Critical Reception
Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club described the song, along with "Bombay" and "Fantasy", as an attempt to maintain modern appeal, writing that they "capture hip-hop icons desperately trying to pin down the quicksilver sound of today before it becomes yesterday's style." Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times was dismissive of Timbaland's vocals through the album, writing that "he's ... creepy coming on to Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger." Daniel Incognito of Sputnikmusic praised Keri Hilson's vocals on "Scream" and "Miscommunication", writing that "she displays an intoxicating mix of talented R&B vocals with intelligence, personality and poise." Steve "Flash" Juon of RapReviews described Hilson and Scherzinger's performances as the "dirtiest and most erotic ... of all time". Norman Mayers of Prefix Magazine labeled "Scream" and "Miscommunication", which also features Hilson, as "winners", while commenting that Hilson naturally fits in with Timbaland's songs.
Ivan Rott of About.com, however, expressed his discontent, implying that the song itself would compel one to scream. Andrea Park of The Online Gargoyle shared the same thoughts in her review of the album, stating that "The flat quality of this album was most apparent in the five songs with accompanying female vocalists." Houston Chronicle writer Zharmer Hardimon finds that Keri Hilson's vocals bests those of Nicole Scherzinger while David Hyland of WESH Orlando feels she overdoes the singing, writing that she's "operating under the mistaken impression that her weak voice is some powerful instrument that is bursting forth." A writer for Toronto Star praised "Scream" and "The Way I Are" as some of the album's most interesting tracks.
Read more about this topic: Scream (Timbaland Song)
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