Dangerous Woman

by Ariana Grande

Overview

Ariana Grande took her first tentative steps into adulthood with My Everything, the 2014 album that tempered her retro-diva stance with modern R&B. Released two years later, Dangerous Woman consolidates this soulful shift while offering a snazzier, sophisticated spin on the '90s pop that provides the foundation of Grande's music. Much of the latter comes from a fruitful partnership with producer Max Martin and his colleague Ilya, a team responsible for over half of the standard album's tracks (they also have their hands in several of the deluxe edition's bonus cuts). Tommy Brown and Mr. Franks are the other chief collaborators here, shepherding many of the cuts with a heavier R&B influence -- the stuttering "Let Me Love You," featuring a verse from Lil Wayne, the slow-burning torch of "Leave Me Lonely" -- but their productions aren't far removed from the Martin/Ilya cuts. "Everyday," a heavy thrumming jam featuring Future, is helmed by Ilya alone and the Rihanna-copping "Side to Side" bears a Martin credit. What all the producers do is keep the focus on the individual track, carving it into a seamless sculpture of rhythm and melody where Grande winds up as the accent to the song. Restraint serves her well: there are times she lets go with a full-throated roar, but she spends most of Dangerous Woman at a simmer that reinforces the sultry seduction of the title. A fair chunk of the album is devoted to cinematic ballads, which makes the bright blasts of disco -- "Be Alright," "Greedy" -- so alluring, but the entire record benefits from this single-minded concentration. Track by track, Dangerous Woman has sly, subtle distinctions -- a little bit of torch gives way to some heavy hip-hop only to have frothy pop surface again -- and while some of these cuts work better than others, the range is impressive, as is Grande's measured, assured performance. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/04/2016
Label:	Imports
UPC:	0602547868541
Rank:	5427

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ariana Grande   Primary Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Macy Gray   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Lil Wayne   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Future   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Nicki Minaj   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Taura Stinson   Vocals (Background)
Brian Dunne   Drums,Percussion
Ryan Tedder   Bass,Keyboards
Max Martin   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Michael Foster   Percussion
Michael Aarons   Guitar
Julie Gigante   Violin
Dane Little   Cello
Jason Robert Brown   Piano
Ross Golan   Vocals (Background)
Mattias Bylund   Strings
Peter Svensson   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion
Stefan Persson   Trumpet
Savan Kotecha   Vocals (Background)
Ali Payami   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion
Alexander Kronlund   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Helen Nightengale   Violin
Sean Erick   Horn
Joi Gilliam   Vocals (Background)
Tommy Parker   Vocals (Background)
Travis Sayles   Bass,Keyboards
Billboard   Bass,Keyboards,Percussion
Sam Holland   Vocals (Background)
Noah Passovoy   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Mattias Johansson   Violin
Pamela Jacobson   Viola,Strings
Staffan Findin   Trombone
Johan Carlsson   Piano,Guitar,Soloist,Tambourine,Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Dernst Emile II   Bass,Bass (Vocal)
Karl Olandersson   Trumpet
Patrick Donovan   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Kevin Williams   Horn
Leon Silva   Horn
Jonas Thander   Saxophone,Horn Engineer
David Bukovinszky   Cello
Ilya Salmanzadeh   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Khaled Rohaim   Bass,Keyboards,Percussion
Nicholas Audino   Bass,Drums,Keyboards,Percussion
Victoria Monet   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Peter Lee Johnson   Violin,Strings
Tommy Brown   Bass,Drums,Keyboards,Percussion
Jamil Chammas   Drums
Chloe Angelides   Vocals (Background)
Steven Franks   Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion
Chonita Gillespie   Vocals (Background)
Mr. Franks   Drums,Percussion
Daye Jack   Vocals (Background)
Jeremy Lertola   Guitar,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Jenny Schwartz   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Silke Lorenzen   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Josh Connelly   Guitar
Loren Mann II   Drums
Joe Cleveland   Bass (Vocal)

Technical Credits

Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Mike Foster   Producer,Composer
John Hanes   Engineer,Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Lil Wayne   Composer
Ryan Tedder   Composer,Producer,Programming
Jeffrey Lesser   Mixing,Producer,Recording
Max Martin   Composer,Producer,Programming,Vocal Producer,Executive Producer
Michael Foster   Composer
Dwayne Carter   Composer
Brendan Dekora   Recording
Jason Robert Brown   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Rhythm Arrangements
Ross Golan   Composer
Mattias Bylund   Editing,Recording,String Engineer,String Arrangements
Peter Svensson   Composer,Producer,Programming
Matt Barnes   Photography
Savan Kotecha   Composer,Engineer,Vocal Engineer,Executive Producer
Jacob Kasher   Composer
Ali Payami   Composer,Producer,Programming
Alexander Kronlund   Composer
Tom Coyne   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Twice as Nice   Producer
Joel Metzler   Assistant Engineer
Tommy Parker   Programming
Travis Sayles   Composer,Producer,Programming
Tommy Lumpkins   Composer,Producer
Billboard   Producer,Programming
Wendy Goldstein   A&R
Sam Holland   Engineer,Recording
Peter Karlsson   Editing,Engineer,Vocal Editing,Vocal Engineer,Vocal Producer
Johan Carlsson   Composer,Producer,Programming,Vocal Producer
Scott "Scooter" Braun   A&R
Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine   Engineer,Recording
Jordon Silva   Assistant Engineer
Dernst Emile II   Composer
Ariana Grande   Composer,Executive Producer
Thomas Lumpkins   Composer,Producer
Jeremy Felton   Composer
Onika Maraj   Composer
Cory Bice   Engineer
Aya Merrill   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Mathieu Jomphe   Composer
Jonas Thander   Horn Arrangements
Ilya Salmanzadeh   Composer,Producer,Programming,Vocal Producer
Shane Stevens   Composer
Khaled Rohaim   Composer,Programming
Nayvadius Wilburn   Composer
Lewis Hughes   Composer,Producer
Nicholas Audino   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Programming
Victoria Monet   Composer,Producer,Vocal Producer
Peter Lee Johnson   Composer
Tommy Brown   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Vocal Producer
Jamil Chammas   Composer
Matthew O'Brien   Composer
Trocon Roberts   Composer
Twice As Nice   Producer
Thomas Brown   Composer,Recording
Ryan Vojtesak   Composer,Producer
Chloe Angelides   Composer
Steven Franks   Composer,Producer,Programming
Mr. Franks   Programming
Mathieu Jomphe Lepine   Composer
The Young Astronauts   Photography,Art Direction
Willie Tafa   Composer
Christopher Truio   Engineer,Recording
Maya Drexler   A&R
Mathieu Lepine   Composer