Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS
Pop Rock – Released September 8, 2023 – 12 songs, 39 mins
LUNDI
Two and a half years ago it took endless friend requests to get TSR to review this week’s artist. Flash forward to present day and her hype is so staggering that she’s only the second artist we’ve committed to reviewing within a week after album release. TSR knows the pop star machine is not one to mess with. Move over Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and her sophomore album GUTS are knocking at the door.
A little pop punk princess, a dash of girl next door sweetness, mix in some vocal ferocity and finish it with relationship based lyrical angst. The outcome? The rapidly ascending and mega talented Olivia Rodrigo. She toes the line of infringing and influenced but continues to be a healthy mix of Taylor Swift and Hayley Williams on GUTS. High praise for sure but it is simply impossible not to sing along with this album once you learn the lyrics. Just try and have a bad time during all-american bitch, bad idea right?, or get him back! You just can’t.
Rodrigo came in GUTS with sky high expectations after becoming an overnight sensation just mere years ago. With her vocal prowess and refined writing approach she somehow manages to meet and even exceed the lofty standards. The completeness of the album is a major highlight and a welcome improvement on her debut. Where SOUR was littered with filler and non-fitting tracks, GUTS is much more consistent. If it wasn’t for the questionable Lacy each song would hold a proper place on the album.
Now negative thoughts on GUTS certainly creep in but are fairly hard to make stick. For every time Rodrigo’s youthful lyrics made me shiver or the song sound structures felt vaguely similar, I reminded myself OR is 20 years old writing this album herself while finding her way in the brightest possible spotlight. The bubble gum pop rock isn’t built for my current life but it’s not as if I didn’t experience young adulthood once upon a time. GUTS, more than most albums, warrants an objective analysis from the artist’s point of view. If the biggest issue against your work is sounding juvenile when you’re 20, is it really even an issue? The external factors beyond the 40 minutes matter a whole lot here. What’s much more important than nitpicking the album apart is that when you zoom out to the bigger picture her growth as a singer-songwriter is on full display. She is unquestionably a better artist in nearly every facet on this sophomore effort. A generational star in the making. I can’t help but look forward to her more relatable follow up efforts as stardom throws her further into adulthood at a fast forward pace. It would come as a major surprise if ten years from now we look back on GUTS (or SOUR) as her best work.
GUTS is a resounding objective success for the budding superstar that is Olivia Rodrigo. Artistic improvement in every way that not only exceeds sky high expectations but signals the best is yet to come. You don’t have to like it, but it’s impossible not to respect it.
Overall Rating: 8.1/10
Favourite Song: All-American Bitch
REID
After a refreshing break from writing, the Too Sweet Crew is back in the saddle with pop sensation, Olivia Rodrigo’s second effort. The 20-year-old from California holds a special place in this blog’s history as she was the first request received and followed through on. A lot has changed since she burst onto the scene two years ago. She was a relative unknown to the general public when SOUR (2021) came out. This time around, millions of fans worldwide are clamoring for this release and expectations are sky high. Will GUTS live up to the hype or will she suffer the dreaded sophomore slump?
We didn’t have to wait long for an answer.
Less than a week after its release, it’s brutal out there. GUTS is everywhere. I do my best to avoid reviews and general reception but it’s damn near impossible on this one. Just two nights ago, Rodrigo performed at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). Whatever you may think of this spectacle, it hosts many of the biggest stars of today and to be selected as a performer is a privilege. With trimmed down versions of vampire and get him back!, she emphatically shut the door on any possibilities of a decline.
Over twelve songs and thirty-nine minutes, Rodrigo plays the young pop star role to near perfection. Confident but insecure. Rebellious but reserved. Carefree but falls hard. Wise beyond her years but naïve. Rodrigo flip flops from flirty, girl power pop rock to gut-wrenching and heartbreaking ballads, giving a glimpse into the rollercoaster ride that is superstardom as a teenager.
I’m more than a few years removed from her demographic and it absolutely has an impact. Hearing ‘the biggest lie I ever said’ rhymed with ‘I tripped and fell into his bed’ certainly made me question TSR’s direction once or twice. But once you get past the initial embarrassment and put yourself in her shoes for a minute, the output is impressive. She knows her age and she acts like it.
