Remember, keep matches out of reach of children.
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[4.71]
Thomas Inskeep: Former Ninja Tuner goes BBC Radio 2, thanks to strings and a sweepingly dramatic song that rhymes “live wire” and “playing with fire” and “can’t get no higher.” Good enough.
[6]
Edward Okulicz: “Higher!” “Fire!” This isn’t a Eurovision entry, and even if it were, the reason that rhyme is such a beloved cliche is because it readily scans into simple melodies. Here, the words “playing with fire” are draped awkwardly over both a dead cautionary tale that’s deflated by the chorus, and a melodic run that works counter to the impact of the words. Triana might as well be singing about being sure to be hurt while attempting to reverse park. As a child, we were all taught that fire is dangerous (probably), perhaps all songwriters need to be similarly cautioned about the dangers of the word “fire” as well?
[4]
Micha Cavaseno: Triana first came to my attention on “Tea Leaf Dancers” from Flying Lotus’ Reset EP, which was kind of rote Gilles Peterson coffee-shop trip-hop with typical neo-soul meets “FUTURE SOUL,” in which Andreya for all her husky tone offered little promise as a vocalist or as a songwriter. It was a gimmick, Lowest Common Denominator for an ‘enlightened’ audience and it worked rather well. Nothing wrong with that. So that’s what Andreya’s Bonobo-produced snooze-fest debut album sounded like. But those cash pools dry up eventually, and as you get older you need to rationalize why you’re here. In a world where the Ninja Tune rivals at XL are watching that Adele money stack up, Andreya and Ninja Tune are GUNNING for that Adele money, rather than dropping her or coming up with good music. But people like Radio 2 love a ‘can barely sing but sounds soulful record with upbeat sterility’ type of jam so I’m sure Andreya’s gonna get some burn out of this song. Whether or not they get any further than that… LOL. Man, good luck.
[2]
Patrick St. Michel: It boasts enough swagger to elevate it beyond a Northern Soul museum piece, and Andreya Triana has a great voice that pushes this forward. Still feels content to just be a throwback, but does enough to rise above being a diorama.
[6]
Ramzi Awn: Damn, she almost had it. Not knowing what to do with a good verse is a real shame.
[5]
Katherine St Asaph: Is there anything that can keep me from hearing these chords and wanting “You Keep Me Hanging On” instead? Dusty percussion loops, apparently. Enough that my interest in this song depends entirely on how high they are in the mix: tuning in the verses, tuning out the chorus, which isn’t much of a chorus anyway.
[5]
Jonathan Bogart: Pleasant enough wash of drummy and bassy mood, but the third person is probably the hardest voice to write a good song in. First person has the advantage of immediate emotional identification, and even second person (which is mostly awful) has the frisson of the listener being addressed; but third person turns the lyric into a referendum on your storytelling ability. There’s almost none here.
[5]