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John Seroff: The Singles Jukebox prides itself on being your number one source for ragga-tinted Kosovar pop from X-Factor judges nicknamed “Tuna.” I’m sure it sounds a lot better in Albanian. Awkward nomenclature and Tuna’s sub-Iggy Azalea fashion choices aside (seriously, even Yolandi isn’t gonna rock a Slim Goodbodysuit), “Fenix” is durably catchy and shockingly devoid of Euro-trash cliche. If it runs a bit long, so what? I was generally too caught up in repeat to notice.
[7]
Iain Mew: I keep linking to “Inn I Deg” by Gabrielle Leithaug because it’s one of my favourite songs of the last couple of years, but also because there keep being good reasons to. “Fenix,” with its rich ghostly electro-dub that Tuna’s powerhouse vocals don’t so much fit into as soar over, is a slower take on similar ground. It’s also a take which makes me realise how close the vocal style can get to Jessie J, but Tuna on “Fenix” is like Jessie J minus the showiness, getting straight to the point and nothing else. Each time I get more impressed by that.
[8]
Alfred Soto: Glistening electropop, and thanks to the male vocalist the girl doesn’t sound too much like Jessie J.
[6]
Anthony Easton: I like the bubbling introduction, with the “ooh-ooh”s and something that sounds like electronically abstracted handclaps. Sometimes when she sings in lower registers, it sounds like grunts, which is kind of fantastic.
[6]
Edward Okulicz: It’s ghastly, but I suspect for a lot of people coming to a track like this, they’re going to be listening out for catchy, ingratiating tunes and words that sound funny if you pretend they’re in English. “Fenix” is medium-to-long on the former and mercifully short on the latter. Sparkly and dubby, it doesn’t sound like the right kind of backing for a strong voice like Tuna’s, but I’m liking how chilled the whole thing is. Someone’s got to make music that reminds me of Ace of Base ca. 1993 and it might as well be a judge on an Albanian talent show. Cozman’s verse is fortunately a lot less punchable than his mugging in the video would indicate.
[6]
Brad Shoup: So much more… the bubbles lacerate as they pop. Tuna flexes with growls, Cozman double-tracks and covers the spectrum. (At least the saxophone is tiny.) The track insists on its not giving a fuck, each element fighting the others to make the point loudest. Can’t say it’s a great look.
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