What’s boo’d up must come boo’d down…
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[5.50]
Ady Thapliyal: This track marks Ella’s return to working with DJ Mustard after the misfire of “Not Another Love Song,” and what makes their collaborations so scintillating is the vintage-R&B-meets-contemporary-radio sound they’re able to capture. If their “Shot Clock” was a slowed-down rendition of “Crush on You” and their “Trip” was a wink at the string line in “Love,” then “DFMU” is Mustard and Ella’s take on the piano loop of another classic hit, “Foolish.” From their work you can expect smart references, careful simplicity and strong genre awareness, and “DFMU” is no exception.
[8]
Vikram Joseph: A pitch-perfect facsimile of ’90s R&B, hazy and nocturnal, but too tonally neutral. Are we supposed to believe she’s all-in on this guy? The stakes feel too low. “Boo’d Up” crackled with wholehearted obsession, while for all the prettiness of this delicate piano figure and Ella’s pleas to be careful with her heart, it never really sounds like it’s there for the taking.
[5]
Alfred Soto: Like Usher, with whom she once paired, Ella Mai may sing blah material but can’t sing blah. She means what she says and courts foolishness or, worse, masochism. Straightforward, anchored to piano and DJ Mustard’s beat, “DFMU” simmers because to let loose would court disaster. Kudos for sneaking “full court press” into a lyric.
[8]
Scott Mildenhall: It’s good to see an artist finish what still sounds like a half-finished song tacked onto her album as an interlude; less good to see her use it as her return single. When Ella Mai kicks into gear at the necessary if perfunctory crescendo, there’s a hint of life, but even that feels like an afterthought.
[4]
Katherine St Asaph: In another era — and in 2022, we have truly earned the phrase “another era” — this might have sounded plush, seductive, grotto-like. Now it just sounds like a depression hole.
[5]
Oliver Maier: A teaspoon stirring a mug of beige coffee for three minutes. Check please.
[3]