Assessed: less than success…
[Video]
[4.67]
Andy Hutchins: Shenseea is commanding and compelling, verging on overpowering the riddim and the “ra-ta-ta-ta” in the background with force of personality: “Way too blessed, blessed, blessed…” sounds like a megawatt smile delivered via megaphone. So why is Tyga — who isn’t a labelmate — here, even if he’s doing his best to overachieve and break his years-long streak of mediocre-or-worse verses by following a failed attempt to rhyme “chest” with “bed” with an ABAB rhyme scheme? A second verse from Shenseea or a swap of Tyga for Lizzo or Megan Thee Stallion or a Sremmurd del Rae (actual label mates!) could have elevated this.
[5]
David Moore: Shenseea sings the hook like an alarm clock went off unexpectedly in the middle of the night, creating an anxious undercurrent to the whole thing — it’s a little hashtag stressed.
[5]
Alfred Soto: That loopy string melody with its hints of the Mediterranean should’ve up and left Tyga and Shenseea yelling and mumbling to each other.
[2]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: The repetitive best/blessed hook works because Shenseea’s voice commands attention throughout her verses. Tyga’s boasts sound comparatively laughable, but his low-key feature functions as a needed repose.
[6]
Scott Mildenhall: Tyga’s presence is a disappointment, in that he interrupts Shenseea’s hypnotic ascent into phonetic absurdity. This is exactly the sort of thing to which your dad, a mid-ranking TV comedian and Twitter personality, is going to say “she keeps saying the same thing!”. Pop cultural industry at large depends on this kind of song, and to whatever extent it establishes Shenseea it seems likely she’ll return with more of the same conviction in future and a little less repetition.
[6]
Ian Mathers: If ever a song not only deserved but practically cried out for a DJ Khaled cameo, it’s this one.
[4]