Sabrina Carpenter: Short n’ Sweet

I first heard of Sabrina Carpenter when she kept changing one of the endings of her songs each time - it was always something cheeky and witty. I honestly thought, this woman isn’t serious but she’s also rather clever. I truly paid no attention at all, but something said to me “listen to the album” and I did just that.

Short n’ Sweet is the sixth studio album from the American singer and while it may be short ( 12 songs, 36 minutes), it’s anything but sweet - I mean that in a good way. The album includes singles Please Please Please, Taste, Bed Chem and the one that had everyone hooked, Espresso. I personally only like Bed Chem and maybe it’s because all the others had their moment so I didn’t get a chance to fully fall in love with the charm in them. However, I can say that all singles did what they were supposed to do - push Miss Carpenter into the spotlight and have the girls in a frenzy.

While this album has been categorised under pop, it really is country. Songs like Coincidence, Slim Pikins, Dumb & Poetic, Lie to girls really capture that country sound (whether people want to admit it or not) - the elements are all there. I truly love these songs as they give me a Dolly P vibe and them both being small and blonde is not the only similarity here. Sabrina’s wordplay and story telling is sublime, she more or less blows up the typical pop girl cookie cutter and makes her own mark.

Understandably the pop element is there, but it’s mixed with 80s nostalgia which is why I absolutely LOVE Don’t Smile.

The album gives grown pop girl and I love it - this is where we would’ve wanted to see certain artists be but I digress. This is about Sabrina.

I can definitely hear this being a European Summer soundtrack for the girls who just want a whirlwind romance, run through little cobbled streets clutching their little cardigans closed while the wind tries to whip it open and sun bathing on yachts that they don’t know how they got on. It’s fun, flirty, funny and also quite serious really.

I truly love when a singer song writes as the words resignate and also captures their personality - I spent the entire album thinking “this woman isn’t serious, but she also is” and “oh no! This shouldn’t be hilarious but I’m laughing because it’s very true” AND just simply smiling.

It’s an easy, breezy listen with lyrics that catch you off guard. I really do like it and I hope to hear more from her.

Rating: Solid 4/5

My Top Songs:

Sharpest Tool

Lie To Girls

Bed Chem

Dumb + Poetic

Don’t Smile

Slim Pikins