No, she doesn’t look like that all the time.
[Video][Website]
[4.88]
Anthony Easton: The first few seconds are so ludicrously juicy, and the first verse gets ever so close to the disco trope of rhetorical excess as a way of processing operatic emotion, and it uses the word splendor–but there is not enough of a shift in the chorus, which seems like a problem. It also isn’t angry enough.
[6]
Iain Mew: I’m intrigued by the ambiguity of this song, which shines through despite Paloma bellowing her way through it without nuance and all of the strings trying to tie it in a big neat bow. What exactly happened to the other woman that her partner used to live with? Did she just leave, or is she gone as in dead? If its the former than everyone involved is definitely being over-dramatic and Paloma should just give up already. If it’s the latter then Paloma’s lack of perspective and cries of “I deserve it!” and “somebody save me!” probably aren’t the most sensitive or successful approach to take, but are more tragically believable. I prefer The Hot Puppies’ take on the dead ex scenario, but I like the idea of it lurking in a hit, even as inexpertly executed as here.
[5]
Jonathan Bogart: I’m a sucker for a video that’s a good Rebecca homage, and this is a great Rebecca homage. Unfortunately the song’s just mid-level Duffy.
[6]
Edward Okulicz: What’s prompted this to become a big hit, I don’t know. At least from my vantage point outside the UK, Faith’s celebrity has a whiff of popular-for-being-popular and none of her hits have had that much staying power or charted anywhere else. And this song suggests she’s not really likely to change the last of those. Faith has volume but no wisdom or energy in her wail-and-honk of a delivery, the strings are plonked over the outro as if an inevitability and the song itself is dead, dead, dead. I’d say “not going to happen” if it hadn’t clearly already done so.
[4]
Jer Fairall: An Adele with Dale Bozzio’s voice isn’t a terrible idea, but replacing the fine, vivid lyrical detail and perfectly-stated delivery of “Someone Like You” with storytelling limited to only the most broadly expository points and a drama-queeny vocal performance that bludgeons any potential for nuance misses the point of “Someone Like You” entirely. The production, melodramatic yet beautifully ornate, has the right idea, though.
[5]
Katherine St Asaph: The Singles Jukebox is proud to premiere the dance mix, produced by Richard X’s sedated assistant, of the first single from Lana Del Rey’s upcoming sophomore album Chanteuse! “I read this article in The New York Times comparing me to Adele and Amy Winehouse, and it just really inspired me to, you know, sing harder,” Del Rey said of the brassy, bluesy cut.
[2]
Brad Shoup: Kinda sounds like a first-draft mashup. Faith is the prime mover, pushing out these non-rounded vowel clouds while the track paddles around. Good thing there’s nothing cool going on in the background, cos she has a LOT of shit to air out.
[5]
Alfred Soto: Too long, but what else is new. The strings are nuisance — you knew that too. Ludicrous name — well, la dee da. But she’s got the pipes to shake the dust from this generic 12-step would-be anthem.
[6]