The Singles Jukebox

Questions. We have questions.

[Video][Website]
[3.43]

Jonathan Bogart: Honest question: does Nelly flat-out refuse to record songs that don’t have that group of guys yelling HEY in the background?
[5]

Thomas Inskeep: Questions: Does Jeremih’s voice have any personality whatsoever? Are sex raps a good idea for Nelly? Should anyone be allowed to interpolate “Sexual Healing” in this manner? Answers: No, no, and hell no.
[2]

Brad Shoup: How many more royalties does the Gaye estate need?
[5]

Natasha Genet Avery: 2015 might just be the year when Jeremih moves from being an eternal guest artist/mixtape darling to a superstar, and as a longtime supporter, I feel shortchanged by the strategy he’s settled on after years of hustling. In “The Fix,”  Jeremih has once again plonked an iconic chorus onto his own work– a confusing signature move for someone who has a genuine knack for melodies. “The Fix” starts out promisingly: Mustard’s creative production turns the bass line from “Sexual Healing” into a more prominent, modern synth line for the verse and a muted vibraphone for the chorus, and I love the isolated bass drum that complements the synth as Nelly harmonizes over “I ain’t mad at nobody.” Jeremih’s “fix/medicine/itch/adrenaline” bit is catchy enough, subtly alluding to its source material without referencing it melodically. But “The Fix” doesn’t trust that its listeners will pick up on this and drifts into paraphrase, delivering a less emotive version of the chorus of “Sexual Healing” and mimicking Gaye’s “baaaby” in an unnecessary post-chorus. The adage still applies- show ’em, don’t tell ’em!
[4]

Micha Cavaseno: Considering ratchet’s ease with plying sing-song with the crass, you’d think Nelly would strike gold here. Unfortunately, Jeremih’s gleeful hook and cheeky Marvin interpolation sounds out of pace with Nelly’s vocals being very oddly sweetened and remarkably uncharming metaphors. It seems like such an obvious fit, but Nelly just doesn’t quite understand what he needs to be doing.
[2]

Scott Mildenhall: It’s the latest edition of Jeremih Sings The Hits, and this time it isn’t much more than a poundshop cover of the original, with the words changed. That would all be fine, of course, but the original isn’t good. The Kygo version isn’t even that good. The Texas version was, but that’s beside the point. DJ Mustard’s lumbering beats literally sound as if they’re going through the motions, and we finally have a top pop producer sounding like The numbers one.
[4]

Alfred Soto: Football chant + synth squiggle + 2015’s favorite guest/non-entity – Nelly babbling about inches = when they get that feelin’, we get sexual mewlin’.
[2]