"Incapable" is a song by American singer and songwriter

Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...

from her seventh studio album, '' 11:11 Reset'' (2017). The song was written by Cole, Gabrielle Nowee,

Marcella Araica Marcella Christina Araica is an American recording and mixing engineer, who has recorded and mixed tracks for artists including Britney Spears, Duran Duran, K. Michelle, Keri Hilson, Madonna, P!nk and Timbaland. Biography Araica started her prof ...

, and

Elijah Blake Sean Fenton (born June 4, 1992), better known by the stage name Elijah Blake, is a Dominican-American singer, songwriter and record producer. He wrote songs for Keyshia Cole, Rick Ross, Rihanna, and co-wrote Usher's number-one R&B hit, " Climax ...

, with production being handled by Danja and Guitarboy. The song was released for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

as the album's second single on August 25, 2017, by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

. An R&B

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, it is backed by an acoustic guitar and includes a sample of

Rose Royce Rose Royce is an American soul and R&B group. They are best known for several hit singles during the 1970s including "Car Wash", " I Wanna Get Next to You", " I'm Going Down", "Wishing on a Star", and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore". Career Th ...

's 1976 single " I'm Going Down". Lyrically, the song discusses a relationship where one partner is putting in more effort than the other. Cole elucidated that the song was inspired by her own experiences in her previous romantic relationships.

Music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

responded positively to "Incapable", praising Cole's vocals and its lyrics. An accompanying music video, directed by Mike Ho, was released on October 6, 2017. It takes place in a

speakeasy A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States d ...

and depicts Cole as she gets revenge on her boyfriend after suddenly finding out that he had been cheating on her. The video received positive reviews from critics, who praised its

retro style Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

theme. In further promotion, Cole performed the song on television programs such as the

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of ''Soul Train'', the pro ...

, ''

The Wendy Williams Show ''The Wendy Williams Show'' (often shortened to ''Wendy'') is an American syndicated talk show created and hosted by Wendy Williams, and produced by Wendy Williams Productions, along with Perler Productions. The show is distributed by Debmar-Me ...

'', '' Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood'', and ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

''.

Background and release

"Incapable" was written by

, Gabrielle Nowee,

, and

, while produced by Danja and Guitarboy. The audio was mixed by

Jaycen Joshua Jaycen Joshua is a mix engineer and music producer who owns the revered Canton House Studios in Studio City, California. Joshua started his mix career in 2005 when he became partners with his mentor Dave Pensado and formed The Penua Project. Joshu ...

, Maddoxx Chhim, and Araica. Randy Urbanski worked as the recording engineer, while Chhim provided additional support as assistant engineer. The vocals were produced by Cole, with assistance from Blake. The song was recorded and mixed at

NRG Recording Studios NRG Recording Studios is a recording facility located in North Hollywood, California, that was created by producer and mixer Jay Baumgardner in 1992. Facilities The facility consists of three studio consoles: *Studio A console: custom vintage N ...

North Hollywood, Los Angeles North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

. On July 24, 2017, she previewed the song during a studio session on the premiere of the fourth season of the reality television series '' Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood''.

released the song for digital download and

on August 25, 2017, as the second single from ''11:11 Reset'', before distributing it to

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...

radio stations in the United States on September 17. On September 30, the song was ranked the fifth most-added single at

urban adult contemporary Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...

radio. In October, Cole gave an interview about ''11:11 Reset'' with Stephanie Ogbogu of ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

''. Cole explained the inspiration behind the song, saying: "This song channels my own experience as a woman, realizing that sometimes things are not completely about you. Sometimes it’s about someone else not being able to give you that. Someone not being capable of even loving you the way that you love."

Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Incapable" is an R&B

which lasts for a duration of (three minutes and twenty-five seconds). The song is composed in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

of B♭major, set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

signature, and has a moderately fast

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 180 beats per minute.

Instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

consists of an acoustic guitar, a

Roland TR-808 The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patte ...

, and an emotional rhythm. It includes a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

of American singer

's single " I'm Going Down" (1976). Jamie Wexler of '' ThisisRnB'' noted the elements of classic ballads and touches of old-school

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

, and Chris Rizik of ''

SoulTracks ''SoulTracks'' is an American online magazine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine ...

'' interpreted the composition as a

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

with a "bluesy undertone". Lyrics include: "It's time to grow up / I embarrassed myself enough / 'Cause I wouldn't leave you / Even my family know the truth, yeah." Cole further sings about the relationship in the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, singing, "Oh, what a feeling / The one that I thought that I needed / Was incapable of needing me back / Incapable of loving like that." Lyrically, the song discusses a relationship where one partner is putting in more effort than the other. An editor from ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

'' viewed the lyrics as "heartbreaking" and felt that they revolve around an "ill-fated relationship". Elle Breezy of Singersroom felt that the lyrics reference Cole's split from

Daniel Gibson Daniel Hiram Gibson (born February 27, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was selected by the Cavaliers in the second r ...

and that the song tells "the heartbreaking tale of realizing the person she loved didn't put in the same efforts into the relationship". Isha Thorpe of

iHeartRadio iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...

also felt that the lyrics focus on her split from Gibson, despite not being solely written by Cole. Thorpe also suggested that the song "tells the story of a woman finally letting go of an ex who wronged her multiple times".

Critical reception

"Incapable" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Royal Bey from ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

'' felt that the "strong" ballad reflects Cole's "uncanny" ability to hold "beautiful" notes. Da'Shan Smith of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' labeled the song as an example of traditional R&B and declared that Cole "flirts with mixing

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

808s beneath the old swing of the '60s" on the song. According to Ken Hamm from ''

Soul Bounce ''Soul Bounce'' is an American daily Internet publication devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on R&B and soul. However, the range of musical genres covered extends to gospel, hip hop and ...

