“I Hope” equals j-hope…
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Wayne Weizhen Zhang: A decade after American Idol winner Carrie Underwood first sang the iconic “Before He Cheats,” another alum, Gabby Barrett, has come up with a break-up anthem just as truculent and petty. Ending the chorus with “Then I hope she cheats, like you did on me” is more than a mic-drop; it’s a character assassination.
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Katherine St Asaph: Fine songwriting work: The twist in the chorus arrives at the exact moment the “I Hope You Dance” sappiness reaches critical glurge mass, and while the music continues sweetly the knife keeps going. Barrett’s credited as a songwriter, and that was almost certainly her idea, as her (male) co-writers had a different plan: “‘Let’s write a breakup song where the guy does the girl bad, but the girl still kinda wishes the guy well in the end, like, yeah, no bother, nothing’s wrong,’ [they said.] And I was like, ‘Yeah, no. That’s not gonna work. That can’t work, because I just don’t recall that happening when we get done wrong.'” Is it any wonder the song rings true?
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Thomas Inskeep: I absolutely love the lyrics to this, which sound like an “I hope things are going well with your new love” song to an ex and then take a 90-degree turn into bitter. I’m also quite fond of Barrett’s delivery, which takes a few cues from Carrie Underwood, as does the song’s big production. An auspicious debut single which hopefully portends more to come.
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Tobi Tella: The anger and intensity of the production and melody seems unnecessary for a simple love ballad, but that switch at the end of the chorus is a nice trick and definitely accomplishes the goal of grabbing attention. The song doesn’t have many other tricks, but it’s still fairly interesting compared to what normally manages to go big in country.
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Alfred Soto: “Overwrought” I don’t mind, especially on cheatin’ anthems — what, we’re supposed to act like figures in a Wodehouse novel? If only. But the bland modern production and the decision to give the guy a chance to respond (Charlie Puth’s adenoidal choices do not suit him when he does angst) leave Gabby Barrett roaring into a wind machine.
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Alex Clifton: I wish I could say I am a kind, gracious adult who has learnt not to hold onto negativity and grudges. That would not be true, though. I’m viciously petty when it comes to those who have wronged me in the past. My respect, once lost, is gone forever, and that happens once I’ve handed out too many chances for redemption — in other words, you have to do a hell of a lot to get on my eternal bad side. Once you’re there, I’ll erase you from my life, but that won’t stop me from hoping that someone hurts you as much as you hurt me. I can sometimes forgive, but I do not forget, and I hope that knowledge terrorizes the (small) number of enemies I have. So there’s a lot that I appreciate about “I Hope,” which is a song that starts with the graciousness found on “Someone Like You” but then morphs into “I hope she cheats, like you did on me.” It’s good, but I really wish that Barrett went further with the conceit, maybe changing up the choruses to tell more of a story regarding the breakup of her relationship and her subsequent wishes for her ex. There’s a real opportunity for more of a bite here, and I just wish Barrett had run away with it. The great thing about country music is the opportunity for dramatics — “Mama’s Broken Heart” by Miranda Lambert is a great example — and while Barrett does good work here, I just wish she had a bit more oomph.
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