Cher Lloyd – Activated

Less “UNHH!” more “uhhh”…

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[4.17]Katie Gill: I was worried when I clicked on this because “Want U Back” and “Swagger Jagger” are actively obnoxious. Thankfully, this is just mildly obnoxious. It’s got “mature comeback single” written all over it, which is weird and doesn’t fit at all with Cher Lloyd’s voice. The Auto-Tune’s grating at certain points and that’s a half-hearted chorus but, hey, at least it isn’t “Swagger Jagger.”
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Patrick St. Michel: It’s a testament to Cher Lloyd’s voice — both untouched and slathered in digital effects — that she can make this otherwise ho-hum song more memorable than it’s worth.
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Will Adams: Cher Lloyd talks a lot about being charged up and ready to rock the party, but the grumble-bass and synth pads belong in an entirely different song. “Activated” is too focused on targeting cool swagger that Lloyd ends up sounding more like she’s on standby.
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Alfred Soto: Although she’s activated, her programmers have forgotten certain algorithms. Singing like a robot doesn’t make you one, or as affecting as one can be. Britney, we need you.
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Peter Ryan: If this seems a bit promo-y, less punchy than the average Cher Lloyd single, it’s because it’s so on-message — the verses’ vocal stutters and drooping bass are a roomful of fluorescent bulbs flickering to life, giving way to the quiet buzz of the chorus, a statement of intent for the Simon Cowell-less CL3 era: “when I do the damn thing, just watch me.” And for those still mourning the dearth of “UNNNH!”s since “Want U Back”, she’s thrown you a bone — there are some nice “HYEAH!”s tucked into the background.
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Juana Giaimo: “Activated” reminds me of the recently covered “CRZY” by Kehlani. They both have a competitve attitude, but they offer little content. This time, Cher Lloyd fills the verses with chopped up nonsense lines that seems to be an introduction to an explosive chourus that never arrives.
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