With 2019's Betty,
Betty Who was back in her comfort zone as an independent artist and sounding more confident than she had in years. Turns out she was just getting started: on
Big!, she's comfortable enough to open up like never before. Ever since "Somebody Loves You,"
Who has excelled at writing joyful empowerment anthems, to the point where she's rarely allowed herself to be sad, or even a little down, on her albums. While she always sounds like she's singing directly to her fans, this time she shares a bit more of the life -- and pain -- behind her songs. Her more personal songwriting immediately makes itself known on
Big!'s title track. Calling up her memories of literally standing out as the tallest kid in school (she grew to be 6'1") and the bullying that came with it, the song starts out small, with glossy pianos that sound like they're from an '80s family sitcom theme, before exploding into an unapologetically fist-pumping power ballad that would do
Diane Warren proud. Similarly,
Who closes the album with "Grown Ups Grow Apart," a poignant look at how times and people change that earns the right to tug on listeners' heartstrings with its lived-in details. Sharing more about herself only makes
Who more relatable, and this is especially true on
Big!'s love songs. She finds the stories about relationships that haven't been told yet, or at least told in this particular way. On "Someone Else," she gives her thoughtful observations about the complexities of old and new love epic proportions, and she turns pop tropes on their head without breaking a sweat on "One of Us," a deceptively breezy song about being left behind in love. Nobody puts
Betty in the corner for long, though, and the positivity that still beams from her songs makes
Big! shine all the brighter. "She Can Dance" and "Blow Out My Candle" put haters in their place with radiant dance-pop that sounds like it could -- or rather, should -- be a hit on the scale of
Katy Perry's "Roar."
Who also makes time for pure, flirtatious fun like "Weekend" and "I Can Be Your Man," which celebrates her queerness by upending gender roles and expectations. She's still an expert at making rousing, empathetic pop that isn't sappy or patronizing, but the room
Who gives herself to grow on
Big! means her music has never sounded so complete or satisfying. ~ Heather Phares