The Singles Jukebox

You know what? Forget it. The Singles Jukebox itself is the most ambitious crossover in history.

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Abdullah Siddiqui: Much of the modern Indian music industry runs on the sonic palette found on “Buzz.” No one can deny the commercial success that this sound has had. But Gill is no different than many of her contemporaries, in that her fusion of classical Indian motifs and 21st century Western pop-trap motifs is less than the sum of its parts. “Buzz” makes use of the same programmed tropical-trap beat and the same pre-packaged synths, whose use so many current Indian chart-toppers have been reticent to give up, and it does not add anything of its own. Gill’s vocals, while confident, are fairly unremarkable. Badshah’s verse is unnecessary at best. And while this song does have the virtue of being somewhat catchy, it can be safely said that it is pandering and of little artistic achievement.
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Iain Mew: The sinuous hook has been following me round for weeks, and I don’t mind at all. Most of the rest of the song is so much smoke there to make the hook’s moves look more impressive, but the violin rearing up alongside gives an extra kick too.
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Alfred Soto: The violin is marvelous, fascinating enough to wish I’d heard it course through the rest of this buzz-worthy track.
[6]

Will Adams: A fitting title, given how the song generates a lot of interest at the start — via Aastha Gill’s quiet confidence amidst the cavernous trap, the violin solo that’s folded into the processing — but peters out a bit by the end.
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Tim de Reuse: The three-note ostinato sounds like the intro to any old nondescript European trop-house banger at first, but the instrumental is so beautifully restrained, and Gill’s performance over it so light-footed, that its repetition slowly builds a pacing menace. It’s unfortunate that it doesn’t know what to do with such a strong start; Badshah’s verse comes and goes, and the whole thing just spins in place for a moment before trailing off.
[6]

Katherine St Asaph: The beat, from staccato motif to unexpected seething beneath the hook to well-deployed water drops and violin, is great, a bit like “Work” out for blood. There’s not much over it, but there doesn’t need to be.
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