Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell) – “Get Lucky” (song review)

While the one-and-only Nile Rodgers holds up his end of the bargain, powering the groove with a smooth, tasty, and perfectly chilled throwback riff that’s love at first listen, super-producer Pharrell can’t put together a full performance on vox. He shines on both the pre-chorus and chorus, evoking Off the Wall-era MJ, but man are the verses dull and clunky. There, Pharrell’s wobbly, unfocused vocals clash with their crisp environs (which also makes you less forgiving of the vapid lyric; opening line: “Like the legend of the phoenix”). I really don’t know how certain parts passed muster. Luckily, the Robots swoop in afterward with a bracing vocoder hook that reminds everyone who’s running the show. All told, “Get Lucky” is a killer track that should’ve been a classic. I eagerly await the full album version and the copious remixes that I’m sure are being crafted as we speak.