Violins > trumpets

[Video]
[6.88]

Alfred Soto: When Smokey sings, Anderson .Paak hears violins. He earns points for writing a debonair lullaby instead of an epic, confining the legend to backing vocals recognizable enough for an audience to think, “Hey, I know that guy!” The absence of a memorable lyric or melody is unworthy of the credit.
[6]

Ian Mathers: Smokey Robinson fits in so nicely and neatly here that I’m not sure I would have picked him out without the credit, but absolutely would have placed this in that lineage (and the production is pretty unobtrusive but it absolutely goes towards that mood). Couple that with me being a sucker for songs that acknowledge that romantic partnerships are… not so much hard, necessarily (at least hopefully), but just work, and that you do in fact have to keep putting in that work, day in and day out, year in and year out, if you want to be in a good place, and you’ve got a refreshingly bracing throwback.
[8]

Tobi Tella: Paak collaborates with a living legend to make one of his smoothest songs ever. It’s light, sexy, and feels completely him in every way. Oxnard was good, but Ventura is even better, and this is a great representation of why.
[7]

Thomas Inskeep: This is the sound of Anderson .Paak with all of his edges buffed out: not only is he not rapping any, but the interesting quirks of his singing voice are missing, too. And the song and its production are anodyne to a fault. I think Smokey’s contributing to the chorus, but if so, he’s mixed so low you can barely tell — talk about a wasted opportunity. Coming off of “Tints,” this is a massive disappointment.
[3]

Ramzi Awn: “Make It Better” could make it on any old station, and it should be on the radio now. It relaxes and takes its time, and still it would sound right at home on WBLS. The production is clutch, and the track oohs with bridges and strings. Employing the right bass and some subdued synths, the old-school mix just narrowly avoids surviving “on history alone.”
[8]

Alex Clifton: Holy hell, Smokey Robinson is 79 but his voice still sounds phenomenal. It’s been a while since I’ve heard something Motown-y that has some actual feeling behind it. “Make It Better” sounds so damn easy, the kind of thing you can have playing while you sit outside with a book and a cold beer. It’s simply lovely.
[8]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Getting Smokey Robinson to put in an Andre-3000-on-“30 Hours”-type feature is a flex on its own, but to do so on an song that’s such a perfect pastiche of peak Motown is even funnier. It’s not Paak’s most inspired work — he’s better when he’s pushing against the walls of R&B rather than renovating what’s inside those walls — but I’d be lying if I’d say there’s anything less than skillful here.
[7]

Edward Okulicz: Sure it’s a bit wallpaper-y, but I’ve spent hours gazing at really nice wallpaper before.
[8]