After releasing her lead single “Positions”, Ariana Grande put out her sixth album of the same name, Positions, a week later -- her third in only two years. She continues her recognizable and particular sound with vibrant danceable tracks that blend into emotionally tinged lyrics and songs about grief and personal success. Positions present listeners with a more relatable, erotic, and peaceful Ariana Grande.

She opens the record with “shut up”, a track heavily layered with her ever-impressive vocals and luxurious orchestral strings. The song catches her fans up on her life -- her vibrations are high, she’s having fun, seeing things differently, and begging her critics to mind their business. The song prettily flows into “34+35”, a sultry fan-favorite. With her most explicitly suggestive lyrics yet, Grande sings “Can you stay up all night? / Fuck me till the daylight” over more symphonic strings.

The singer has been leaning into her grown woman image since 2016’s Dangerous Woman, but with Positions, Grande fully steps into her sexual prowess. One writer even calls the album her “most theatrically horny work yet.” Grande flaunts her constantly improving and majestic voice with lyrics about feeling sexy, love languages, and a deep craving for sexual intimacy.

On “nasty”, another seductive standout, she shows off her fairytale-like whistle notes and runs while bragging about her divine energy and vigor in bed. The song is carried by its trap-pop beat & rhythm that Ariana previously proved she could master with “7 Rings.” Hit rapper Doja Cat also makes an appearance on “Motive”, a fun and sensual dance-pop club banger with house music influences.

In stark opposition to songs that make her sound like she’s having the time of her life, “off the table” ft. The Weeknd opens with the mystery of if she will ever feel love again. The strings make their return on this synth-heavy track with both Grande and The Weeknd delivering emotion-filled vocals -- a more mature follow-up to their 2014 hit “Love Me Harder.” 

While Grande’s burgeoning sexual power is a constant theme throughout the album, the record also speaks on healing, flourishing into her own person, and discovering new love. “Keep my conscience clear, that’s why I’m so magnetic / Manifest it I finessed it / Take my pen and write some love letters to Heaven” Grande sings on “just like magic”, an upbeat and catchy celebration of her growth. She documents her healing process with lyrics about meditation and spirituality but never tries to seem completely cured.

In addition to being her personal favorite, Positions is Ariana Grande’s most honest piece of work. Though it suffers from several duds and sounds very similar to her last two albums, it still rounds up to be intriguing and fun. Grande is doing things on her own terms now. She is recording and releasing music at her own pleasure, owning up to her faults and fears, and taking pride in her ethereal aura.

The album closes with “pov”, an emotionally raw ballad about her insecurities that feels reminiscent of her early work and sound on Yours Truly. Grande reminds her fans that she is nowhere near the end of her healing process and rid of any problems. There will always more recovery to face as life continues to hit us all with endless obstacles, but Ariana Grande is piecing herself together.