Does Ariana Grande’s ‘Focus’ Need Sharpening? Plus More of the Week’s Best & Worst Singles
Dating back to her 2011 debut “Put Your Hearts Up,” Grande has never released a less-than-great single — until now, with “Focus,” a rehash of 2014’s “Problem.” That song -continuously built up to new crests; “Focus” follows its -formula — brassy horns, -chanting chorus — but with little of the same rush.
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Electro-pop supergroup Miike Snow‘s three members (Avant, Bloodshy and Andrew Wyatt) have written and produced for the likes of Britney Spears and Bruno Mars. But new single “Heart Is Full” sounds more like a DJ Premier remix, with a chopped-up soul sample and huge drums giving Wyatt’s Auto-Tuned pop-rock hook a muscular jolt.
Breakup songs typically see bruised singers lashing out at their exes. Grimes takes the opposite approach with pop-punk uppercut “Flesh Without Blood,” a clear move into the mainstream for the indie spark plug. With the feisty sass of Charli XCX, Grimes lobs bombs: “I don’t care anymore,” she sings of her old love, apathy her weapon of choice.
Chance‘s first original solo music in two years sounds a lot like his last, 2013’s excellent Acid Rap, and that’s high praise. “Joyful” is rarely a word you can use to describe a hip-hop song, but it’s the only one that fits this celebration of all things Chicago. Juke, local radio, Chief Keef and classic Kanye West all get shout-outs.
This story originally appeared in the Nov. 14 issue of Billboard.
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