Two very different female solo artists this week. Arooj Aftab inhabits a space between folk and jazz on Night Reign. Sabrina Carpenter is between country and 1980s pop on her breakout album Short ‘n’ Sweet.
Arooj Aftab
Night Reign
2024, 7.5/10
Arooj Aftab enjoyed a critical breakthrough with 2021’s Vulture Prince. The Pakistani-born musician enjoyed the patronage of Barack Obama, making his end-of-year list, while Rolling Stone staff ranked it as the 6th best album of the year. She’s back, although she faced some internal pressure in making a followup record:
“need[ed] to be better, or at least the same… or at least it really needs to not suck. You know, when you have a record that people really love, you’re kind of fucked, because the next one has to be equally good or better. And that’s really scary. My mind was preoccupied with how to take the sound further.”
Arooj Aftab, Arooj Aftab Just Wants to Have Fun, Rolling Stone
Aftab sacrifices some of her mystique – her exotic inscrutability was previously a major asset. Here she’s playing the standard ‘Autumn Leaves’, and reworking ‘Last Night’ from Vulture Prince with Elvis Costello on electric piano. Along with the straightforward ‘Whiskey’, the curtain is lowered and her mystique is dimmed.
But the good parts are as strong as the best of Vulture Prince. There’s a great pair of opening tracks, with gorgeous guitar running through the opener ‘Aey Nehin’.
‘Raat Ki Rani’ recalls the smooth sophistication of Sade, although Aftab has a strong enough artistic vision to stand apart. ‘Zameen’ is a lovely, understated closer.
Night Reign is often fantastic, although Vulture Prince is probably a better starting point.
Sabrina Carpenter
Short ‘n’ Sweet
2024, 6/10
Sabrina Carpenter has been the breakout pop star of 2024, with hits like ‘Espresso’. I assumed she was a debutant, but she’s been around for a decade, first starring in the Disney series Girl Meets World in 2014.
So Short ‘n’ Sweet is actually Carpenter’s fifth album. Her breezy voice and 1980s pop influences are reminiscent of Carly Rae Jepsen’s recent work, although Carpenter also has a large dollop of country in her sound. She lacks Jepsen’s innocent charm, instead opting for a direct humour that seems derived from country. It has funny moments like “And since the Lord forgot my gay awakenin’/Then I’ll just be here in the kitchen/Servin’ up some moanin’ and bitchin'” but the record’s lyrics can wander into inanity.
But there are some great tracks. ‘Taste’ is a terrific opener, with a great tune and euphoric chorus. ‘Espresso’ is a deserved hit. But there are also missed opportunities – ‘Please Please Please’ squanders a fun riff on a mediocre song. ‘Juno’ spoils an otherwise great track with a dopey bridge:
Adore me
Hold me and explore me
Mark your territory (Ah-ah)
Tell me I’m the only, only, only, only one (Yeah, ah)
Adore me
Hold me and explore me
I’m so f***in’ horny
Tell me I’m the only, only, only, only one
There are some great tracks on Short ‘n’ Sweet. It’s not surprising Sabrina Carpenter has enjoyed a breakout year, but it’s not a convincing album.
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While I’ve obviously heard of Sabrina Carpenter, Arooj Aftab is a new name, and I’m intrigued with her new album “Night Reign.” Though it sounds like I should listen to “Vulture Prince” first.
I think Aftab’s quote about the music business speaks volumes. If your music doesn’t sell, your label is going to drop you. If you manage to put out a successful album, you’re under pressure to create another great album, and it needs to be sooner rather than later. It’s really a pretty messed up industry!
I guess it’s good to have pressure to make a strong album. But tough if you’re just not ready, or the record company force you in a direction you don’t want to go.
Lots of terrible second albums in the late 1970s from otherwise good acts like Kate Bush, The Jam, XTC – it’s like they forced out a second album 6 months later when they weren’t ready.
Arooj Aftab’s “Aey Nehin” is so enchanting, I’m now listening to more of “Night Reign”, and understanding what all the fuss is about. As for Sabrina Carpenter, I really like “Espresso” a lot, and find her sort of charming, but I agree some of her songs are pretty mediocre formula, especially “Please Please Please”.
Carpenter’s best songs are really good I think, just the album is a bit spotty.
Aftab’s music is lovely – warm voice too.