Should’ve been better.
[Video][Website]
[4.67]
Will Adams: “Should’ve Been Us” has a calculated professionalism that’s evident right from opening line; “Walkin’ ’round with my head down” goes past vague and straight into not trying. The high notes allow Tori Kelly to get scratchy and emotive. Too bad it’s in service of an inoffensive chorus that drowns out the “Take Me to the Mardi Gras” sample.
[5]
Ramzi Awn: Tori struts like stilettos and does everything crossover couldn’t do for years. This isn’t a country song, but it has twang in its bones. The momentum on the track outdoes “Bad Blood” in every fashion, and the high notes Kelly hits on the hook are sterling. Way to make a good name sound even better.
[8]
Katherine St Asaph: There is a hole in my brain the exact size and shape of whichever lobe makes you appreciate Natasha Bedingfield.
[4]
Brad Shoup: Turns out “Netflix and chill” is also a command.
[4]
Iain Mew: Anyone else spend their listening time thinking “this could be us but you playing”? Tori does as much as she can, her effort audible if not overdone, but she’s stuck with a drab song that conveys less than a one line meme.
[4]
Thomas Inskeep: It’s not me, Tori, it’s you.
[3]