Local fans of singer-songwriter and pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter, or “Carpenters,” would “Please Please Please” like her latest album to be less Short n’ Sweet .
Culture Clash Records, located at 912 Monroe St. in downtown Toledo, hosted a listening party Thursday for the new Sabrina Carpenter album, Short n’ Sweet , which lives up to its name at 36 minutes in length. The event was complete with free Short n’ Sweet -branded journals, temporary tattoos, a contest for a special edition CD, and a video introduction from Carpenter herself.
The event was reminiscent of Carpenter’s sudden rise in popularity after making music for more than 10 years, filled with new fans and yearslong stans.
Carpenter released her first single, “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying,” in March, 2014, but many were unaware of her music until recently. An employee running the event even mistakenly referred to her last album, emails i can’t send , as her first (the 2022 record was her fifth studio album).
Like most of the world, Jaci Tadlock is a newer Carpenter, and was looking forward to more retro sounds and Carpenter’s signature humorous lyrics from her sixth album.
“I’m really excited to see how the overall album is gonna merge ‘Please Please Please’ and ‘Espresso’ because they have different sounds,” said Tadlock. “I’m really excited to hear what she has to say in the songs because she’s so quippy.”
Friends Audrey Bellfi, Taylor Chase, Isabella Okapal, and Krista Russell have been fans of Carpenter since she first starred in the Disney Channel show Girl Meets World in 2014, and Okapal and Russell even have matching tattoos inspired by emails i can’t send.
“With the two songs that already came out, [ Short n’ Sweet ] is very summer, and the new pop,” said Okapal. “I feel like it’ll be like a spicy version of emails i can’t send … she’ll be more confident in this one.”
In a video that was made specially for the record store listening parties nationwide, Carpenter greeted fans in a bathrobe and fully done hair and makeup, thanking them for their support and noting that visits to record stores were a major part of her inspiration to become a singer.
Tadlock’s wish for more quippy lyrics was granted immediately in opening line of Track 1, “Taste,” with Carpenter singing, “I leave quite an impression / five feet, to be exact,” referring to her short stature.
Emails i can’t send was a notable step in the evolution of Carpenter’s sound, showing her range of signature dance pop as well as softer singer-songwriter ballads and a hint of country. Short n’ Sweet expands on this range even further, including songs with sounds from R&B, ‘80s pop, and old-school, Dolly Parton-esque country and bluegrass. It’s hard to fathom that songs “Good Graces” and “Slim Pickins” would ever be sung by the same artist, let alone on the same record, but here they are, and Ms. Carpenter manages to pull it off.
“Good Graces” was a favorite of the four friends, as well as “Bed Chem,” which is reminiscent of early ‘90s contemporary pop, like Phil Collins and Celine Dion, while blending the R&B sounds of Brandy and even Ariana Grande.
As for their review of the entire album, Russell simply said, “It was so good, I loved it. [It was] just what I thought it was gonna be.”
Three of the four friends wished the album was longer (Chase was the outlier, as she doesn’t like long albums), and while twelve tracks is pretty sizable, many of them are under three minutes long.
Ultimately, if Carpenter’s fans’ only complaint is that they wanted more, she must be doing something right.
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