The gimmick is too egregious and in-your-face to appreciate any of the song’s smart composition, and anyhow, Walt from Lost already ran the “name-checking classic artists” angle into the ground last year. The rest of Trainor’s work has failed to recapture that spark, and “Marvin Gaye” follows suit. I liked “ All About That Bass” because even though it was a little bit clueless in its attempt to deliver a body-positive message, it was catchy and clever enough to compensate. Puth first came on my radar earlier this year with “Marvin Gaye,” a duet with Meghan Trainor that trades on the same modernized throwback soul sound that Trainor tapped for “All About That Bass.” Musically, it’s sharp enough, particularly the bass-booming breakdown when Trainor’s verse comes in, but building a song around the catchphrase “Let’s Marvin Gaye and get it on” instantly disqualifies you from praise. Now he’s got a mammoth music industry promotional machine behind him, and we’re stuck with him. That business arrangement has since given way to a deal with Atlantic. He was studying at Berklee when his viral hijinks caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres, who welcomed Puth and Emily Luther on her show to perform their cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You” and signed the fresh-faced piano man to her label (yes, she has one). Puth is one of those YouTube-famous singers who looks and sounds like he stepped out of a Disney Channel series, which should tip you off to his cloying disposition before you witness a minute of his despicably saccharine music.
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