Although Pharrell has had an undeniably banner year, perhaps the singer and producer is spreading himself a little bit too thin. That would explain the trainwreck of a song that is Jennifer Hudson’s new Pharrell-produced single, “He Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” a strangely awful song with a guest verse from (possible sex tape star) Iggy Azalea that probably only made the final cut because of the names involved.
Please note, nobody is saying that Hudson isn’t a powerhouse vocalist. She is, but the song just doesn’t suit her sound in any way. Pharrell’s beats are meant to harken to the days of classic soul, but they seem more stale than retro. The song itself seems confused about what it wants to be: Is it pop? R&B? Rap? There’s a way to blend all of those disparate pieces into a seamless track, but this cut-and-paste approach doesn’t do Hudson or her guests any favors.
Iggy’s verse fails to live up to her “Booty” appearance because it sounds like it was recorded in a tin hut or in the backseat of a moving vehicle, with lethargic rhymes like “Bonnie and Clyde never strange to us / Cause what’s life if you never live dangerous?” Poetic stuff. Listen to the messy single over at BuzzFeed.
