Review: Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘SOUR’ is a sweet debut

Review: Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘SOUR’ is a sweet debut

Since her debut single “driver’s license” was released in January, Olivia Rodrigo has taken the world by storm. Her first album, SOUR, came out in May and quickly topped the charts, earning her appearances at awards shows and Saturday Night Live mere months into her music career. If you aren’t familiar with Rodrigo, she is the latest in the long series of Disney Channel stars turned pop artists, following in the footsteps of singers such as Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. Rodrigo currently stars in Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical The Series (bet you can’t say that three times fast), a series spinoff of the popular High School Musical movie franchise. Rodrigo’s album SOUR pays tribute to her musical inspirations through the 11 tracks which focus on lyrical themes of heartbreak and the coming of age of the artist and her peers. While SOUR is an impressive debut album, it does leave Rodrigo plenty of room to grow and improve in the future. What really holds SOUR back is that it isn’t sure what to be. Many of the songs are pure pop songs and ballads, but there are a couple of songs that lean into an early 2000s pop-punk sound. While variety can be a good thing, there isn’t really a smooth transition between the different sounds and there isn’t an even balance between the two types of songs (mostly pop with two rock songs). The rock-leaning songs are great, but they feel a little bit out of place here. But SOUR’s biggest issue isn’t its genre confusion; it’s how on-the-nose it...

52nd Singarama to hit Collins this Thursday

Months of hard work will soon pay off for students involved in Lipscomb’s 52nd annual Singarama, which opens this Thursday in Collins Alumni Auditorium. This year’s Singarama production is Ready, Set, Go! featuring groups led by student directors Anne Claire Smith, Carolanne Deaton and John Alex Foster. This year’s hosts and hostesses are Delaney Brown, David Austin Lowery, Michael Oruma, Caitlin Phelps, Tyler Russell and McKenna Smith. Aaron Sain is the host and hostesses director. “Go” is the story of a window washer who wants to enter the world of business. It features songs such as “Status Quo” from High School Musical, “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake and “You Can Go Your Own Way.” Clubs participating in “Go” include Delta Omega, Delta Sigma, Kappa Chi, Sigma Omega Sigma and Tau Phi. Delta Sigma member Laney Overton has especially enjoyed bonding with students from other social clubs. “Being in a social club you sometimes are confined to your social club, and Singarama’s a really great opportunity to branch out and meet new people from other clubs,” Overton said. Students have been working on their shows since January, often practicing five days each week. Frequent practices do not bother Singarama first-timer Tiffany Best, though. “Whenever I’m stressed or busy or upset I can just take my mind off of it and sing my heart out,” Best said. Anna Grace Wolfe of Delta Sigma has also enjoyed the practices but is especially enthusiastic about taking the stage at Singarama for the first time. “I’m excited to be on stage and the moment where we first walk onto the stage,” Wolfe said. Overton, who participated last year, is looking forward...