My Short 'N Sweet Review of Sabrina Carpenter's Deluxe Album

Sabrina Carpenter has been known for her ways with words for years. She starred on Disney Channel’s on Girl Meets World from 2014-2017 and then added music to her career in 2015 with her first album, Eyes Wide Open. Last year, she released her song, “Espresso” before Coachella, following the release of her album Short N’ Sweet. 

After Carpenter won two Grammys this year for the album, one for Best Pop Vocal Album and Song of The Year, she released a deluxe version of the album. From watching Girl Meets World as a little kid to hearing her song “Thumbs” to being a mega fan, I thought I would review the album that was there for me through the good and bad in 2024. 

Side note: Sabrina was my #1 listened-to artist on Spotify in 2024, and “Espresso” was my number one song, so this review is not a surprise. 

“I leave quite an impression, five feet to be exact”

Taste- I love Sabrina’s music and I find this to be a brilliant opener to the album, giving you a sense of what it’s about: Sabrina’s ex boyfriends, Joshua Bassett and Barry Keogan, and how they broke her heart. The metaphor of “tasting” her in  his current relationship as he realizes what he’s missing out on, is genius. She has a way with words that maybe only Taylor Swift has.

“I heard that you're an actor, so act like a stand up guy”

Please Please Please- This song is obviously about her actor ex boyfriend, Barry. They were together when she wrote this, but he proved she’s right. She even had him play the bad boy boyfriend in the music video. In a ranking of the album, this is probably top five for me. As it is a single, I usually exclude singles in my top artists songs, but it is so brilliant I just had to. 

“No one’s more amazing, at turning loving into hatred”

Good Graces- This one is probably my number one song on this album. The beat is just so fun. She also talks in the background which is what I love about some artists. Dialogue in the background is such a connection between the artist and listener. Good graces is such a good way of calling out someone in a song without actually doing it. Her lyrics are always so clever. 

“A bird flies by and you forget”

Sharpest Tool- This song is about how she feels that her ex is unintelligent for messing with her head. Anyone who has been mentally played with in a relationship would understand this one. Her music is very relatable to this generation. I love the middle part of the song where it sounds like her voice is going in and out, like a representation of how the relationship was. Brilliant. 

“Suckin up to all your mutual friends” 

Coincidence- Not only are the lyrics surprising when you listen to them, but she adds a light guitar in the back to be fun. This is one of those songs you hear once and have in your head all day. At least for me, all her songs. I could listen to this one 100 times in a day. It's just that good. It sounds a bit country. It is just so fun; I can’t stop saying it. 

“Isn’t that sweet? I guess so?”

Espresso- Espresso is really a metaphor for her love interest thinking about her 24/7 and being the reason they can’t sleep at night. Like most relationships, if you’re really in love you think about them all the time. That’s really all it is. But the beat is really what makes the song what it is. It’s so catchy. (Again my #1 song). I have this on repeat at all times. So you can tell how much I love it. I rate it 5.5 caffeine levels. 

“I might let you make me Juno”

Juno- This song is based on a 2007 film of the same name about a teen who gets pregnant, making this song pretty self-explanatory. This song is very sexual, so most people might not know what it’s really about until you read more into it. Other than the very interesting lyrics, the beat is so fun. One of my faves for sure. The first time I listened to it, I think my mouth dropped because I did not expect the bridge. You’ll just have to listen to find out. 

“Don’t smile, because it happened, baby; cry, because it's over”

Don’t Smile- I don’t think there is a better way to end an album. The lyric, “I want you to miss me,” in the background makes me feel as if she’s trying to tell the listener to miss her when the album is over. This song gives me chills and honestly makes me cry. There has been no Sabrina song that has made me cry before but there’s something about this one and I can’t pinpoint it. To me it’s the most special song on the album because it is such a connector to the listener and artist. That's the most important part of music. I give this 1000 stars. 

“But, gosh, I hope I make it through the night”

15 Minutes- The first time I listened to this song I was with one of my friends who also listens to Sabrina and we SCREAMED. The lyrics to this song are crazy. Again, her lyrics can be very much about sex, but this one is on another level. This one is one after another. It is just her humor and it has me laughing all the time since I sort of have the same sense of humor. I feel like this song may be about how the public views her as very sexual when, in real life, she’s not. I love when artists do that because they really call out the public for that. 

“Don’t embarrass me like the others” 

Please Please Please ft. Dolly Parton- This version and the sped-up version are probably my favorite. The song has a different take on it, as country guitars are added and so are Dolly’s vocals. Sabrina’s vocals are the same. Unlike the original, it is not explicit. The explicit lyric is switched to “Don’t embarrass me like the others.” I love this lyric more than the original. There is literally no reason I do, I just think it fits better. I hope this gets radio play, because it should. 

“Who’s the cute boy with the white jacket and the thick accent”

Bed Chem- Yes, it’s what you think. But it is also about the day she and her ex, Barry, met. Her humor is quite sensual in some songs but again, meant to be funny. She can be a bit R-rated at times. I love the song, one of my favorites. I love how she does storylines and at the end of the song, she says, “Don’t let me go,” a bunch of times which I just realized a few times but the dialogue is key to some songs. The meaning for this song is up  for interpretation. 

“Cherry-pick lines like the words you invented”

Dumb and Poetic- I love this song so so much. It’s in my top five of this album for sure. It is a slow breakup/angry song. She is so lyrically talented, especially in this one. I feel like, in relationships, people like to pretend like they’re someone they're not, and that is what she is depicting. It is not specified who she is talking about, but it is inferred. As it gets toward the end of the song, you can tell the anger in her voice and it is such a release for the listener and the artist. And I find it genius. 

“Since the good ones are deceased or taken”

Slim Pickins- Country vibes all the way. As you can tell by the song title, this song is about how Sabrina feels like she is always picking the wrong boys. The instruments are fun. Again, country vibes, just soft guitar mostly. This was one of the last songs on the album I listened to. I did not listen to it in order until I listened to the singles, so that was a while after. But I love “Slim Pickins” and I find it very underrated. 

“We love to mistake butterflies for cardiac arrest” 

Lie to Girls- Now this is what I call an underrated Sabrina Carpenter song. Before I listened to it, I knew it would be underrated based on the title. Sometimes you just know with titles. She is basically calling out her ex for lying to her and all the girls he had before. Pretty iconic!!!!!! 

“To turn me down, that’s just unethical” 

Busy Woman- To me this song sounds like it would be a Chappell Roan song. Very similar type beat and vibe. Chappell Roan is a newer artist whose music gives off an ‘80s vibe. If you listen to the song “Good Luck Babe,” you can definitely tell the inspiration. I love the song. It is about how she is too busy for boys and doing her own thing. I find that very empowering and iconic. 

“For the graveyard in my stomach”

Couldn’t Make It Any Harder- Like the other songs about her ex, she really calls him out this time, saying he made her feel like it was hard to love her. That’s honestly really vulnerable to put out there and it's appreciated. 

“I can’t lose a boy that’s not even my boyfriend” 

Bad Reviews- This is the last song on the album and I think it is a great way to end. As if she thinks the album will get bad reviews. But she is really calling out her ex boyfriend, Barry, in this one and is VERY obvious. This song was actually going to be called Barry, so it is not such a surprise. 

I will always love Sabrina because of the memories I have listening to her and watching her on Girl Meets World. This album is a standout for 2024 and she definitely deserved the two Grammys for it. Like "Espresso," this album will keep you up at night listening to it! All in all, for this album, I rate it: