And so, obviously, the thing with Katy Perry on is the actual single…

[Website]
[4.46]

Matt Cibula: Too many people hate on Tim and Justin has won me over with SNL heroics, so I was fully prepared to like this. Then I heard it.
[4]

Jessica Popper: It is a constant source of confusion as to why Justin Timberlake has released no new solo material in the last three years, yet has appeared on 36 (yes, 36!) songs by other artists. He can hardly say he’s not had time to get in the studio – he must have hardly left! This is one of the better collaborations he has been involved in, and actually the only song I’ve heard so far from Timbaland’s new album which I actually like.
[7]

Hillary Brown: I hate for the first blurb I submit in the new year to be so blasé, but it’s not my fault. It’s Timbo’s. This really isn’t terrible, but I’m someone who tends to appreciate what he has to offer, and I find this lacking in the kind of chaos he trades in. Usually, there’s at least something to prick up my ears, but this is just kind of smoothly clangy until it ends.
[5]

Al Shipley: I never thought these two had much creative chemistry — I know I’m in the minority on this, but for me Timbaland’s contributions were the weak link on Justified, and most of FutureSex/LoveSounds was a wash. But now it’s clear to anyone that they can’t do anything together that isn’t rote and predictable, and really need to start seeing other people. People whose names don’t start with Timb-.
[2]

Martin Skidmore: I suppose you might as well autotune Tim to death: he’s as uninteresting a rapper as has ever become famous. Fortunately they don’t treat Justin’s far more likeable vocal the same way, and there is more of his voice than Tim’s. The production is disappointingly dull and restrained – there’s a decent chorus on offer, but it could do with more energy and punch.
[5]

David Moore: It’s a little sad that this is the only thing that even comes close to being a good song on Shock Value 2, but credit where credit’s due. Light clang groove buoys a mercifully brief Timbo verse and barely passable Timberlake performance, but they would have had the same impact with an instrumental. The most to recommend it is that the beat doesn’t get swallowed in all the groan-inducing 1.5 entendres (who are these guys, Young Money?). Oh, and I’m a sucker for an IHOP joke, even a really bad one.
[6]

Martin Kavka: If anyone’s going to take the orders of these two doofuses, they should demand better wordplay than “now is I full of myself to want you full of me?” Even the central conceit seems forced. If I’m going to spend time with the woman behind the counter at the fast-food place, why would I be ordering carryout? Wouldn’t I want to eat there?
[3]

Anthony Easton: “Errors” does not rhyme with “areas”, but robotic attempts to make it so are almost as sexy as Timberlake betraying McDonald’s.
[6]

Alfred Soto: Someone tell him that BK neither cooks burgers well done nor appreciates it when you talk to their cashiers in a vocodered chirp.
[3]

Alex Ostroff: Bland, mass-produced and disposable — even more so than “I’m Lovin’ It.”
[3]

Ian Mathers: I’ve come around to “Morning After Dark” since we reviewed it last year and that’s mainly due to just how goofy Timbaland is throughout. But “take my order ’cause your body like a carry out” isn’t the kind of goofiness that endears, and the production isn’t distinctive enough to make four minutes of Timbaland and Timberlake’s wolf whistling anything but boring. The backing track vainly struggles to turn into something interesting during the last minutes, but Timberlake just won’t shut up.
[5]

Anthony Miccio: The song gets by on groove, but whether Timba-lake are phoning it in or if the vocal filters just make it sound that way, it’s hard to get much of a kick out of the extended metaphor – it’s like they didn’t even look at the menu, mindlessly reciting their order out of habit.
[7]

Mallory O’Donnell: Vulgarity can be a wonderful thing, but in our present sleazy environment it’s a dish best served cold. “Carry Out” is a dish best not served at all.
[2]