Kitschkrieg ft. Blumengarten & Shirin David – Gut Genug

We decide whether we think this recent German #1 is good enough…

[Video]
[4.83]Al Varela: I find it oddly wholesome that this goofy sounding chorus actually translates to “you are good enough” in Deutsch. Rayan’s gentle falsetto paired up with this tapping beat and sweet piano chords is admittedly very funny out of context, but that softness is also why I find it so compelling. In essence, this song is a self-love anthem, complete with Shirin David’s verse about her own trials and tribulations. And while her verse is good, it really is Rayan’s hook that makes this song so memorable. Bouncy and fun enough to be genuinely catchy on its own, but paired with that specific tambor you get this strangely ethereal feeling from it that you probably wouldn’t get if sung by anyone else. In any case, I cannot get rid of “du bist gut genuuuuuug” as a vocal stim anytime soon.
[8]

Harlan Talib Ockey: Shirin David’s Schlau Aber Blond era has largely been limp and bloodless, and this is no exception. In theory, empowerment and self-acceptance are some of David’s strongest subjects — it’s what half of Bitches Brauchen Rap was about — but her verse on “Gut Genug” is a lethargic slog. (Also, “heavy is the head that wears the Birkin” is “blow my dick like a cello”-level absurdity. We all know Birkins are handbags, right?) Otherwise, the falsetto of Blumengarten’s Rayan Djima is strained and inexpressive, and Kitschkrieg’s production sounds about ten years out of date.
[1]

Nortey Dowuona: Both Rayan Djima of Blumengarten and Shirin are easy going and smooth as seaglass once they enter the soft, limp beatwork of Kitschkrieg, the only ennervating forces in the song. Shirin is tender and forthright, even throwing in a classic hip hop legend as the water wings she needs to keep aloft, while Rayan is soft and plaintive, pliantly panned and compressed into every free crack in the song’s foundation. If only the weak, dull kicks were replaced with a new set of drum one shots.
[5]

Alfred Soto: The falsetto-stutter is the real blitzkrieg.
[1]

Ian Mathers: I am guessing this is one of those Tik Tok hits that got attention because of how good a tiny loop of it sounds. And honestly, the singing (from one half of Blumengarten, if I’m getting this right) is both lovely and earworm-y enough that it absolutely deserves to be a hit. It’s just… Shirin David is not bringing much to the table, to me! I’d rather just hear that hook. Or even one where that guy just does the whole thing. Or maybe even better, when they get in a compelling rapper. Both of those are at least an [8]. This, unfortunately…
[7]

Iain Mew: Ever since I first heard this, the single line falsetto chorus has been following me around like a positive ghost, ever ready to offer affirmations. It seems like it could have much wider applicability, too. Messed up that email at work? “Du bist gut genug”. Lost your big match on penalties? “Du bist gut genuug”. Turned in an underwhelming featured verse on a viral pop hit? “Du bist gut genuu-uu-uu-uug”.
[7]