Ariana Grande’s new album Petal branded ‘an old fashioned triumph’

Singer Ariana Grande’s latest album Petal has been branded “an old fashioned triumph” by reviewers.The 33-year-old American singer released her eighth studio album on Friday, featuring songs reportedly about her break-up with fellow Wicked actor Ethan Slater.Read MoreThe Times gave Petal four out of five stars, praising the record for its “distinctly aquatic quality”.The review read: “It is all rather weightless and nonspecific and, while maintaining a spirit of innocence, focuses on adult emotions.“It is also extremely sophisticated, with a confidence that suggests she made the album without worrying too much about what may land well with a contemporary audience…“She has doubled down on her style on an album that’s both dreamlike and old-fashioned a triumph indeed for a land-dwelling superstar.”The London Standard also praised the record for its “polished pop, soft vocal performances and deeply personal songwriting”, and “chart-ready hooks with more intimate moments”.Rolling Stone magazine awarded the album four stars out of five and said Grande is “always at her best when she’s in a mood”.The review read: “The songs on Petal are mostly moody midtempo electro-chill, brooding rather than banging…“The most clever production is Freak, with Eighties low-tech synth-pop buzz (very Yaz circa Upstairs At Eric’s), with digital finger snaps and her intricately layered harmonies.“In the fantastic tune, Ariana ponders the ironies of living in the limelight, turning her private romantic agonies into hit songs.”US music publication Pitchfork scored the record 6.5 out of 10, praising it for being “intimate and experimental” – but also criticising it for re-treading “familiar territory”.The review read: “Petal picks up the thread of 2024’s Eternal Sunshine, not only in its brushstroke vocals, but in its thematic thread of toxic-relationship songs that act as a Trojan horse for musings on the ultimate toxic relationship of fame.”Attitude magazine gave the album five out of five and said it was her “most profound work yet”.The magazine said of the album: “A shimmering, cascading beauty unfurls on Kiss Me, the opener on Ariana Grande‘s new album, Petal, before a strange chittering, like the oncoming of intrusive thoughts, causes it to crash out. It’s an interruption so brutal we had to check our advance stream for defects.“After a moment’s silence, the cosmic splendour returns – all startling bombast and groundswells of emotion. Listening to it, one’s mind is filled with admiration for this woman’s endurance, her seeking of grace, in the face of unimaginable obstacles.”Since launching her career in the 2000s, Grande has achieved eight UK number one singles and five UK number one albums.She is best known for songs such as 7 Rings, Break Up With Your Girlfriend I’m Bored and Bang Bang with Nicki Minaj and Jessie J.