With the horrors of Manchester still firmly in everyone’s mind, this album is going to be the focus of a serious amount of media attention. The good news is that Ariana Grande has produced something of a belter. You have to admire the sheer class of Grande from the dignified way she handled things after the attack to her near flawless ability to be a positive role model. It turns out she can sing a bit too. Stylish, varied and superbly balanced, ‘Sweetener’ is just one more step on the road to the very apex of pop superstardom. You’d have to be heartless or deaf to not want to see her there.
> Gary Trueman
