Well, just how good can grief be? That’s a question raised by Sara Bareilles‘ “Good Grief,” which, true to its promissory title, deals primarily with loss and death and the kind of tough stuff that folks in a marketing meeting might suggest slightly downplaying when one is releasing one’s first studio album in seven years.
Most Taylor Swift fans probably do not think of the sad events of “All Too Well” and the ultimately happy “Toy Story 5” as occurring in the same cinematic or musical universe. But, to the contrary, Swift sees a clear thematic connection between her epic romantic tragedy of 14 years ago and the happily-ever-after saga