If Short ‘n’ Sweet embodies a summer fling, full of potential, Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Man’s Best Friend is a portrait of that same romance when reality sets in.
The album is far less controversial than its hair-grabbing cover suggests, but that’s not to say Sabrina has ditched her signature innuendo.
Man’s Best Friend is dripping with the wit we’ve come to expect from the Espresso hitmaker, with Sabrina warning it’s ‘not for the pearl clutchers’.
However, I’m not convinced it’s an instant pop classic like its predecessor, Short ‘n’ Sweet.
Sabrina opens the album with the single Manchild, which is already a certified hit and sets the tone for the rest of the record: cheeky, sexy, and a lot of fun.
It is undeniably one of the best songs in her discography — unfortunately, it was followed up by Tears, which is one of the weakest.
A repetitive exercise, poking fun at men who don’t pull their weight in the home, the second track misses the mark and made me worry for the rest.
Tears is thankfully a blip in an otherwise solid pop record, although there are fewer obvious standouts compared to Short ‘n’ Sweet’s almost perfect run.
Just four songs in, Sugar Talking slows the pace down, a brave decision considering most of her fans will be coming for the Manchild of it all.
She follows this up with We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night, which is again a soft, slow, and dreamy number built for those on-stage belting moments.
While most people won’t be listening to the album in order, Sabrina takes you on a post-breakup journey with her tracklisting, growing in confidence as she goes.
Sabrina’s influences are evident throughout Man’s Best Friend as she effortlessly bounces between 80s synth, country, and even disco, all with a pop twist.
The emotional numbers are balanced with plenty of upbeat pop songs like Go Go Juice and Nobody’s Son, which made me want to spin around my room singing along to the addictive ‘ahhs’.
When Did You Get Hot? is a standout; the girlies will have this on their going-out playlists immediately.
It’s sexy, with a danceable beat, and everyone knows someone who ‘got hot’ after being ‘an ugly kid’ (Sabrina’s words, not ours), so it will immediately resonate.
This is a breakup album for when the crying has faded and you’re ready to get back out there, documenting the struggles of modern dating. Sabrina knows her audience, that’s for sure.
Overall, Man’s Best Friend is a cohesive, well-executed album with a vision that proves Sabrina is here to stay after her long climb to the top.
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