‘Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe)’ Review: Sabrina Carpenter Is Truly A Busy Woman

Last August Sabrina Carpenter released one of the most successful pop albums of 2024, and less than a year later Carpenter gives the Valentine’s Day gift of a deluxe version. This longer yet sweeter version includes four new songs and a collaboration with Dolly Parton on her number one Billboard Hot 100 song Please Please Please. Deluxe versions of albums can be tricky because they must feel necessary to the rest of the work, and I can say that for most of the new additions. Read our full review for Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe) below. 

Short n’ Sweet took the world by storm, with songs like Espresso, Taste, and Please Please Please, Sabrina Carpenter captured the hearts of pop listeners with her witty innuendo and old Hollywood charm. This album felt different for Carpenter. I have always listened to her latest albums but Short n’ Sweet felt more polished and authentic for her. With the deluxe version you get the same isms that make her the star she is today. The song 15 Minutes is probably packed with the most Sabrina energy, and is a fun comment on the saying “15 minutes of fame.” 

The main surprise on the deluxe version was the inclusion of the duet with Dolly Parton. Carpenter has expressed her love for Parton in the past, so this felt like an authentic feature to include. There would not be a Sabrina Carpenter, without a Dolly Parton. Sadly the song does not live up to the high expectations. Dolly Parton is an icon who will be remembered for centuries, but this is not her best work. Her vocals are questionable and are not helped by the horrible mixing. The song feels unfinished and Please Please Please did not need to be more country. I will question their decision to not do Slim Pickins forever. I will probably never go back to this version of Please Please Please, but am happy that Sabrina got to work with one of her idols. 

The two best songs on the deluxe are Busy Woman and 15 Minutes. Busy Woman specifically feels like it should have always been on the standard edition of the album. It is fun, witty, and has the classic Sabrina charm that makes her songs so endlessly listenable. I go to artists for different things and what Sabrina brings is showcased beautifully on these two tracks. I enjoy when she is more upbeat and flirty in her songs, rather than her slower ballads. We get two of those on the deluxe version with Couldn’t Make It Any Harder and Bad Reviews. The latter is a tad boring, but feels like a good inclusion to the story being told in the standard addition. The real standout of the ballads is Couldn’t Make It Any Harder. The song is very sixties and reminds me a lot of Olivia Newton John. It sounds like it came straight out of Grease. I will not revisit these two songs as much as the others, and they do not reach the height of the vinyl exclusive Needless to Say, which I assume will stay exclusive for a while or maybe forever.

With some new canonical upbeat songs, serviceable ballads, and a bewildering duet with Dolly Parton, it is safe to say Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe) is a mixed bag. If you were looking forward to the Parton inclusion I fear that you and most will be left disappointed and probably down right confused. I overall think that most of the songs feel necessary to the overall cohesion of the album and do more of a service than disservice to the album. Busy Woman is enough to deem that deluxe tracks a must listen. 

Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe) was produced by Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, Ian Kirkpatrick, and Jack Antonoff and was released to all streaming platforms on February 14th. 

Thank you for reading this review of Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe) by Sabrina Carpenter. For more music reviews, consider checking out our music section.