her “positions” for others.
60
The lack of cohesion here could have perhaps been remedied by allowing a bit more time for the music to grow.
60
Maybe this the entire point of Positions--it's meant to be sex music, nothing more, nothing less--but the swift succession of albums suggests that Grande may have been better off slowing her creative process down just enough to help sculpt the album into a soundtrack that has an ebb and flow, instead of a single sustained thrum.
60
Positions is a loved-up wallow in every aspect of a newish serious relationship, from relaxed domesticity to worries about whether this one can really last, to extraordinary quantities of sex.
60
It might be time for contemporary pop’s reigning vocal acrobat to more fully commit to some new positions.
60
The star's lyrical content is jaw-droppingly good fun, and this sixth record does feature some massive pop tunes – alongside more indistinct material.
60
The tabloids are frothing about the R&B singer’s ‘steamy’ new direction, but her sixth album blurs into one long slow jam.
60
She’s likeable and compelling as an artist, even when she’s at her most creatively static, settling on what is comfortable rather than anything slightly dangerous.
60
Ariana Grande leaves her traumas behind with an RnB album dedicated solely to sex – but it doesn’t quite hit the spot.
50
What Positions has in sensuality it lacks in the production quality and introspection of a Thank U, Next.
50
Once the novelty of hearing about the very healthy state of Ariana’s sex life wears off, there’s not much that’s particularly memorable on Positions.
50
Listening to positions is a strain on the patience of anyone who enjoys infectious choruses, quality lyrics, or sonic diversity, and it’s easily Ariana Grande’s worst album to date.
My friend told me that if I didn't like this record she would kill me...
if I never review again, you all know what happened.
"Positions" is the exact kind of release you would expect from Ariana Grande: pointless, boring, and redundant. She stands firmly in her small bubble of sheltered pop muzak, never daring to attempt anything new or interesting. There is very little (if any) substance to take from this album and it drifts by without a single notice. I will never relisten to ... read more
Guys.
69 is the sex number.
Holy shit.
Edit: So I listened to the album and...yeah, 69 is still the sex number. Why did no one tell me this sooner?!
Favorite Jams: shut up, love language
Lest Favorite: litterally everything else.
Ah shit, here we go again. AOTY is once again under attack by stans!
Message to the Stans (Real review at the end):
You guys have to understand that scores don't matter, right? This is not the way to show support to your favorite artist. This site has a community and what you're doing is breaching our community for someone else's gain, when that "gain" doesn't really give them anything. Also if you didn't already know, one person is running this site. Yes, just 1 person. What you're ... read more
Positions is kinda weak compared to her other albums and the only reason it does better than Yours truly and My everything are a few select songs, Safety Net, pov, motive, positions. These songs are really good but they are in a mediocre album.
her worst, by a mile, in her most popular era, i don't know if it has anything to do with a "stopped trying" narrative, but there are some lyrics in here that feel like old ari wouldn't approve
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Track List
| 1 | shut up 2:37 | 63 |
| 2 | 34+35 2:53 | 65 |
| 3 | motive 2:47 with Doja Cat | 76 |
| 4 | just like magic 2:29 | 70 |
| 5 | off the table 3:59 with The Weeknd | 73 |
| 6 | six thirty 3:03 | 63 |
| 7 | safety net 3:28 feat. Ty Dolla $ign | 78 |
| 8 | my hair 2:38 | 79 |
| 9 | nasty 3:20 | 67 |
| 10 | west side 2:12 | 62 |
| 11 | love language 2:59 | 71 |
| 12 | positions 2:52 | 78 |
| 13 | obvious 2:26 | 67 |
| 14 | pov 3:21 | 85 |
Total Length: 41 minutes
Year End Lists
| #4 | / | USA Today |
| #6 | / | Los Angeles Times |
| #7 | / | GQ [UK] |
| #11 | / | Billboard |
| #20 | / | Uproxx |
| #22 | / | Rolling Stone |
| #34 | / | The Forty-Five |
| #36 | / | Complex |
| #40 | / | The Guardian |
| #49 | / | Clash |
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Added on: October 21, 2020