In case you’re wondering, no, this bit is not a prelude to them kissing…
[Video][Myspace]
[5.89]
Martin Skidmore: I love this and can barely listen to it: it connects too strongly with some personal experiences, and it pains me. Trying to put that aside, this is a dramatic slow R&B number, with some terrific musical flourishes, and she sings it with passion and pain, an agonised and soulful performance, perhaps my favourite vocal of the year so far. It’s a really strong song too, albeit one I can hardly take…
[10]
Chuck Eddy: Can’t say I feel her pain, exactly. But at least I can sort of figure out where it is. Otherwise, this is shrug-my-shoulders tastefulness, with a melody that wanders around but never quite hooks.
[5]
Al Shipley: This would be a plodding, monotonous tune even if the horrible synth timpani dramatics of R. Kelly’s production didn’t render it an especially hollow spectacle.
[2]
Kat Stevens: Yikes, R Kelly’s production is absolutely dreadful on this. You know when someone’s standing a bit too close and keeps spitting on you when they talk? They’re a lovely person and you are genuinely interested in what they’re saying, but you end up thinking about how to avoid being spat on rather than what advice to give concerning their lovelife problems.
[6]
David Raposa: I’m guessing the rinky-dink instrumentation isn’t meant to undercut the song’s achy-breaky sentiment? Someone get her a real orchestra ASAP so I can at least justify pretending to give one shit.
[4]
Alex Macpherson: It’s always slightly embarrassing when you rave about the singular genius of a newly discovered artist and then their next big single is a tidily done but fairly undistinguishable Keyshia Cole-level emoter, and then you have to say “no, but listen to this and this instead” and throw a bunch of Youtube links at an uninterested audience, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do, because K. Michelle is far better than this would indicate. Her What’s The 901? mixtape has been an integral part of my summer, all sharp elbows and flashing eyes and undeniable ache; she’s the kind of girl who’ll knock you out with a left hook even as she’s bawling her eyes out. Check her swooning ghetto hymn “Where They Do That At”; the crunk domestic “Hit ‘Em In The Mouth” (“What I ain’t gon do is: call my pops/What I ain’t gon’ do is: call no cops/I’m no Jazmine Sullivan, bustin’ all your windows out/I’m from Memphis, Tennekee: I’mma bust you in your mouth”); the sharp, defensive “Self Made”, adding a frisson of realness to the independent women narrative; her impossibly generous reworking of B.o.B.’s “Nothin’ On You”, wherein she sees the original’s sweet, lying nothings, dissects them and rips them apart for her girls.
[7]
Jonathan Bogart: I can’t imagine that she’s at her best in the role of a long-suffering woman wronged by a no-good man; but the closing moments of the song suggest a vocal stylist that isn’t really present elsewhere. I’d like to hear an album from that singer.
[6]
Katherine St Asaph: K Michelle’s vocal training is obvious, and there’s some nuance to her lyrics — whether they’re hers, as her bio would indicate, or R. Kelly’s as I’ve read elsewhere. At times this mistakes being “personal” for showing personality, but I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt; she’s still new.
[7]
Maura Johnston: Her voice is very appealing, but I kept wishing the arc of this song had a bit more dramatic oomph — even the “lay-down-and-die” bit on the bridge doesn’t sound very fatalistic. I’d love to hear 3:30 of her vamping like she does over the (cut-too-soon!) outro, though.
[6]