A collection of reviews by me

Sabrina Carpenter is bringing back sugary sweet Christmas music with her new EP ‘fruitcake’. The pop singer found time in her busy schedule supporting Taylor Swift on her Eras tour to bless us with six tracks as an early Christmas gift, and we could not have asked for anything better.

The opening track ‘A Nonsense Christmas’ was released last year after a short clip of the song went viral on TikTok and made fans desperate to hear more of the tongue-in-cheek holiday version of her popular track ‘Nonsense’. The song is everything you could expect to hear when you mix Sabrina Carpenter and Christmas, with one witty line after another throughout, such as “I need that Charles Dickens”. Using the sound of sleigh bells to help give the version its festive feel, the track managed to be as good as the original version.

‘Buy me presents’ introduces a more 90’s vibe to the EP whilst still sounding perfectly natural for the singer. Presenting listeners with even more clever one-liners like “If you were a wiseman you would drop every ho, ho ho” and plenty of cheeky adlibs, this is yet another catchy and infectious song gifted to us by the pop princess. Although it is at times reminiscent of some of the classic Mariah Carey holiday songs, in this song it is evident that all Sabrina wants for Christmas is someone who knows her worth and treats her as she deserves.

Next, we get into the singer’s deep and emotional range with ‘Santa doesn’t know you like I do’. The slow drumbeat and layered vocals allow for her vocals to shine through even more than they have in the previous tracks. There is a spoken-word verse towards the end that is camp in a way that most artists are afraid to attempt these days, but it pays off beautifully and makes this feel like another classic 90’s Christmas song.

‘Cindy Lou who’ continues with the more emotional sound and lyrical content as she tells the story of finding out that her ex has a new partner. The stripped-back piano sound helps to make this easily the saddest song on the album. As the story continues to progress, it becomes clear that the singer’s jealousy towards this person is verging on an unhealthy obsession, which is a feeling that I am sure many people can relate to.

For anyone who is not feeling quite so festive, ‘is it new year yet?’ is your new anti-Christmas anthem. Musically, this song brings the upbeat vibe back to the EP just in time. Lyrically, however, she is encapsulating the bitterness of being alone for Christmas with less-than-upbeat lyrics like ‘December is a prison.’ ‘fruitcake’ ends with Carpenter’s own version of Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ (named ‘white x-mas’). The singer jazzes the song up and makes it her own in such a satisfying way and it is the perfect closure to finish off this EP.

Sabrina Carpenter has become increasingly popular since she released her album ‘emails i can’t send’ and this has continued with her phenomenal live performances and stage presence. This EP is merely further proof of her stunning talent.

By Drew Sitton

Published by Native Radio