On Feb. 4, I got the best news of my life. Sabrina Carpenter was releasing five new songs as part of her Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe) album. Well, now it’s mid-February, and I think I’ve listened to the songs enough (it’s literally been on repeat), and my rankings are in.
While I firmly believe that every one of the new songs (except one, cough cough) is absolutely amazing and deserves all the hype, there’s a clear order and ranking that they deserve to be in, and I’m here to let you know what it is, starting with my least favorite and moving towards my favorite.
- “Please Please Please” (ft. Dolly Parton)
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Now, please, please, please don’t get me wrong, I love Dolly Parton. But Dolly, hello?! This song sounds like Dolly is tiptoeing behind me but every time I turn around to look for her she’s gone. There’s something about the kind of whispered/hushed tone that just makes it seem like she may be actively plotting something against me.
Dolly has a particular kind of singing voice, and while it fits and works in her songs (“Jolene” and “9 to 5” are classics), it most definitely didn’t work in this one. I’ve tried to give this song the benefit of the doubt, and I’ve listened to it multiple times, but it never sounds right. This isn’t to say Dolly wouldn’t have been great on another song of Sabrina’s. I think she would’ve been perfect on “Slim Pickins,” but “Please Please Please” was not it.
However, it’s important to mention that the music video was great. The moment where we see the guy tied up in the trunk (I’m convinced that it’s Barry Keoghan, but it hasn’t been confirmed or denied) and Sabrina and Dolly laugh, is priceless. I also loved how Sabrina changed the lyrics to respect the fact that Dolly Parton doesn’t curse.
- “15 Minutes”
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I didn’t think it was possible, but Sabrina did it again. She managed to get another song completely stuck in my head after just one listen. I swear I memorized the words to the chorus the second I heard it for the first time. She’s got the perfect formula to make her songs as catchy as possible.
However, this one was just a little too familiar. I felt like it was a little too similar to some other songs on the album. I loved the silly little lines and double innuendos, but it didn’t feel different enough to be higher in my ranking. Now, that isn’t to say I didn’t like it, because I loved it, just not as much as I liked the other ones. Sabrina is sticking to what works for her, and that’s great because it works for me, too. I just wish she would’ve tweaked the recipe just a bit for this one.
- “Busy Woman”
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Now it starts to get really complicated because these last three songs were absolutely amazing, and trying to rank them is like trying to decide where I’m going to eat dinner. So, basically impossible. Similar to “15 Minutes,” I also thought that this song was a little similar to her other songs, however, this one has a different feel to it. It feels a little old school.
It might be just me, but the song reminds me a little of Madonna’s songs from the 80s or even a little of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper. It’s just one of those songs that you can’t help but sing along to, maybe dance a little. Not to mention, this is one of the most perfect getting-ready songs. The beat? 10/10. The chorus? 11/10. The lyrics? I don’t even need to say it; they’re amazing. Also, again, with the innuendos, I’m obsessed.
- “Bad Reviews”
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I love this song. I actually can’t put into words how much I love this song. I think it may be because of that country, western, southern belle-feel that it has. I like to think she wrote this around the same time she wrote “Slim Pickins” because they have the same vibe. It’s a shame that we don’t have more country-esque songs from Sabrina. I may just petition for her to make an entire country album.
I also really liked it because it felt a little more vulnerable than her other songs. For the most part, Sabrina is silly, girly pop all the way, but this one just felt a little more serious. Not to say there weren’t silly moments because there were, but with everything that supposedly happened with Barry, this feels real. I don’t know how to put it into words, but it feels more authentic. “Bad Reviews” would be my favorite song on the entire album if it weren’t for the next one.
- “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder”
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Wow. There’s almost nothing to say. What a masterpiece. I may be slightly biased because Grease is one of my favorite movies/musicals of all time, and this is essentially Sabrina Carpenter’s version of “Hopelessly Devoted To You.” I also love it because Sabrina has paid tribute to Olivia Newton-John many times in her concerts and even dressed up as Sandy for Halloween.
This song is just perfect for so many occasions. Singing with the windows down in the car, getting ready, cooking dinner, and karaoke! The opportunities are endless. There’s nothing more I have to say about this song. I listen to it at least once a day and will die on this hill.
If you haven’t listened to these songs yet, I highly recommend giving them a shot, especially “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder,” which has taken over my playlist. Sabrina delivered everything from playful pop to country-inspired, and now all that’s left is to hear them live. So, when’s the next tour? Or if she isn’t ready for a tour, I’d gladly settle for a new album or at the very least, some tea on what went down with Barry.
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