The Singles Jukebox

“Yes, what about another name in the credits?”

[Video][Website]
[4.29]

Thomas Inskeep: Gaga’s former producer gets a ton of vocal assists on a would-be midtempo Guetta record — except for the rather smart addition of a reggaeton beat anchoring the proceedings. None of the vocalists add anything special, but I’m just happy this doesn’t sound like anything else on top 40 radio right now. Could be a sleeper summer hit. 
[6]

Hannah Jocelyn: RedOne headlines a song, which is already a bad sign. At first, as Enrique delivers increasingly cringeworthy lines (“cum again” barely works in Hamilton), it sounds like a gaggle of nasally auto-tuned frat boys knocking on some poor girl’s door while she’s trying to sleep. And then a girl actually does show up, almost as an afterthought, delivering a verse before seemingly getting absorbed into the obnoxious chorus. Serayah does make the song a little more fun, though, and definitely makes it less bro-some. The song up until then makes me wonder why anyone of any gender would want to be associated with this crew.
[3]

Will Adams: In light of RedOne’s current career being a far cry from the omnipresence he enjoyed while working with Lady Gaga, it’s worth mentioning that the video pulls the same trick as the one for Bonnie McKee’s “American Girl”: RedOne enlists a gaggle of his famous friends to lip sync to his song as if it’s already become a worldwide smash. Whether this strategy will work is doubtful (it didn’t for Bonnie, nor for Carly the second time around), but it’s also worth mentioning because it reflects the song’s own charm. As a solo song, “Don’t You Need Somebody” is a slimy late night come on. But the video and the massive, sing-along choir in the chorus transform it into a finale number with the cast calling out for love and performing light choreography. The actual performers on the song begin to matter less (save Serayah, who’s the clear standout here); they’re just conduits for the all-together-now chorus. Sometimes a harmless, cheesy pop song is all that’s needed.
[7]

Katie Gill: While I appreciate Shaggy trying to make a comeback, his presence on this song dates it. Serayah’s the highlight of this track as she sounds like the only person who isn’t going through the motions on this peppy, yet entirely too generic, piece of pop.
[5]

Alfred Soto: When I look at this gormless phalanx of second-raters going through the paces of singing Jeremih’s version of a Whitney Houston perennial, I wonder whom I would abandon in a coastal city when the waters come.
[1]

Peter Ryan: Thanks but what I need is a solid seven hours, at minimum.
[3]

Taylor Alatorre: In the category of “cornball dance songs that turn a one-night-stand into a matter of life or death,” the gold standard remains “Give Me Everything,” but this will do in a pinch. Just don’t think too deeply about who’s singing to whom.
[5]