Track Review: Usher, Summer Walker & 21 Savage, ‘Good Good’
Following his chart-topping “Glu” and that Keke Palmer controversy, Usher has launched his new single “Good Good,” the latest taste of his upcoming ninth solo studio album. Featuring new-school R&B leader Summer Walker and Grammy-winning rapper 21 Savage, Usher hosts an intergenerational Atlanta link-up for the purpose of finding peace in the aftermath of a relationship gone south.
After partying with City Girls last summer on “Good Love,” Usher steers two of contemporary R&B and hip-hop’s brightest stars away from the clutches of toxicity on this Mel & Mus-produced mid-tempo. “I hate that we didn't make it to forever / Probably ain't gettin' back together / But that don't mean that I can't wish you better,” he croons in the song’s hook, which is anchored by a melody reminiscent of Akon’s “Don’t Matter.” To cope with this particular breakup, Usher & Co. opt for the high road — why make it a messy ending and keep things complicated when you can acknowledge that the compatibility simply wasn’t there when it needed to be and wish your ex-partner well?
“Good Good” finds Summer Walker returning to a more AutoTune-dependent radio-ready R&B lane as opposed to the largely acoustic space she meandered through on her Erykah Badu-nodding Clear 2 EP. Summer delivers a solid verse that’s in direct conversation with Ushers from a female point of view. Nonetheless, her drowsy vocal performance undercuts any attempt at recapturing the chemistry she and Usher shared on “Come Thru.” In fact, Usher is the only performer on this track that’s truly selling and feeling these lyrics. When his voice slightly cracks on “I hate that” in the second chorus, you hear the ache and pain he’s holding in that phrase.
21 Savage, the other performer on “Good Good",” delivers what is probably his worst verse of the year. This Radio Disney-ready verse is completely bereft of charisma, so much so that even moments where his deadpan delivery should work don’t land. Had 21 Savage’s verse been replaced with a proper bridge that built into a climactic final chorus, maybe Usher would’ve been cooking with gas. Nonetheless, this is a strong radio single from Usher, and it situates him nicely in the landscape of contemporary R&B without immediately aging him — a smart follow-up to “Glu.”
Score: 67
