The Singles Jukebox

It’s better than that shite Leona did with Akon…

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[6.20]

Michaelangelo Matos: Schaffel will never die! Neither will “S.O.S.”! Or the Cops theme, apparently! Flo Rida might not, either, in which case, run for it!
[4]

Jessica Popper: You know it’s an extremely poptastic time in music when an artist spends 6 months working with the world’s best R&B producers and comes up with something Rachel Stevens could have released. It’s also very exciting to finally see an X Factor winner whose first proper single could not in any way be described as a ballad. I really like Bad Boys, and I definitely think it will be a UK hit, but I’m not 100% confident that it can make her an international megastar; with Leona as a precedent, Alexandra is going to have to do extremely well in order to be considered a success.
[9]

Thomas Inskeep: X-Factor champ or no, this is a nothing-special piece of too-perky pop, poorly assisted by the horrible Flo Rida. Both Britney and Beyonce would look down their noses at this, were it pitched to them. Alexandra should’ve, too (also: this will flop horribly in the U.S.).
[2]

Tal Rosenberg: It’s half “Womanizer,” half P!nk, half a Flo Rida verse. It’s 150% sub-mediocre.
[3]

Chuck Eddy: Still hard to do a bad song about bad boys (or bad girls for that matter), and remembering Inner Circle’s one is not a bad thing. Remembering Midi Maxi and Efti’s one would’ve been better, though – maybe even Miami Sound Machine’s or Ray Parker Jr.’s ones. Still, this is pop/dance/r&b that actually pops, rarer now than many might admit. Which isn’t to say it won’t potentially become a major annoyance if it winds up being ubiquitous — but if so, I’ll just blame it all on Flo Rida.
[7]

Ian Mathers: Manifestly better than yet another bloody “Hallelujah” cover (if you want to hear that song go see Leonard Cohen on tour, for pity’s sake). It helps too that if you’re going to write ANOTHER song about how irresistible bad boys are, this one has just about the most intelligent set of lyrics you could reasonably expect.
[7]

Pete Baran: Clearly that meeting with Beyonce was more inspirational than it looked: this is a breathless rush through something Sasha Fierce would take an extra minute to knock out – with a less strong chorus. It’s a slight belter of a song, which Burke nails with her eye on fun, fun, fun. More like this please Alex — NO SNOW PATROL COVERS.
[9]

Kat Stevens: Oooh-way, oooh-wah! This is a cracking dancefloor banger that misses out on full marks because Alex doesn’t sound… gleeful enough. Come on love, you’re meant to be playing the part of a man-hungry vixen who knows what she wants and how to get it etc. Stop worrying about whether you’re standing on your X and loosen up a bit. I mean, look at Flo-Rida — he’s happily gibbering away like a 3-year-old who’s been allowed a mug of coffee.
[9]

Rodney J. Greene: With as little personality as this has, Flo Rida feels right at home.
[4]

Doug Robertson: Alexandra’s contribution to her own song barely raises its game above “Quite Good Session Singer” level, but fortunately for her the inclusion of Flo Rida cranks things up a notch and turns what would otherwise be a dull and pointless release into something that’s actually worthwhile. And it’s a million times better than anything Leona Lewis has released as well.
[6]

Anthony Miccio: I keep trying to focus on the singer (who sounds like a Whitney Houston comeback worth hearing), but the bulldozing feel-good beats make it hard to tell just how she feels about these bad boys. It’s a relief when Flo-Rida takes the mic; he’s an infinitely less expressive vocalist, but that’s why he can coast over such musical mindlessness.
[6]

Melissa Bradshaw: The most confusing song I’ve ever heard. The first time, the mean alarm and swagger turned me on, til I got to the chorus, when I instantly cut out the sound in self-defense. But I gave it a second chance. I began to feel seduced. I got into jiggling my ass. I became dizzy with vocal heights. Flo Rida’s verse drew me in. Now I am hooked, even though I know I should know better. I guess that kind of makes it kind of like a bad boy.
[6]

Alex Ostroff: The title and the presence of sample-jacking Flo Rida made me fear that this would be an Inner Circle update. Instead it’s the latest evolution of glamstomp, with the intro from “Womanizer” and the swagger of “I Kissed a Girl”. Some nice touches here (tho) — a sound effect that brings to mind a police siren on a yo-yo, and some understated and ballsy passages that strip the song down to piano arpeggios and Burke’s voice without ever losing the groove. It would be nice if for once someone would explore their ambivalent attraction to bad boys rather than just announcing it. But I’ll give her this much — no winner of American Idol would ever get launched with a first single this utterly bonkers.
[7]

Additional Scores

Martin Skidmore: [9]
Spencer Ackerman: [5]