The Singles Jukebox

No longer spoiling Ariana Grande singles, or indeed spoiling his own…

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[6.75]

Thomas Inskeep: Miller doesn’t seem to have much to say — based on this single, he clearly likes women a lot, but at least he seems to like ’em for more than just their sex. But Pomo’s production is absolutely gorgeous, a mix of plush deep housiness and surprising horn blasts. And as I hope we’ve established by now, .Paak has the voice of an angel. Contract him as your hook singer and your single automatically gets a good +2. Additional points for the overall good-natured vibe, too. 
[7]

Alfred Soto: As I get older, I distrust “tasteful” productions. This Pomo-helmed single by the drank-head uses horn charts, a Fender Rhodes, and Anderson .Paak in the usual manner until wobbly sequencers signal that Mac Miller’s gonna bring the wack. Tasteful productions need guys who brag that they need pussy like food.
[7]

A.J. Cohn: Who is this rude interloper and what is he doing in this otherwise beautiful Anderson .Paak track?
[5]

Ryo Miyauchi: The casting is set properly on this smooth playground love: Mac plays the bonehead who tries to undo the mistake that was one too many, and .Paak as the emotional anchor of a sidekick. But the fluffy funk calls for a heart mushy from love, and the latter’s more emotive voice fits more as the star of the production than the former’s stubborn stammers. Mac finally lets his heart show toward the end but, like his situation with his girl, he did the right thing a little too late.
[6]

Madeleine Lee: I actually wish Mac Miller was more mushmouthed so it’d be easier to tune out his unappealing words, since otherwise he’s hitting all the right syncopations and the right moments to switch between rapping and singing. I keep listening because that soft house beat is a thing of beauty, and so is Anderson .Paak’s voice.
[6]

Will Rivitz: Despite some lyrical oddities – .Paak sweetly mourns those ripped from his life with lilting flow in between Miller blustering through a relationship gone sour – this one is suave. Actual, real-life deep house underpinnings inform haphazard synth squelches and horn flourishes, Mac can actually flow for once, and everything snaps together just right. A major issue with most songs that try to bridge too many genres is that the different styles don’t quite fit together; this one’s absolutely seamless, the work of master crafters.
[8]

Edward Okulicz: Jumping from one mood to another, always over some light frisky disco, this also makes my mood jump around. Oh, this is a cool-sounding song. Yes! Those funky guitars! The way .Paak says “Dang!” is terrific. Mac Miller is suddenly not awful. Oh wait, he’s kind of awkwardly explicit in a way that is far more clumsy than sexual. But he gets out of the way for .Paak often enough, and keeps out of trouble for long enough that I’m hearing way more good than bad here.
[8]

Scott Mildenhall: After such a pleasant start it’s a bit of a disappointment when Mac Miller arrives, but he could be far worse, and would be hard-pressed to sink this anyway. No sooner does he come in than the brass does, lurching like the down-and-out Paak is playing, if not the relative boorishness of Miller himself. It all sounds about three years late, but then it also doesn’t sound like it’s in any rush.
[7]