"Victorious" Star Ariana Grande Goes Solo

Victorious was a rare breed of show. Sure, it had the cheesy jokes and bad situational humor that is trademark of all Nickelodeon shows, but it had something the others didn't -- it had great music. Backed by Dr. Luke producing tracks left and right, the show was bound to be a hit, and with a new single every three weeks or so, it was a money machine. But what about the supporting characters? Well one of them has decided it's her time to shine. (Re)Meet Ariana Grande.

I am beyond excited that Ariana is now able to take center stage. Victorious's music was very much dominated by Victoria Justice, who is a great singer, but clearly not the best talent wise from the show's ensemble. Ariana was only featured prominently in a few songs throughout the show's run, making this the first time the audience has a real chance to hear what she's got.

And she is serving us straight up 90's RnB Pop. Think TLC, but updated for 2013. This song may not be a club banger, but it is a very addicting track. Ariana shows her vocal range quite well, and makes off with a very solid debut single. Sad to say, as with most tacked on rap bits, the most annoying part of this track is Mac Miller's intro. His mid-song rap improves a bit, showing more talent, but I still much prefer the bulk of the song to his tidbit.

The video is a bit of a different story. Instead of exploring the deeper levels of love, which the song deals with, it is mostly just a montage of the two flirting in front of a plain white background. I don't know if she had a big budget for this, but seeing as she is backed by Nickelodeon (complete with her own spin-off show coming later this year), Id say she probably has the cash flow. The video just feels lazy with poor art direction.

Verdict: Great song, lacking video.

Grab the track on iTunes.

Album Review - Victorious Soundtrack

Don't look at me with those betrayed eyes. I have always loved Victoria Justice. She the only reason I even considered watching Zoey 101, and I loved her one-episode stint on iCarly. Nickelodeon has been producing better and better quality teen shows the past few years. They have realized that kids need something much less generic to identify with. iCarly raised the bar for teen-aged shows everywhere, and Victorious followed suit -- with better music.