The Singles Jukebox

How high? Mid-table…

[Video][Myspace]
[6.31]

John Seroff: Maxwell is smoking, Jay Z has a new album out and Redman is rhyming about Maury Povich and The Jungle Brothers? Feels like the Singles Jukebox is partying like it’s 1999. Only difference is that the ’99 Method and Red would never have put out a single as restrained and pedestrian as “Mrs International”. I’m not blaming the boys; Method Man’s pebble-skipping-on-the-water flow is liquid as it’s ever been, and Redman’s multi-tracked Jersey drawl still has all its goggle-eyed bluster. It’s more a matter of poor matchmaking on beats and rhymes; Buckwild’s Neptunesque disco fantasia is all chocolate-covered strawberries and satin sheets, but Red and Meth’s grimy-ass style works best when they’re shitting the bed. I love sushi and I love chorizo, but I don’t know if I need chorizo sushi, feel me?
[6]

Alfred Soto: As unassumingly, inexpensively elegant as a linen napkin, this returns Meth to the Bryan Ferry mode of “You’re All I Need To Get By,” with Redman making like the best friend who lends him the keys to his condo. Meth’s “I’ll let ya play with my feet” is the offer of the year.
[7]

Alex Macpherson: “Mrs. International” drifts like a dream, as all the best high-life jetsetting songs do; as it floats serenely through the clouds, over oceans and buildings and populations, its principals are appropriately gentlemanly and charming, dropping just the right references to convince you they’re on the same wavelength. For one, interpolating my favourite Tweet song; for another, they could be addressing Electrik Red: “You be stuntin’ when you round your girls, but you classy tho.”
[8]

Martin Kavka: Others may think differently, but to my taste, the sample of The Blue Notes’ “Here I Am” is more creatively deployed in Guru’s “Hustlin’ Daze” than here. And while I don’t expect lots of romantic depth from Method Man and Redman, Redman seems to be reduced to playing the buffoon who bursts into the room, ruining Meth’s hard-on.
[5]

Hillary Brown: Chill-ass Bacharach-hop. It’s like a daiquiri and a nap.
[7]

Alex Ostroff: This is a solid entry into hip-hop’s catalogue of “California Girls”-esque summer jams, even if it doesn’t quite match Talib & Jean’s “Hot Thing” Remix. It’s certainly more than I expected from these two in 2009.
[7]

Kat Stevens: The gentle 70s lounge soul is somewhat smoother than Method Man and Redman’s daft attempts at chatting up ladies. They know that they’ve probably got minimal chance of a snog anyway, so they might as well take the piss and hope to god that the girl in question has a sense of humour: “Take off your shoes and you’re about 5ft high! I get high – what about you?” The lasses in the video seem to think they’re charming enough, but I somehow doubt they provide a realistic sample.
[6]

Michaelangelo Matos: “You’re looking real good in them house shoes/You’re not a groupie, you’re international” — chivalry lives, clearly. Nevertheless, I enjoy hearing these two even if they’re not saying much at all, and I really like the airy, breezy track.
[7]

Chuck Eddy: Ha, I was thinking “Around The Way Girl” before Meth even referenced it. I still don’t get what’s so “international” about her; apparently just means “half Asian” or “Latina.” But this is real sweet, and not just ’cause it shouts out to Teena Marie and Obama and the Jungle Brothers housing you and ladies who finish their dinner.
[7]

Martin Skidmore: The Wu are probably my favourite hip hop act ever, but this light, summery number is not how I think of Meth – this is more Will Smith than RZA. Nonetheless, he and Redman ride the loping, smooth music with slick warmth and brightness. It lacks much of a chorus or hook, but it’s lovely and relaxing.
[8]

Al Shipley: My goodwill for these guys knows no bounds, and if this was shuffled in the middle of an album I’d nod my head and not reach for the skip button. But brought out as a single to consider on its own, a song like this is just a big fat nothing.
[5]

Anthony Miccio: I doubt they’re lazily jumping on grenades and hitting them up for food in real life, so this works mostly as a sad metaphor for how desperately these failed sitcom stars want to increase their audience.
[4]

David Raposa: The backing track has a nice chilled champagne vibe, and the Dynamic Dro Duo get bonus daps for giving it a shot (and it’s not like Meth’s new to this sort of game), but Man & Man come off like they crashed a black tie affair and are the only ones in the ballroom that don’t know they’re wearing tuxedo t-shirts.
[5]