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The Singles Bar: Big Sean f/ Kanye West, “Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay”

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Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 06/13/2011 at 5:30 PM Reviews

The Popdust Files: big sean, kanye west, roscoe dash

We’re waiting for that one Big Sean single to come and announce his presence to the world with authority, establishing him as the official Next Big Thing in hip-hop. He’s got the guest appearances, he’s got the famous friends, and he’s certainly got the hype, but as excellent debut single “My Last” continues to languish one level below the pop stratosphere (#43 on the pop charts this week, but still only #77 on iTunes), it seems like that big crossover hit is still yet to come. But with the assistance of Kanye West, Roscoe Dash, “Your Love” producer Pop Wansel and a namecheck of one of the most beloved singers in pop history, perhaps new jam “Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay” is that breakout summer hit?

Mmmm, we dunno about that. The Roscoe-crooned chorus is a crowd-pleaser, no doubt, sounding just as big as he did when he was propelling “No Hands” and “All the Way Turnt Up” onto the pop charts last year, offering the always-on-time promise of the two titular items “just to set the mood right.” But what in blazes is going on with the rest of this song? Wansel has gotten some great hooks out of vocal samples before, but the creaky-creaky vocal sound that provides the base of the hook to the verses is hugely grating, like listening to a 11-year-old trying to be funny by making porno noises based on movies he’s never seen. The lyrics on the verses aren’t much better, as both Sean and Kanye go soft over the beat, relying almost entirely on filler phrases and bad jokes (“Gave you a new name / My bitch,” “This the fucking anthem / Get it? The ‘fucking’ anthem”) rather than actually contributing anything to the proceedings.

More critical to the song’s failure is the disjointedness of the whole venture. It might be a case of too many hands grabbing for the one bottle of champagne, as the blend of styles and personalities comes off impossibly awkward, and none of the song’s parts sound like they should be sitting next to each other. Maybe Sean needs to take a note from mentor Kanye on this one—none of ‘Yeezy’s first three singles as a lead artist (“Through the Wire,” “All Falls Down” and “Jesus Walks”) had high-profile guests on them. Prove you’re worth our time on your lonesome, and then call in the famous friends for backup.

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