The Singles Jukebox

We can rarely resist synchronicity…

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[6.00]

Alfred Soto: A superior tune with a dull conceit — compare how the guitars rock with Ruth B’s gormless treatment of same.
[6]

Thomas Inskeep: In case you weren’t sure that Kelsea Ballerini might be the heir apparent to Carrie Underwood, here’s your evidence: a dreamy, mid-tempo ode/cautionary tale about a boy who refuses to “be a man.” It’s not as cut-and-dried as that, though, because it nails its elegiac tone, and that’s what gives me all the Carrie vibes. Ballerini isn’t as strong a singer, but this song is certainly as strong as much of Underwood’s catalog. Welcome to the big leagues, Kelsea.
[8]

Anthony Easton: I don’t quite get the hype. The voice sounds generic, and the production is stale. She also tries to get too much information into very limited space. Minus a point for not embodying the full range of emotions — this would be more interesting with either anger or contempt. 
[2]

Katherine St Asaph: Solid curtsying-out midtempo breakup track, even if the conceit cuts the boy too much slack; never attribute to flightiness what might be more adequately explained by manipulation.
[6]

Brad Shoup: The heft isn’t emotional, it’s experiential: as the band drops into the chorus like sinking shoulders, Ballerini renders her verdict with a sigh. There’s no real remorse or recrimination here, just recognition. The kick drum functions as her resting heart rate.
[8]

Cassy Gress: I’m sick of “head up in the clouds” and “can’t keep your feet on the ground” as metaphors for flightiness. This plods along in an unmagical way, while she debates whether “man” and “pan” are pronounced as “maayyan” and “paayyan” or not, and eventually settles for a diphthong somewhere in the middle.
[4]

Iain Mew: The timelessness of the metaphors feels part of the point, Ballerini consigning her ex to a place in a long line of irresponsible men. The music’s fluid sway sighs along with her and lets her shift the balance between (self/)condemnation and affection with each detail.
[7]

Crystal Leww: The fact that Kelsea Ballerini dueted this with Nick Jonas at the ACMs earlier this month makes sense. If Jonas makes music about how getting hurt closed him off emotionally to women, then Ballerini in “Peter Pan” is the girl who tried again and again to get him to open up and commit. This is so crazy relatable to girls who are growing up and dating now that I’m not at all surprised that Ballerini has built a massive fanbase of women fans. This is wonderful, and Ballerini becoming a massive star is well-deserved.
[7]