Outside of her incredible voice, the fact she writes her own lyrics is her best quality. In short order, she has seemingly mastered the catchy, mainstream songs you’ll hear on the radio on a loop for the next God knows how long. Alternatively, songs like the grudge showcase her remarkable ability to turn the painful emotions of a difficult real-life situation into an artistic outlet to share with her fans for years to come. And although its makeup feels familiar to previous smash single, driver’s license, she’s excused as there’s always room for a tearjerking, poignant piano track.
On GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo continues her upward trajectory to the top of the pop star pyramid. Her songs may make me feel 50 years old but she’s 20 and catering to her audience. Don’t let it get in the way of appreciating her prowess as a singer-songwriter. Her talent and versatility bodes well for any direction she chooses in the future.
Overall Rating: 8.0/10
Favourite Song: the grudge
ROZ
Goodbye teenage angst, hello twenties angst. This week, Too Sweet Reviews checks out the album GUTS, the newest release from young artist Olivia Rodrigo and her second studio album after her successful 2021 album SOUR - an album that the TSR crew had reviewed as well. As I do with all artists that we end up circling back to, I found myself more than ready to explore this new effort and find out what type of artistic growth, developments or evolution may be in store for me. Perhaps SOUR was a one-off, or perhaps Rodrigo the real deal; let’s find out.
In many ways, GUTS carries over the general motifs of its predecessor. Rodrigo’s teenage qualms and quirks are now seen blossoming into a newfound twenties defiance, undoubtedly a result of not only her growth as an individual over the past few years - especially critical years in one's young life - but also her growth as an artist. With GUTS both emotions and messages are thoroughly mixed, as the young singer goes through bouts of confidence (all-american bitch), regret (vampire), anxiety (ballad of a homeschooled girl), toxic love (logical) and more. As the title suggests, Rodrigo is spilling herself out for all to see, leaving no stone unturned regarding the thoughts and feelings coursing through her mind; genuine vulnerability expertly crafting into catchy, pop music song structures for her fans and the general masses to consume.
Where GUTS really shines is its penchant to lean heavier into the “punk” aspect of the punk pop sound seen on SOUR, with songs such as all-american bitch, bad idea right, ballad of a homeschooled girl and get him back! exuding that catchy mid-2000’s sound. An old chunk of coal like myself can’t help but compare it to the likes of Avril Lavigne and tracks such as Sk8er Boi - a simpler time where cell phone usage was limited and putting numbers into words was very, very cool. Olivia Rogdrigo taps into the essence of this song structure - both melodically and percussively - to create a love letter and homage to the women before her as the pendulum swings back to that sound once again. Much like the previous album, multi-instrumentalist and producer Dan Nigro absolutely knocks it out of the park. Every single track, from the punk rock songs to the slow piano ballads, are meticulously crafted for Rodrigo which in turn elevates her talents as both songwriter and performer throughout the listing.
Now, I wouldn't be able to complete this review without making mention of the elephant in the room: the overstepping that is being done through Rodrigo’s works, where the line between “homage” and “plagiarism” can become quite blurry. Music has always had this issue - the artists of today stand on the shoulders of the giants before them, as the artists of the the future will do to those in the present when their time comes too. The problem lies when it goes too far and as I quipped during my review of SOUR, once again her melodic structures and overall cadence may seeem a bit too on the nose, if not completely lifted, from other female artists. In saying this, I have to note that my stance on this has softened and should not overshadow her music’s quality. Pop music is full of tropes and there are only so many notes, chords and scales on a keyboard. Unless it’s malicious or outright stealing, just let people express themselves genuinely. Let people create their art. This music is Olivia’s art, and this art is good.
GUTS is the metaphorical rocket strapped onto the back of this young star, who with this effort is ready to take the flight from stardom to superstardom. Whether it’s the music she’s creating or it’s the ripples her music has made within the industry amongst her peers, Olivia Rodrigo is a name that will not be going away any time soon.
Overall Rating: 8.0/10
Favourite Song: vampire