We’re not feeling so good about this…

[Video]
[4.40]

Jonathan Bradley: Flo Rida’s talent is his ability to satisfy a song’s requirement to [insert rap here]. That is, why would you ever have Flo Rida record a guest verse on your track? Any other rapper could contribute something better and less generic (or would at least be French Montana). So a Flo Rida song lives and dies by its hook: Is Ke$ha involved? Does it use the word “furrrr”? “How I Feel” tries to innovate by depending on the vamp of its “Feeling Good” sample. Flo Rida innovating is like Dominoes opening an outlet that doesn’t sell pizza.
[4]

David Sheffieck: This seems bizarrely in conflict with itself, from the Nina Simone sample at the beginning playing for so long that it threatens to overwhelm Flo’s verse to the abrupt cutoff just as the third appearance of the hook seems ready to finally make the song take off. It seems like it’s so close to putting the pieces together and working, but ultimately this falls short of being the followup “Can’t Believe It” deserves.
[6]

Patrick St. Michel: There’s a difference between celebrating new-found wealth and waving said luxury in other people’s faces to the point of taunting. Flo Rida flaunts his “priceless” Super Bowl tickets and general disinterest in prices, so high off his flexing that he feels a-ok making a really shitty bipolar joke. He’s backed by a surprisingly fun, Nina-Simone-sampling soundtrack, but look Flo Rida, if I’m done partying, you can’t tell me I have to keep going.
[4]

Anthony Easton: If you want something new from Nina Simone’s voice, go buy the Verve remix albums, or listen to the 2012 cover album from Meshell Ndegeocello (which has the distinct weirdness of a distinct voice covering another distinct voice, working through distinct writers). What you don’t need is Flo Rida pushing through the optimism without suffering. Though if Meshell can sing Simone singing Cohen, I wonder where Flo Rida’s cover of Sisters of Mercy is.
[2]

Rebecca A. Gowns: A Nina Simone sample should be a sign of good taste, but this song is nothing but bad taste. It dances on the edge of electro swing without ever really dipping into it, and fills the extra space with corny beats, corny raps, and a truly corny outro. Good enough for The Voice, I guess, but way too garish to exist anywhere outside of that space.
[2]

Katherine St Asaph: Flo samples his way into the drippiest coffee-shop-confessional titles — “I Cry,” “How I Feel” — while being the single biggest cipher in the multiple No. 1 hit crowd. And that’s fine, if hilarious, as a gimmick, but thing is, there was already a recent major rap song interpolating “Feelin’ Good,” it was kind of haunting and kind of great, and tying dude’s only one flow to this galumphing contraption is both not the way to use this sample and rather mercenary. Well, more mercenary than usual.
[2]

Scott Mildenhall: Deep house definitely wasn’t the way to go for Featuring Flo, but luckily he’s been on Beatport and found the bouncier “Booyah” stuff his old mate Dave Guetta has turned to, and it’s far more suited to – almost made for him. You’d think this would give him a good feeling, and sure enough he says it does, but then why does he still sound so anhedonic?
[5]

Megan Harrington: Do you think Flo was offended when Nick Cannon announced his album would be called White People Party Music? Like, excuse me Mr. Mariah Carey, but this genre’s been on lock since 2007! “How I Feel” is another solid notch in his Greek system oeuvre. This is the song you put on to get things swinging when the theme of your party is #classy. 
[7]

Brad Shoup: Very clever, having Nina provide the modulation of joy that Flo Rida cannot. (I guess “think I’m bipolar” is some sort of linking phrase.) The beat gives this the feel of a pirate ship merrily launching into the grey horizon. And hey, he’s only got so much time remaining, right? So maybe it is.
[7]

Alfred Soto: “Who told you the party’s over?” Prophecy and adage. Production more ambitious than is his wont (strings, keening female vocal), he’s just looking for to prolong his time in the sun.
[5]