Positions (Deluxe) Ariana Grande

• 1 shut up 02:37
• 2 34+35 02:53
• 3 motive 02:47
• 4 just like magic 02:29
• 5 off the table 03:59
• 6 six thirty 03:03
• 7 safety net 03:28
• 8 my hair 02:38
• 9 nasty 03:20
• 10 west side 02:12
• 11 love language 02:59
• 12 positions 02:52
• 13 obvious 02:26
• 14 pov 03:21
• 15 someone like u 01:17
• 16 test drive 02:02
• 17 34+35 (Remix) 03:02
• 18 worst behavior 02:04
• 19 main thing 02:09
• Total Runtime 51:38

Info for Positions (Deluxe)

Positions is Grande’s third album in as many years – her fourth in five – and if you read Best Fit's review of her last one, we said that thank u, next was “contradictory, assured yet tender… delicate but strong. It’s sweet pop music wrapped in an unbreakable metal shell. It’s beautiful but vulgar. It is, frankly, much more than we could have ever hoped for from her.” Shall we just go right ahead and say the same about Positions? Superb.

Positions amounts to, in just over forty minutes, the dirtiest, sexiest, raunchiest collection of tunes Grande’s ever put out in one go (which is saying something), with the content of the lyrics making more headlines around the world than the actual songs. But what the clickbait articles don’t tell you is that these sexually liberated lyrics also hint at Grande’s sense of completion within herself – of all the people on Earth, Grande’s definitely earned the right to have a little fun.

There’s some truly magical music on this set. Firstly, “off the table”, featuring The Weeknd, evokes prime Mariah in its breathless romance, its hot and heavy sensuality. Abel is in fine voice, too – sounding comfortable and supple, relaxed and controlled in his delivery. Another feature track works out great too – “safety net” makes the most of Ty Dolla $ign’s soothing bleat, using it to complement Ari’s most assured, emotionally sincere vocal on the album.

“nasty” has Grande at her sexiest, promising to give it like he’s never had it, and wrapping these promises around an R Kelly grind, sounding all “remix to Ignition / hot and fresh out the kitchen”. This same sultriness reappears on “pov”, where Grande’s vocal fireworks are given the widest space to burn, and the hook (“I’d love to see me from your point of you”) is dynamite.

Other highlights – including the Doja Cat feature “motive”, and the stunning “Love Language” – switch up the tempo to something a little quicker, in the process giving the album at least a couple of tracks that are likely to find their way onto contemporary radio.

The best track of the bunch, other than “nasty” and “off the table”, is probably “34+35” (no prizes for working that one out), which ends up becoming the mission statement for the whole album. It’s about shagging, but the amount of puns, double entendres and jokes littered throughout is staggering. Lyrically, she’s on fire here: “I been drinking coffee / And I been eating healthy / You know I keep it squeaky” is a particular favourite.

Three albums in three years, four albums in five, and each of them in a minor masterpiece. While thank u, next is probably her best work – and it will probably remain that way forever – Positions is Grande’s most carefree, most playful, most mature work to date. See you all again next year? (Ross Horton, thelineofbestfit.com)

Ariana Grande

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