Sabrina Carpenter sure is a busy woman who does it all. After coming off her highly successful North American run of the “Short n’ Sweet Tour,” Carpenter has been everywhere. She won two Grammys at the beginning of the month, for “Best Pop Vocal Album” and “Best Pop Solo Performance” for “Espresso.” She was also featured on the cover of Vogue’s March Issue, where she channeled her inner Madonna for the photoshoot. Does this woman ever sleep?
Just this Valentine’s Day, Carpenter released five new songs for the “Short n’ Sweet” deluxe album. As if this album couldn’t get any more iconic and trend-worthy, Carpenter kept things as witty as ever with these new tracks. She even gave us an incredible feature of “Please Please Please” with country icon, Dolly Parton.
Starting off the new tracks is “15 Minutes,” which is as clever and catchy as the rest of the album. Now I don’t know if anyone caught this but, there are a few hidden meanings in the song. The five deluxe tracks are each about three minutes long making the total a glorious 15 minutes. Carpenter is also referencing the famous notion of having “15 minutes of fame.”
She sings, “But I can do a lot with fifteen minutes/Lot of pretty boys, lot of funny business/Take a couple bucks, turn ‘em into millions.” She then goes on to sing about when her time in the spotlight is up, she’ll, “Leak some pictures maybe/Say somethin’ batshit crazy/I’ll do it, don’t you make me.” Her subtle cheeky lyrics about fame and what it’s been like going from a small Disney Channel star to the singer she is now, is beyond bittersweet. Especially if you’ve been following her career from the very beginning like I have.
Once that track ended, we’re hit with “Please Please Please (feat. Dolly Parton).” Now, this is not the same song you know and love. This new version has been country-ified almost like her song “Slim Pickins.” Parton and Carpenter’s vocals complement each other so well, especially their harmonies and overall vocal styles.
As much as I liked it, people have taken to social media to complain about Parton’s voice. Here’s what I say to the haters, she’s a 79-year-old singer and actress with a successful career that most people dream of. Parton and Carpenter also starred in the music video together, which gave nods to the original music video. Take that, Barry Keoghan.
Slowing things down is the next track, “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder.” This track is my least favorite out of the deluxe tracks. I do love its ‘50s feel, and it reminds me of Sandy Olsson from “Grease” and her song “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” which Carpenter has covered several times. There’s been much speculation that Carpenter even sampled the song. Carpenter sings, “But I couldn’t make it/Any harder to love me/Your arms are reachin’/And your eager heart is throbbin’.” Carpenter’s vocal ability truly shines through in this one.
The next track is my absolute favorite, and one I got to see performed live in Philadelphia as a surprise song. “Busy Woman” is back on the clever lyrics and carefree attitude. She’s certainly not afraid to put it all out there in a song, which is exactly what people love about her music. I love her play on the aspects of time in this song, especially when it comes to her referring to having to make room in her calendar for a certain someone. She sings, “Cause I’m a busy woman/I wouldn’t let you come into my calendar any night/But if you want my kisses/I’ll be your perfect Mrs. ‘til the day that one of us dies.” Her tongue-in-cheek, hidden-meaning lyrics are filled with references galore. It makes for one heck of a listen and definitely a good car jam song.
Finally, closing out the album is “Bad Reviews,” where Carpenter takes on another storytelling side. Now, if you can’t tell from the first listen, this is another Jack Antonoff production masterpiece. It has notes of country twang again, as well as an acoustic feel like “Slim Pickins.” It’s the shortest out of the five new tracks, at about two and a half minutes. If only this track were a little bit longer.
She sings about how she’s heard all of the bad news and reviews about a certain someone and yet she still chooses to be in love with them. She sings, “Been alone for so long, I’ve got something to prove/If I close an eye, it’s almost like your red flags are blue/So still I choose to be in love with you.” I’m sure we can all speculate about who this song is about (cough, cough Keoghan), but nonetheless, it’s relatable for a listener in so many different aspects.
If there’s one thing I’m certain of, Carpenter will last more than fifteen minutes in the spotlight, and she should ignore the bad reviews and focus on being the busy woman she is.
