But we do! Do what?
[Video][Website]
[5.29]
Micha Cavaseno: Right off the jump I know people are going to say YG was terrible here because they don’t understand being understated; meanwhile the “worst rapper beside Mariah Carey” slot was filled years ago by garbage Busta Rhymes, so thanks for playing. Mariah meanwhile appears to have abandoned her R. Kelly-like phase of playful mania for classicism in the vein of Emancipation, so I’m not mad at that whatsoever. As fun as her excessiveness can be both lyrically and vocally, there’s an appreciable restraint here that leaves you begging for more.
[7]
Thomas Inskeep: Bringing in Jermaine Dupri, one of the kings of the ’90s and ’00s (y’all know who he is), and Bryan-Michael Cox, one of the other kings of the ’00s (MJB, Usher, Fantasia, and Mimi herself), to produce (yet another) comeback single is a smart idea. So is sampling and interpolating Donell Jones’s 1999 quiet storm classic “Where I Wanna Be.” As far as bringing in ringer YG for some rap verses, well, YMMV; he does nothing for me. But this feels like with the right promo TLC it could be a hit. We’ll see. It’s no patch on her classics, but it’s good and solid, and I’ll take that.
[6]
Alfred Soto: “You can play with my…mind” — ho ho. We get it, Miss Thang. She’s in good form on this confection whipped up by Bryan Michael-Cox and Jermaine Dupri, reliant on a Donell Jones riff. I suppose it’s cool, too, that YG pledges his troth instead of abasing himself with unbelievable regrets. Nothing fresh but tasty all the same.
[7]
Katie Gill: That production is doing absolutely NOTHING for Mariah Carey’s voice. We know she can sing, why back her up with that bizarre beat?
[4]
Will Adams: I enjoy the stuttered kick that’s weaved into the beat, but it’s the only thing mirroring the ice of Carey’s lyric. Everything else (except YG) is set to smooth, and the disconnect fails the song.
[5]
Katherine St Asaph: Can’t decide whether it wants to be a slow jam or “Irreplaceable.” YG has some ideas; too bad he’s not lead.
[5]
Crystal Leww: There is something very wrong when I cannot differentiate a Mariah Carey track from any dime a dozen R&B singer. There is something very wrong when the most interesting thing about a Mariah Carey track is YG.
[3]