The Singles Jukebox

I guess that settles it, then.

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[6.40]

Katherine St Asaph: Now that Rihanna’s working with Mike WiLL and un-crossing over, Ester Dean and Stargate’s stuff has to go to someone — including, naturally, the second-rate stuff. “Come and Get It” can’t decide whether it’s a come-on (“you don’t have to worry, it’s an open invitation… when you’re ready, come and get it”), an ode to PDA (“I’m not too shy to show I love you”) or a love-hate cycle (“hate the way I love you… maybe I’m addicted for life”) because nobody thought the lyric through long enough to realize the decision was there. The chorus is underwritten, the bridge pretty but pointless, the sample interesting (even if it’s probably why the cover has Selena starring in the Vegas Bombay Dreams) but contextless. But see, Rihanna could almost get away with it; fill the holes with enough biographical criticism or celeb tie-ins and it’s almost a song. With Selena Gomez, all you’ve got to work with is Justin Bieber. And that’s just silly.
[5]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: Stargate’s production, pointed Bajan enunciation, a “na na na” hook: all these things point towards “Come and Get It” as a Rihanna cutoff. And it is. But it’s a good Rihanna cutoff! And while Gomez has plenty fun borrowing somebody else’s shoes for the evening, her decision to do so also functions as smart marketing — the song is a gentle push into a (hopefully) successful solo career, helped along by a sense of audible familiarity. What it may lack in originality, it makes up for in unadulterated infectiousness. It’s also worth pointing out that Gomez is a better singer than Rihanna.
[7]

Alfred Soto: With Rihanna singing the likes of “Stay” another starlet has to make gravy out of those oscillating screeches and onomatopoetic choruses. But until this moment Selena Gomez showed personality.
[4]

Alex Ostroff: Initially an exciting turn for Selena, but repeated listens have been less rewarding. The vocal sample is decorative at best, and “Come & Get It”‘s best moments cop moves from Rated R-era Rihanna, especially the lurching dubstep of “Wait Your Turn.” The relaxed delivery shows off Selena’s voice nicely, but there’s a lightness of touch and an exuberance missing. From “Naturally” through to the excellent When the Sun Goes Down — even as she moved from Demi-esque rock moves to electropop — Selena maintained a particular vocal presence and personality; here, for the first time, I have to strain to hear it.
[6]

Jonathan Bogart: This is the first time I’ve listened to a Selena Gomez song without wincing at her tense-throated overemoting. Even if she is just trying to imitate Rihanna (and I don’t think she is), she sounds better than she ever has. Extra point for bringing Arabic/Farsi/Desi pop back into teenpop consciousness for the first time since “Toxic.”
[8]

Andy Hutchins: Given how well Selena mimics Rihanna’s cadences and tics (“Na, na-na, na”; “when you’re re-eh-eh-eh-eh-dy”; “no liiie, fo’ liiife”), this is one of the best and most seamless hand-offs of the songwriter-as-mercenary era; given how well the Gomez-Bieber romance matches the Fenty-Brown romance, it’s cringe-worthy to consider in that context, with the somewhat-together person with agency offering it up to the bad boy. Hopefully, Selena keeps taking tracks like this that hide her vocal limitations behind things that, if purloined and repurposed, are at least reappropriated expertly — Rihanna’s non-ballads have lacked proper and necessary bridges for some time, and Gomez taking Stargate/Ester Dean confections like this one to the top with the aid of one would put some pressure on.
[8]

Brad Shoup: The phrasing just sounds like an Ester Dean credit. The hushed romanticism of the vocal sample rubs well against Gomez’s confident talk-sing. And jeez, that chorus… sawmill synth strutting ridiculous on that loping beat. Dips into patois are unnecessary, but what’s done is done.
[8]

Will Adams: Swung dubstep is such an underused resource that I have to give this at least a couple good marks. Selena’s vocal limitations prevent this from really taking off, especially when she slips into Rihanna inflection (there was probably a discarded take where she accidentally sang “imp-eh-eh-eh-tient”). At the very least, it makes me excited for what Stargate will do next, so:
[6]

Anthony Easton: I like the aggression in this: Gomez refusing to play games, to go back and forth. The stating of boundary and procedure explicitly, and with a certain amount of wit, should be rewarded. 
[7]

Crystal Leww: I’m conflicted about this. On one hand, this beat really hits, and Selena’s is back to her old (and great) “na-na-na”-ing ways. On the other, there’s some straight up cultural appropriation going on with the male sample in the background as well as the tabla drums. Using interesting samples and experimenting with instrumentation is one thing, but it has to be respectful. The choice of wardrobe in both promotional performances as well as the single’s cover art is both inaccurate and straight up offensive. Honestly, I don’t think that Miley Cyrus would get as much of a pass from me, and growing up in the Disney Channel family and in America, Selena can’t get away with it entirely even as a Latina lady. It’s definitely disconcerting that someone thought it was appropriate to promote this single this way.
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