Never summon the wrath of INVOKED SKEE-LO COMPARISONS…
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Patrick St. Michel: And now, the wave of ’90s nostalgia that has engulfed popular culture over the past few years reaches this interesting moment — Cher Lloyd has gender-flipped Skee-Lo’s “I Wish.” Both protagonists envy the object of their affection’s current lover, both crave to be a little bit taller, and both think material goods will change their lives for the better. Still, this is like Batman And Robin being followed up by Batman Begins in terms of atmosphere. Skee-Lo was fucking down on his luck in that song… dude couldn’t even get a date, his car sucked and he got his head cracked open. Yet he took it in stride, and that resulted in a funny but relatable number. Lloyd’s take is more summer blockbuster, a buzzing pop jam that’s hard not to bob along to. It’s really good — and that’s a heck of a chorus, even if the sentiment is sorta gross, get away from that dude — but lacks the universality that makes Skee-Lo’s track so fantastic. Oh, Lloyd also has the unfortunate addition of T.I. creeping up this song, totally ruining its vibe for one verse.
[7]
Iain Mew: It’s not that the personality of Cher Lloyd’s vocals doesn’t shine through. It’s more that no one could manage to be taken seriously enough to overcome a song so weak that it can be by ruined by the verses’ resemblance to “It Wasn’t Me” and even the lasting effects of “I wish I woke up with a butt in Iraq”.
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Alfred Soto: I wish she didn’t squeak as loudly as those synths. I wish T.I. could have enlivened a Disclosure album.
[5]
Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: Lloyd has a penchant for continually morphing her delivery over the space of a single verse — in the second verse of “I Wish” alone, she hops from helium punchiness to helium-accented inflections to hypersweetened cooing. Her ability to play with vocal takes can make her frustrating to listen to, but when paired with Technicolour teenage dilemmas like she is here, she’s a joy. As the chorus informs us with oodles of self-deprecating humour (perhaps all this vocal gaming is overcompensation?), Lloyd isn’t playing the heart-throb here. Instead, she leaves that up to T.I., which is a smart move cos swoon.
[7]
Cédric Le Merrer: Cher Lloyd still makes a commendable effort to stay on the right side of annoying, but evoking Skee-Lo’s effortless hit does invite unflattering comparisons. Still, between the tired beat and the listless T.I. feature, any effort on her part is welcome to save this song from complete blandness.
[5]
Scott Mildenhall: Don’t evoke Skee-Lo if you can’t live up to his standards. The verses bear melodic similarity to the “Me And My Girlfriend” hook (making it next in the line of Infinite Iterations Of Icona Pop) and there are even hints of — “OH!” — Nelly & Kelly, but all that amounts to is echoing better songs. And it’s hard to believe in, too. Cher doesn’t really seem all that bothered, and details of the man are scant (he’s not even T.I. — just about a better match for her than Mike Posner, and legally speaking, better than Astro was — but inessential in any case). There’s no sadness or anger or angst or yearning or anything; she even laughs at the end. Quite obviously, she’s aware that she can do better.
[5]
Brad Shoup: The daydreaming falsetto that ends the chorus is a major effect; we can probably pin it on the pride of Austin, Savan Kotecha. I’d much rather wait for that to show up than wait for the strutting brass flash to surface in the mix. When it does, it’s a typical Lloyd-style parade, even though pining for someone shallow makes for some sad zingers.
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