It’s too hot out…
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[5.89]
Katherine St Asaph: One listen, it’s effortlessly summery affirmation, adroit raps dropped like they’re just another sunbeam; the next listen, it’s — I know it’s uncharitable — over-blithe narcotic, the kind of stuff to be piped out of ground ferns in outdoor malls between the department store and the day spa, to lull you into impulse purchases because you deserve that $20 body wash. Which listen sticks probably depends on where I hear it first.
[6]
Anthony Easton: This trifle means almost nothing, and the inspirational message is vapid, but it’s broken 30 five days out of the last seven, and I missed Missy enough to be glad for her to take the blame.
[6]
Megan Harrington: It’s tough going for J.Lo and Mariah Carey this summer, but I perpetually root for Faith Evans and am nodding in silent agreement when she belts “I deserve it!” She does! Unfortunately, Missy Elliott isn’t quite as rutted as Timbaland, but she’s close. This is the sort of late-’90s throwback to the late-’70s that you’d turn up for a dog days block party; it’s fun and nostalgic, but not necessarily a comeback vehicle for anyone involved.
[7]
Alfred Soto: At first I didn’t want to overpraise it: these things go wrong all the time. Sharaya, benefit of considerable buzz in my circles, would have survived, Missy we know, but the vet who no longer goes automatic gold worried me. Fortunately it is good. The “Young, Gifted, and Black” sample adduces the kind of workaday selfhood that Evans projects without fuss and Missy and Sharaya without collapsing into dirty jokes. Make it hot for the summer.
[7]
Jer Fairall: A horn section offers a bright snap to a tinny keyboard hook, the guests offer animated enthusiasm to a lead performance that prefers veteran professionalism to intensity, and the assurance of “you ain’t gotta be perfect” offers kindness to a titular sentiment that, on its own, reeks of a bit too much petulant self-affirmation. A trifle, but a buoyant and even affectionate one.
[6]
Crystal Leww: Bold and brassy, literally. Elliott and Sharaya J turn in mini-verses that are loads more interesting than anything Evans does in this track, with Sharaya J injecting life into something as simple as spelling her name and Missy doing wonders with an “-ack” sound. Evans does some vocal flips, and while the landings are technically sound, she leaves very little impression.
[6]
Will Adams: A lineup like this should not be responsible for a product this dull.
[5]
Thomas Inskeep: Slightly retro-ish feel, lame verse by Sharaya J (who’s apparently Faith’s protege), can-and-has-done-so-much-better verse by Missy, and another vaguely “empowering” anthem from Faith, who’s clearly putting more time into her reality television career than her recording career these days, which is saddening. It’s not terrible by any means, but I never need to hear it again.
[4]
Brad Shoup: It’s got a melody like a gentle reminder, and hi-hats a couple of beats before I would’ve put them. Sharaya does fine, and the hand-off to Missy is both handled well and way too rare of a thing. A couple blanked-out words and this will rule R&B radio for the summer, at least.
[6]