That “Chandelier” song is growing on me…
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[4.56]
Jer Fairall: A solid Paramore power ballad, but Lloyd, a pop star with as much sheer personality as any among the current crop, is forced to dial back too much of it in order to fit the song’s limited contours.
[5]
Megan Harrington: As ballads go, this is one. I looked up the lyrics to figure out what’s got Lloyd belting but I can’t make sense of them. Here are some possibilities: war-torn soldiers fall in love, one is shot and the other waits pleading for the wail of a rescue unit; written from the perspective of child whose parent has overdosed; Lloyd’s stage fright threatens to paralyze her but a secret confidence emerges to rescue her from embarrassment. Whatever prompted this font of emotion, I can only guess it’s gut-wrenching based on the tiny moments where Lloyd sings so hard she warbles.
[7]
Mallory O’Donnell: Cher sings about laying down in the shallow water, sounds like she’s being sucked into a swamp. To really drive the point home, her voice sounds thick and torturous, much like this awkward combination of modern romance and mythology.
[3]
Alfred Soto: Developed with care, but Lloyd’s voice isn’t up to the changes by the time the chorus swings around. And it’s a boring-ass melody too.
[3]
Patrick St. Michel: Getting more boring with every second I listen to it.
[3]
Crystal Leww: Did Sia pen this? That is the only reasonable explanation for how Cher Lloyd sounds this dull.
[4]
Cédric Le Merrer: The track is one of these things that work very hard to avoid any original idea, instead combining elements that worked in previous hits in the safest way possible — imagine Imagine Dragons ft. Sia and this is what you’ll end up with. The guitar strum is this dry, minimalist stuff that’s the only acceptable electric guitar in 21st century pop since “Titanium,” the drums have the faux-tribal epic thing going that’s been all the rage since at least “Love Lockdown,” and the synths go appropriately “swoosh” when called upon. It’s not necessarily a bad way to build a song as a showcase for your vocalist’s performance. Unfortunately, Cher Lloyd’s approach is to try out for the serious songstress badge. The lack of personality in her singing will surely be taken as a show of maturity and control by a few fans, but for anyone not familiar with her previous stuff this will probably be perceived as the most anonymous track of the year.
[5]
Brad Shoup: It’s kinda nutty how much she sounds like Dolly Parton in places. I suppose some part of me knew that she probably recorded ballads, and as such, this isn’t bad. The guitar has a nice matter-of-fact linking rifflet, a couple downcast strokes before Lloyd lets loose a fantastic quiver. It ought to be ridiculous, her talking about feeling older, but she’s radiating weariness, and that’s a neat trick for a major-label pop song that still has to explode in the chorus.
[7]
Katherine St Asaph: But we have a Demi Lovato already.
[4]