[New Music] Ariana Grande Comes Into Her Own With "Baby, I"

Ariana Grande returns with new single Baby, I, and like last single The Way, it's a track that's firmly rooted in the 1990's Rnb/Pop scene. To add to the authenticity of the sound, the Diva even managed to rope in the legendary Babyface- who created monster tracks in that very decade- to write and produce the cut. So if you were feeling her first single, odds are, you're probably going to enjoy this one. I certainly am!

What I was most looking forward to hearing from the new single was how/if Ariana was going to change her style of delivery after the Mariah comparisons The Way generated. With similar use of contrasting "airy" and solid tones, vocal runs that we'd heard before and a foray into the whistle register that was all very Mimi, it was a way of singing that though impressive, was entirely too reminiscent of her idol. And of course, nobody really takes serious an imitator when the original is still knocking out records.

Thankfully Baby, I doesn't suffer from any such identity crisis- much to my surprise- and Ariana's voice shines for all the right reasons (though the intonation is still a slight annoyance). It's a speedy evolution in sound that could just mark the beginning of her journey to her very own unique vocal style- something all great Divas need. If true, this makes the singer a whole lot more of an interesting musical proposition to me.

Thoughts?