The Singles Jukebox

Today’s highly specific theme is Five Letter Words That End In “sh”…

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Juana Giaimo: “Crush” is such a simple and achieved song. Yuna’s and Usher’s voices are yearning, but as the song advances, they start to fuse, and their desires are corresponded. Their delicacy has moments of nervousness — because it’s still just a crush far from stability. You can almost picture their warm gaze when they both sing “So tell me that you feel it too,” but they know that straightforward declarations aren’t needed when the connection is so strong. 
[9]

Thomas Inskeep: Gorgeous, feather-light R&B, clearly influenced by Maxwell, sung by a pair of singers who harmonize rather beautifully.
[8]

Micha Cavaseno: Smooth and delicate, possibly to a fault, as Yuna’s restraint and ginger approach has emerged in an era with overly whisper-dominated vocalists. Thankfully, here we have a duet with Usher, whose falsetto has been perfectly preserved over the years and works excellently to compliment Yuna’s tone. It’s not a standout, but a perfectly acceptable slow jam.
[7]

Will Adams: The light-stepping “down down down”‘s take this dangerously close to coffeeshop territory, but the sparse arrangement keeps “Crush” interesting. Even better, it’s a proper answer to my longing for Usher to keep trying out more unconventional material since “Climax.” He and Yuna blend so well that at one point they’re just singing “la la” and I could care less.
[7]

Madeleine Lee: A lot of songs about having a crush try to replicate the feeling in the music as something giddy and top-of-lungs and a little too fast to handle. This “Crush” instead goes light and dreamy, winding Yuna and Usher’s high notes around each other like delicate wisps of cloud punctuated by plucked strings. The result is that rather than recreating the feeling in its sound, it recreates it in the listener.
[7]

Cassy Gress: Are all grown-up crushes this understated? All of mine that come to mind have been obsessive and all-consuming; this is a song for making eyes across a smoky bar. In that sense, it works — some duets sound like they were recorded on entirely different dates and times, but I can see Yuna and Usher staring into each other’s eyes as they sing this. I just don’t know if “crush” is the right terminology… crushes are butterflies and nerves and “is my hair okay.” This sounds like a more seasoned and enduring relationship.
[6]

Patrick St. Michel: A sweet little singing display that would be a bit meandering if not for the voices at the center of “Crush,” two artists who can bend a song their way (in very different ways).
[6]

Sonia Yang: Muted yet coy, with ethereal vocals. It’s a bit plain, but I appreciate the simplicity letting the melodies shine. 
[6]

Alfred Soto: When she sings “I’ve got a crush on you” it’s with a primness and fear that’s recognizable, as if she were in love with the football star or another woman. To his credit, the producers got Usher, who brings his characteristic warmth. A wee thing, but the sort of thing out of which Grammy performances are made.
[6]

Brad Shoup: The guitar downstrokes are a decent rhythmic element but they’re a lousy guide. Usher barely gets to flex, and Yuna’s little crush sounds vanishingly small indeed. A little airiness would have served them both.
[5]