Is Is it possible for an experience to meet all your expectations and still be disappointing? Probably not, but that is how it feels with Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album, Short & Sweet. I was expecting above average background music, but at the same time hoping for more from someone as talented and popular as Carpenter. After he came out of nowhere with two consecutive excellent singles, I thought this album could really be something special. But maybe that’s an unfair expectation.

Carpenter’s almost unprecedented rise from a minor artist to the hottest artist in the world puts her album in a difficult position. This rapid rise from a single song suddenly becoming the biggest song in the world raises expectations to an unfair level. Releasing two smash hit singles back to back is a near impossible task. On the other hand, Carpenter has embraced her place at the top of the pop universe with a confidence that makes it seem like she’s always been there, confirming those heightened expectations.ns. Given these increased expectations Sspicy & sweet do justice to that?

The main piece and flagship of the album is track 1, “Taste”. It has an upbeat, confident tone and eye-opening vocals worthy of the lead track of a major release like this. It’s also the only song on the release with a corresponding music video, which sees Carpenter attempting to kill her ex’s new girlfriend, portrayed by actress Jenna Ortega, which helps the song’s virality tremendously.

The rest of the album is not quite as outstanding. Apart from the previous hit singles “Please, Please, Please”, and “Espresso”, which are technically part of the album, there is nothing groundbreaking with this release. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the songs are bad. Some highlights are track 3 “Good Graces” with a satisfying beat that blends seamlessly with the background vocals, and track 11 “Lie to Girls” tells the kind of heartbreaking story I wanted more of from the release. While other songs like “Coincidence” and “Juno” deliver Carpenter’s trademark confidence and smooth vocals that fans have come to expect from the artist.

Short & Sweet is a throwback to a bygone era when albums were just a collection of songs with no thematic and sonic guideline. In her interview with Jimmy Fallon promoting the album, Carpenter said that this feels like her eponymous album, traditionally the first record by an artist. It basically is, as it’s her first album released in her superstar era. And if this is her first album in a new direction, it’ll be interesting to see where she goes from here.