No apologies…

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[5.40]

Hannah Jocelyn: Considering we now know the ruthless nature of Chance the Rapper’s management, producer Warren Felder should probably credit Brasstracks and Chance for embodying portions of “No Problem” (a song about not messing with Chance’s crew, no less). Demi gives an incredible vocal performance, but the frustrating thing about this is that no matter how hard she tries, “Sorry Not Sorry” as a whole never transcends that reference point.
[5]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Those “The Way”/”I’m Not A Player” keys are perfectly placed, injecting much needed swagger into Demi Lovato’s step. And when the chorus finally lands, Warren Felder’s characteristically deep bass rumbles sell “Sorry Not Sorry” as the summer anthem it so wants to be. I’m not quite convinced by much of what Lovato says, but that ultimately seems secondary; this is a song that readily invites sing-alongs with friends, and the sound of your own voice should be drowning out Demi’s template. Consequently, the chorus’s gang vocals and faint chant loop are a real nice touch.
[7]

Austin Brown: Demi Lovato’s much better at conveying earnestness than most of her contemporaries, especially in this climate where seemingly every pop star has pivoted towards minimalistic cool or performative wokeness. But without a good artistic hook beyond “loud sincerity,” like the dynamics that elevated “Cool for the Summer,” her songs fall flat. Here, she shouts over an above-average trap instrumental. Unfortunately, it just ends up sounding distracting — I’m googling the producer right after I write this to see if I can find an instrumental.
[4]

Andy Hutchins: I would like to point out that a watered-down Keri Hilson song in which Demi Lovato tries and fails to pull off “You fuckin’ wit’ a savage” is accompanied by a video in which Demi Lovato says, at its conclusion, “I’m totally kidding: I respect the police.” Sorry not sorry that I can’t let you have it both ways.
[2]

Will Adams: Between Ellie Goulding discussing fat stacks, Kiiara whippin’ in a car with you and Demi Lovato assuring everyone that she’s a bad bitch/savage, 2017 has endured an excruciating amount of try-hard attempts from white artists at “urban” edge without anything to back it up. What’s worse, “Sorry Not Sorry” sounds like its mid-range has been scooped out in order to make more room for the dull bass and Lovato’s blaring vocal, which makes me wonder whether this was originally intended for Jessie J.
[3]

Thomas Inskeep: When female pop singers like Selena Gomez or Katy Perry try to come off as “hard,” it doesn’t take. But for some reason, from Demi Lovato, I buy what she’s selling. When she sings that “you’re fuckin’ with a savage,” I really don’t wanna cross her. This deliciously nasty kiss-off/revenge song carries just the right amount of punch, and hearing Lovato “bein’ so bad” has me feelin’ good, too.
[7]

Alex Clifton: This ain’t Demi’s first time at the rodeo: 2013’s “Really Don’t Care” was a fine kiss-off track. But where “Really Don’t Care” was all pep and spunk, upbeat and poppy and focused on living your own life, “Sorry Not Sorry” revels in causing someone else pain. It’s got swagger. And it works. “I’m out here looking like revenge” is a whacking great opening line, encompassing that delicious feeling of destroying someone who has wronged you completely. Demi’s a bit loud in the chorus but vocal nuance be damned — she sounds fabulous and her attitude carries the song. Hell, the verses have more personality than most of the summer songs on modern pop radio. Going all-out pays, and Demi knocks it out of the park here.
[7]

Ryo Miyauchi: Demi Lovato stitches dozens of catchphrase hooks for her second try at posing confidence. A glaring lyric definitely on lease from another is her “baddest/savage” combo, which reads more like a songwriter tag from the collaborators on SweetSexySavage, who also helped bring this to life. And surely Demi channels her Kehlani to bring a little “CRZY” to pull off a more self-esteemed expression than “Confident.”
[6]

Stephen Eisermann: Give me sassy, no-fucks Demi any day — she’s infinitely sexier than sexy, purring Demi and far more confident than Demi repeating that word over and over again. Still, Demi’s tendency to oversing continues in this song and no amount of loud instrumentation can mask her need to sing everything at volume 150. This is, however, a step in the right direction and a certified bop, so keep up the good efforts Demi!
[7]

Alfred Soto: She lavishes her impressive pipes on that belted chorus, which could use less of her higher register. The piano lines provide effective accompaniment to the “walk that walk, baby” section too. Let’s see if radio allows a woman to sing such sentiments without male accompaniment.
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