About a year ago, I wrote an article explaining why I feel EVOLution is the best Sabrina album. I thought it might be fun to give a review on Sabrina's other albums as well. Besides EVOLution, Singular Act I is a close second for my favorite Sabrina album, tied with Eyes Wide Open. Act I is absolutely filled with empowerment, and also arguably marks a noticeable growth in Sabrina's artistry.
Beginning with the first track, "Almost Love," I remember being quite surprised how different of a sound it was for Sabrina, but in a good way. The upbeat, dancey feel of the track is incredibly catchy. The fact that the song is so near to Sabrina's heart is really sweet as well. Each verse really adds something to the song through helping you visualize Sabrina's desire for a stronger connection with someone, even if the chorus is a bit repetitive. This remains one of my favorite Sabrina songs.
"Paris" is another one of my favorite Sabrina songs ever. What I love so much about this song is that it is so open to interpretation: "I already have love in LA" could refer to a person or a place. As I've mentioned in a previous article, I have been emotionally conflicted when traveling to another country, wishing I could just stay there forever while also knowing I have friends and family back home. Even though I'm not a fan of country, I love the bit of twang in her vocals in the verses, particularly the beginning of the first verse. The production is also excellent.
"Hold Tight" is the first Sabrina song in this album that I'm not a fan of. The vocals and production are chaotic, which I didn't care for. Knowing Uhmeer is Sabrina's former Girl Meets World co-star Amir Mitchell-Townes, it makes me feel weird because I'm thinking of the characters. I also didn't care for the porn reference ("maybe I've been on the Internet a little forgettin' how to take it slow"). Not to say I'm against all sexuality in songs, but it didn't really fit well with this song.
Arguably Sabrina's most empowering song, "Sue Me" is an ode to being confident in yourself, after moving on from a relationship that has ended. I especially love that the inspiration for this song came from a court case in which Sabrina was sued by her former managers. It's inspiring that she could make a song about getting sued relevant to so many people, and the confidence in her vocals sounds so badass.
"Prfct" is the first slow song on the album, but that doesn't mean it's not amazing like the other songs! Lyrically, the song discusses acknowledging that a relationship isn't perfect, but the lack of perfection doesn't make it any less special. This song's inspiring message about how things don't need to be perfect to be good, because genuine human connection is more important than putting on a flashy show for someone. A true close relationship allows you to be fully yourself with a person, even if it's very awkward and quirky. I love how gentle her vocals are and the atmospheric, Earthy production.
The opening lines of "Bad Time" channel Sabrina's inner Swiftie, both in the beginning vocals and overall songwriting. The intro almost perfectly matches the sound of Taylor Swift's "Delicate," which makes me appreciate this amazing song even more. Lyrically, the song talks about a relationship in which one person is always too busy to pay attention, leading Sabrina to flip it around and use the same line on him. The "dying to use the line" lyric has always struck me as such a clever pun, since it could refer to both a phone line and a "standard line" in conversation. I love sassy songs like this from Sabrina and hope she continues making them.
As I've discussed in a number of posts now, while "Mona Lisa" is short, I've always appreciated the song because of Sabrina's inspiration behind writing it. It's so cool that Sabrina took the random "Mona Lisa" name drop from Santana and Rob Thomas's "Smooth," and made it into an entirely new song because of how much it stood out to her. The distorted vocals in the first few seconds of the song are fun too, and I interpret it as the mental confusion Sabrina is having in this situation.
Lastly, "Diamonds Are Forever" truly is a diamond for what an empowering bop it is. You can tell she's channeling her inner Rihanna through her bold vocals and strong production. If this song doesn't give you a great big burst of self-worth, then I don't know what will.
While it's Sabrina's shortest album, this is one of my favorite Sabrina albums. The whole album is incredible (other than "Hold Tight," which was admittedly a bit of a dud for me) and I've listened to this so many times. The empowering lyrics in this album and her declaration of self-worth definitely show Sabrina has grown in the two years since her last album, and her confidence here is infectious.
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