Chase & Status and Neneh Cherry protegee tests our house-revival saturation point…
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[6.75]
Micha Cavaseno: I am a long-standing fanatical believer, like some peasant monk with one eye and rotted-out teeth who dwells in yonder mountains, that freestyle is the greatest genre of music this world has produced (grime being the cosmic opposite and therefore the only available competition). Give me some Puerto Rican teenager singing/not-singing over ice-cream van melodies and electro whisps, and I’m at full power. So the fact that “Your Love” kind of barely reminds me of Shannon’s “Let The Music Play” in the introductory section is blinding all other forms of criticism. Moko’s a quite fine dance vocalist, and the house section is the same brand of assembly line house the UK is putting out these days. But for the briefest detour into the greatest form of music that this mudball planet has ever entertained, I applaud this song. I will also applaud anyone who can score me a Lisette Melendez T-shirt, because a peasant monk needs fitting symbols of devotion, you know.
[8]
Alfred Soto: So many excellent minimalist early nineties-influenced diva house wash ashore these days that I must find new ways of praising them. Like Kiesza and Gorgon City’s recent hits, an insistent sequencer is the string holding the beads together, and Moko’s wringing fresh nuance out of the mantra chorus every time it comes around.
[7]
Katherine St Asaph: Some people sample Robin S. Others evoke her.
[7]
Crystal Leww: With “Your Love,” Chase & Status pay back Moko for a featuring vocal she did last year. Instead of turning to their usual D&B sound, they cater to her style and the times, which dictate that pop house is the sound of the present. “Your Love” takes a while to get to that groove with whirring false starts before the beat drops out and Moko’s voice practically chants “I just want your love!” “Your Love” doesn’t go for new tricks, but it’s clear-intentioned and perfectly capable. Now, if Duke Dumont and Secondcity would only do the same for Kelli-Leigh….
[6]
Brad Shoup: Status and Moko and Chase got the bass and keyboards ringing on two separate planes of existence. But Moko’s suspended between those fields: not slipping down, not soaring.
[6]
Josh Winters: The pre-chorus build-up is meant to mislead you. Massive sonic assaults are nowhere to be found here. Instead, you get Moko emanating her effortless cool in every direction, sounding right at home in the vacant color-soaked warehouse she’s marked as her territory.
[8]
Juana Giaimo: Two great parallel ideas that unfortunately never merge into one. It was a nice sensation to feel the void in the chorus, but Moko’s voice is full of energy and desperately looking for something to join her.
[5]
Anthony Easton: The percussion on this is monstrous, and her voice, especially when it moves into those smooth “ooh”s, is almost as exciting as the hyperspace warp-drive noises. One of the best-felt disco bangers this year.
[7]