Sabrina Carpenter may only be five feet, but the release of her sixth album “Short n’ Sweet” soared her career to new heights. After soundtracking the summer with global chart toppers “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” the record released on Aug. 23 and is an intricate mosaic of mainstream pop, classic 90s RnB, country, folk, and rock. “Short n’ Sweet” combines these dynamic genres with her signature witty lyrics, creating an authentic, breezy pop masterpiece centered on relatable romance anthems.
The sensual soft tempos of 90s RnB are prominent throughout the album. In the Christina Aguilera-inspired “Bed Chem,” Carpenter’s vocals glide across the sleek and polished 90s-inspired synths. The song closes out with her vocals riffing to mimic the guitar. “Don’t Smile” is a downtempo, dreamy 90s RnB ballad, where Carpenter layers harmonies throughout the track while flipping the phrase “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.” Carpenter’s personality shines through her pen atop the pop instrumentation, creating irresistible hooks and even instant earworms in verse melodies.
Vintage sounds play constantly within the record. In “Espresso,” the synth and drums are heavily inspired by 60s and 70s disco pop. Meanwhile, country-pop origins are evident in “Coincidence” and even more so in “Slim Pickins,” as Carpenter laments on limited dating options. Flipping the script again, “Taste” is a 70s pop-rock anthem, completed by Carpenter’s snarky vocal delivery, singing over an electric guitar, “I heard you’re back together, and if that’s true, you’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissing you!”
Beyond the pop star’s confidence and cheekiness, “Short n’ Sweet” is also a vulnerable and poignant look into Carpenter’s mind. In “Sharpest Tool,” Carpenter’s vocals sing over guitar strums “If that was casual, then I’m an idiot,” or “All the silence is just your strategy ‘cause it leaves you so top-of-mind for me.” She harps about the bittersweet truths and reality checks she’s confronted in these stripped back tracks. “Lie to Girls” features a guitar pluck that transitions into Carpenter’s vocal layering and a bass that won’t drop, mimicking anxiety as she sings “We love to mistake butterflies for cardiac arrest. You don’t have to lie to girls. If they like you, they’ll just lie to themselves.”
“Short n’ Sweet” delivers the most rounded portrait of Carpenter as an artist and the most confident she’s been in her sound.
Carpenter’s vocal range and agility allow the album’s versatility to shine. From the delicate vocals in “Sharpest Tool” to her projection over prominent guitar riffs and booming harmonies in “Coincidence,” her range allows fans to resonate with the record’s narrative. Despite frequently hopscotching between genres, Carpenter’s artistic vision remains clear, as she narrates the peaks and valleys of a relationship from heartbreak, warning a lover of and setting boundaries, to diving into the deep end of the passion swimming pool.
Rebranding her previous “Emails I Can’t Send” era, “Short n’ Sweet” adopts a lighthearted, 60s aesthetic, from its lipstick kiss imagery to the album’s photoshoot and vinyl design. The cultural phenomena sparked from Carpenter’s iconic performance outfits, TikTok virality aided by her humorous marketing, and cinematic music videos cement a new era for the pop princess firmly in the limelight as a lover girl icon and witty lyricist.
In “Short n’ Sweet,” Carpenter delivers the most rounded portrait of her as an artist and the most confident she’s been in her sound. At just 36 minutes, the record lives up to its name, embedding humorous lyrics with unforgettable melodies to make a refined body of work. Every lyric feels personal to Carpenter and her experience, while still being relatable to listeners with her personality and wit. Above all, from lyricism and production to artistic vision, “Short n’ Sweet” cements Sabrina Carpenter as an entertainer and a star who’s here to stay.
