It’s a mate of the dude with the awesome blazer from the “Pass Out” video!…
[Video][Myspace]
[5.00]
Alfred Soto: “Drake Drunk” amirite
[2]
Martin Skidmore: I suspect that under the hideously autotuned vocals here, there may be a talented R&B vocalist, but the big notes in particular are so harsh under the processing that I dislike the sound intensely. It’s also a pity because I think this might be a pretty good R&B song, and a completely different production job (this one sounds clumsy beyond the vocal processing) and less autotune might have made for a very fine record — but as it is I find it unlistenable.
[2]
Iain Mew: I guess the lurch on the title phrase is meant to imitate the effects of said intoxication (do you see?) ,but it’s nonetheless annoying. First time around I was all ready to give this a 3 for that and other Autotune abuses, but then came the stunning bit at 2:30 where a plane flies past and the song is divebombed by crazed 8-bit synths. On further listens it became clearer that they’d been there in the background doing amazing stuff all along and Loick’s various over the top vocalisations made a little more sense as being the only way to try to keep up with their impact.
[7]
Frank Kogan: Thick voice scoops massive clay sculptures out of the mud, so I think I’m getting hard dancehall, when all of a sudden we’re thrown in the midst of the modern-day Autopop mess, pretty tunes, pretty countertunes, drama-queen synths in the background… this is all over the place. Clicks for me only about half the time, but I’m upping this a notch or two for its audacity, the musicmakers not stinting on the confusion that this year’s pop seems to authorize.
[7]
John Seroff: The chiptune production offers a few standout moments; I particularly like the ripping Nintendo burps on the K.Koke bridge. Shame that Essien’s processed-to-anonymity vocals don’t hold up to scrutiny. Maybe it’s a culture clash issue? See, here in ‘Murrica we like our R&B ingenues to be sensitive thugs, not 3-D disco divas. I’m all in favor of reversing that trend, but “Love Drunk” is a poor argument.
[5]
Alex Ostroff: Apparently Labrinth is giving away his best productions, because the stuttering, winding instrumental he gives to Loick Essien dances circles around “Let the Sun Shine”. It opens with a sinuous introduction, before successively diving into wobbly reggae bass lines laid on top of snare kicks, Timbaland-style pulsing synths, a melodramatic Autotuned vocal bridge and a breakdown that splits the difference between dubstep and a Super Nintendo. Despite the rhythm and stylistic shifts, neither Labrinth nor Loick lose the thread. As a song, it’s less ingratiating than “Let the Sun Shine”, but as music it’s significantly more generous. Labrinth has been trumpeting to the UK press that he’s turned down offers to produce Rihanna in favour of working with local talent, but if he can pull off something this good with anonymous British singers, I’d love to see his take on current American R&B.
[7]