In 1995, Madonna released “You’ll See,” and Swae Lee was born. Twenty-four years later…

[Video]
[4.56]

Katherine St Asaph: I’ll leave aside the fact that this is a song where one singer tells another singer nearly one-third their age about how their “cravings get dangerous” and how they “shouldn’t play with this,” except to note that it is a fact, and not a particularly comfortable one. The less pressing question: Why? Why is Madonna recording Starrah songs with Swae Lee? (I’d ask “why is she recording songs so heavily Auto-Tuned,” but I heard her do “Like a Prayer” at Eurovision, so I know why.) Does she think this will get airplay?
[4]

Edward Okulicz: Madonna isn’t too old to be a sex object. I mean, honestly, she looks like she’s in her 40s. More people would do her than would do me. But oh god, she sounds like she has no actual interest in sex and is just going through the motions. The points are because Swae Lee almost, almost, makes me think that he’s up for this encounter. That’s not the way you’d expect this to go, is it?
[3]

Alfred Soto: We know well how her cravings “get dangerous,” and maybe Swae does too — is that why he’s recessive, almost frightened for the first time? At any rate, the trap beat on “Crave” allows Madonna to bask in the empathetic powers of that still captivating husk; there’s a moment when she elides the sh in “I don’t think we should wait for this” for maximum effect. No other vocalist would get away with it. Whether “Crave” storms up the charts we’ll see.
[6]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The artificiality of every aspect of this, from Madonna’s chopped up and processed vocal performance to the ertatz “Dreamcatcher“-crossed with Ty Dolla $ign guitar&B beat, works to its favor. “Crave” is a song about the uncanny naturalism of desire, the discomfort of the distance between what you want and what you have. It’s not entirely successful in its pursuit of that vibe, but Swae Lee’s vocal performance, as longing as ever, tips it over into comprehensibility.
[6]

Katie Gill: When was the last really good Madonna song? She’s been consistently putting out music and yet the last song of hers that I can think of and think “yeah, that was a solid Madonna song” was back in the late 2000s. She’s had plenty of years to build up her brand; even her more recent work should still sound undeniably like herself. But this doesn’t. It sounds like Halsey or Daya, a song that somebody else passed over and Madonna snapped up at the last second. But bitch, she’s Madonna. Why is she not owning her sound?
[3]

David Moore: I’m finding it hard to figure out Madonna’s game plan with these — a bunch of generic duets in a grab-bag of trendy styles that sound simultaneously expensive and flimsy. Swae Lee is more game than I’d expect, but they both sound lost in a morass. 
[4]

Vikram Joseph: Madonna has rarely sounded quite so becalmed or so anonymous as she does here on this sultry, extremely modern pop track; perhaps the heavy autotuning and slick production is a conscious attempt to reflect the impersonality of moving to a new city on the far shores of the Atlantic. The overall effect is kind of reminiscent of Lykke Li’s hard shift towards glimmering sadgirl R&B on last year’s So Sad, So Sexy, especially when Swae Lee’s sleepy-eyed rap drifts in and out like a warm breeze — much like the song as a whole, it leaves a familiar, soft-focus impression that fades to emptiness in no time at all.
[6]

Andy Hutchins: It’s sincerely awesome that Madonna is still trying to make sex jams at 60, but a delivery that sounds like Gwen Stefani’s pout with two spoonfuls of marbles in her mouth appeals to no demographic I know of. And Swae suggesting his partner “ride me like a wave” after the jarring “ride me like a cruise” from “Sunflower” makes me think that his preferences are as painful as his metaphors — “Surfboard/Surfboard” was more specific, a decent double entendre, and part of an extended riff that made sense and was playful. “Drunk in Love,” instructively, made famous person drunk sex sound indulgent and spontaneous and fun; Madge and Swae sound tired, and their beat sounds cheaper than anything else I’ve ever heard from Mike Dean.
[3]

Ryo Miyauchi: The lonely acoustic-pop is an understated, almost muting sound to pair with someone with a star power like Madonna. Her voice being placed at a remove can likewise scan as an opportunity not taken to really mine from that uncontrollable desire she keeps alluding to in the chorus. But not acting upon impulses here feels like the stronger move, especially because Madonna has shown she can indulge if she feels inclined. She leaves lines with an ellipsis in the chorus, fishing for the other to take the bait. The lack of action is as frustrating as it is tantalizing.
[6]