Why Spend Seven Minutes in Heaven When You Can Spend 15 Minutes Listening to Short n’ Sweet Deluxe?

Jesus was a carpenter, and apparently so is cupid, because this year on Valentine’s Day Sabrina Carpenter blessed us with a Deluxe version of her grammy winning album “Short N’ Sweet.” Alternatively titled Short N’ Sweet(er), the album adds five new songs (and one kept up in a vinyl/digital album exclusive). Needless to say, the deluxe features a collaboration with country music legend Dolly Parton on the track “Please Please Please,” this is the only collaboration in the whole album. The new songs definitely build off the original album in the best ways, continuing the mix of pop, country and disco.   

15 minutes 

Sabrina Carpenter started the deluxe off with a banger! 15 minutes is a cheeky song poking fun at the “15 minutes of fame insult”. Lyrically the song is reminiscent of espresso, chalked full of innuendos and fun nonsensical lyrics Sabrina Carpenter is known for.  One of my favorite lines is “I can do a lot in fifteen minutes, only gonna take two to make you finish. Instrumentally the song feels related to Juno because of the high energy disco beat that invites you to dance and bounce around.This song  has legit been on repeat in my head, it got my cheeks blushing while I’m skipping across campus lip synching the chorus. 

Please please please Dolly Parton version  

This version of please please please is quite different from the original version, It includes dolly parton as a vocal addition with her singing one of the verses. On top of that it changes the whole background instrumental to go heavy into the country sounds. The acoustic guitar plays a bigger part then the original synths. The Verse Dolly sings in the song  doesn’t change lyrically; it stays the exact same as the original but with dolly twang, however she adds such a magical sound to the harmonization on the chorus almost like a choir sound. In my honest opinion its novelty and uniqueness definitely makes it better than the original, because hot take the original please please please, isn’t impressive it just has a really catchy chorus and featured her boyfriend in the video. 

Couldn’t make it any harder 

 This song is probably one of the most impressive vocal intensive songs Sabrina has made. It gives off “Hopelessly devoted to you.” The chorus is absolutely immaculate. This song is gonna be a karaoke classic because the natural progression of the song is so addictive and emotional. A lot of Sabrina’s sad songs or in this case ballad songs are usually either spoken in a softer voice or sung with power only towards the end. However Couldn’t make it any harder is not like that whatsoever the guitar gets stronger with each verse and chorus, which makes you really want to belt this song with the same power. The song tackles starting new relationships while still being burdened from experiences with  past lovers and how one may wish it was easier to  show love, like before being harder from past experiences.   

Busy woman 

This is one of the songs that managed to escape the unreleased music dungeon. Die hard sabrina fans will recognize this song, as it came with the digital album purchase from the sabrina carpenter website. Also on certain shows on the short n sweet tour sabrina would spin a bottle and there would be a chance that busy woman would be performed.  The song itself is very 80s inspired, and reminds me of some of Madonna’s music. The drums and synths really create a catchy beat. The lyrics of the song arent tongue n’ cheek in fact it’s very straightforward, she’s a busy woman and she wont let just anyone in her calendar . This song is so fun to dance and strut too. It makes the listener feel like a busy woman who doesn’t have time to mess around unless it fits into their schedule all wrapped up in a fun upbeat song. 

Bad reviews 

This song leans into a country vibe with the reoccurring acoustic guitar that haunts almost every song in this album. However unlike the other country inspired songs on short n’ sweet, bad reviews actually manages to make an impact and stand out as one of the better songs on the album. Songs like slim pickins and sharpest tool tended to be overshadowed by those upbeat dance songs such as juno, or taste, or powerhouse ballads like lie to girls or dumb & poetic.

This song especially hits hard, as it could directly correlate with her ex boyfriend Barry, and how most of us can ignore red flags in relationships because of how infatuated we could get in those beginning stages of love.  I’m guessing this is a song that a lot of people can relate to, not wanting to believe the bad reviews and hoping that the outcome will be different  

Overview 

Overall the new songs added In Short N’ Sweet deluxe make the album feel complete. The original album had phenomenal songs, effortlessly executed lyrics, but by the end of the album it left you wanting more. Half of the songs on the album were centered around the fallout stages in a relationship, which hit the mark for those bittersweet memories of. However I feel that it didn’t have enough songs that embodied those lovesick feelings and extreme infatuation that typically show up in the early stages of intimacy and romance. 

 But that void has been filled, each song on the deluxe perfectly fills those missing feelings. 15 Minutes and Busy Woman brings an infectious  flirtatious vibe that makes the listener yearn for sensuality . Please please please with Dolly Parton makes all the other country sounding songs on the album not feel out of place on the album. Couldn’t make it any harder brings a power ballad that embodies how hard it is to love again. Bad reviews add a moment of realization and reflection on the red flags that we choose to ignore.  Listening to Short N’ Sweet deluxe feels like a full journey from start to finish, the building of sexual tension, an explosive climax, the high and lows then the eventual  bittersweet ending of a Short N’ Sweet Situationship.