'', "Incapable" is a ballad about "coming to terms with the fact that the one you want just isn't the one for you". Hamm further added that Cole uses "an old school sound blending blues, gospel and even a little country and lyrics that feel personal yet poetic" and described the first verse as "a come to Jesus" one. An editor from

TheGrio TheGrio, styled as thegrio, is an American television network and website with news, opinion, entertainment and video content geared toward Black Americans. The website originally launched in June 2009 as a division of NBC News, it became a d ...

thought that the song "talks about a lover who simply doesn't have what it takes", while Biana Garwood of ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus ''Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when pol ...

'' deemed it as a "melancholy" track. Keithan Samuels, writing for ''

Rated R&B ''Rated R&B'' is an independent online magazine based in the United States, which is dedicated and devoted to news, topics and almost all things related to rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, ...

'', classified "Incapable" as part of Cole's "solid foundation on songs related to love and relationships" and praised Cole's consistency of singing love songs. James Wong of ''

Tokyo Weekender ''Tokyo Weekender'' magazine is the oldest English publication in Japan. Founded in 1970 by Corky Alexander and Susan Scully, ''Tokyo Weekender'' was first published bi-monthly. Now ''Tokyo Weekender'' is published monthly and is distributed in ...

'' described the song as "distinctively Keyshia", while Tony Centeno from ''Vibe'' described it as "unique".

Music video

Background and synopsis

A music video for "Incapable", directed by

Mike He Mike He (also spelled Mike Ho; ; born 28 December 1983) is a Taiwanese actor who started his career as a model before switching to acting. He has been managed by HIM International Music since 2010. HIM International MusiMike signs contract with ...

, was made available through Cole's

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

account on October 6, 2017. Prior to its premiere, Cole debuted a trailer during her appearance on the American talk show ''

The Real In continental philosophy, the Real refers to the remainder of reality that cannot be expressed, and which surpasses reasoning. In Lacanianism, it is an "impossible" category because of its opposition to expression and inconceivability. In ...

''. Cole had also posted several images of herself on set via her official

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account one month prior to the release. In the video, Cole and her love interest walk into a

, where men are gambling and music is playing in the background. After they sit down together, Cole then goes to the bathroom, where she overhears a conversation between two women in which one of them admits to the other that she is having an affair with Cole's love interest. As "Incapable" starts to play, Cole is shown wearing a

sleeveless A sleeveless shirt is a shirt that is manufactured without sleeves or whose sleeves have been cut off. Depending on the style, they can be worn as undershirts, by athletes in sports such as track and field and triathlon, or as casual wear by bot ...

starch white top and white wide brim hat while delivering a "heart-wrenching" performance of the song; this scene appears throughout. Impressed by her performance, members of the audience join the stage to start dancing and singing with her. A waitress later walks up to the love interest to deliver him a plate full of drinks but then mistakenly spills the drinks on his lap. Cole stands in front of the table as it happens and then aggressively walks away, leaving her love interest humiliated.

Reception

Critics praised the video for its

and felt that Cole was paying homage to the 1920s decade. Samuels of ''Rated R&B'' described the video as "cinematic". D-Money of ''

'' viewed the video as "vintage-inspired" and felt that the retro style overshadows the plot, making the video "that much more interesting". Mikey Fresh of ''Vibe'' complimented the video's concept and its production, writing: "Having overcome of her share of shitty relationships, the Oakland-raised talent goes way back with her new video." Sarah Michel of

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

praised the

wardrobe A wardrobe or armoire or almirah is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that separate accomm ...

and choreography in the video and also interpreted that it ends just like "almost all of those situations". An editor from Singersroom felt that Cole gave her love interest a "subtle payback" before leaving him and described the speakeasy as a "

Cotton Club The Cotton Club was a New York City nightclub from 1923 to 1940. It was located on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue (1923–1936), then briefly in the midtown Theater District (1936–1940).Elizabeth Winter"Cotton Club of Harlem (1923- )" Blac ...

-styled

venue Venue is the location at which an event takes place. It may refer to: Locations * Venue (law), the place a case is heard * Financial trading venue, a place or system where financial transactions can occur * Music venue, place used for a concer ...

". Garwood of ''

'' felt that Cole had decided "to take things into her own hands by getting revenge on the man who stole her heart" in the video.

Live performances

On January 31, 2017, Cole performed a preview of "Incapable" live on ''

'', following the performance of its preceding single, "

You In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...

". Breezy of Singersroom praised the performance and noted that Cole "pushed through performing the soulful ballad", despite having complications when fixing her

earpiece In-ear monitors (IEMs) are devices used by musicians, audio engineers and audiophiles to listen to music or to hear a personal mix of vocals and stage instrumentation for live performance or recording studio mixing. They are also used by telev ...

while performing. Cole performed the song for ''

'' on October 20, 2017, while wearing a white

pantsuit A pantsuit, also known as a trouser suit outside the United States, is a woman's suit of clothing consisting of pants and a matching or coordinating coat or jacket. Formerly, the prevailing fashion for women included some form of a coat, pai ...

with a red

fur coat Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific i ...

and

top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally m ...

and being accompanied by male backup dancers. Antwane Folk of ''Rated R&B'' described the performance as "heartfelt" and compared the outfit worn by Cole during the performance to the signature look of fictional character

Carmen Sandiego ''Carmen Sandiego'' (sometimes referred to as ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'') is a media franchise based on a series of computer games created by the American software company Broderbund. While the original 1985 '' Where in the World ...

, while an editor from '' ThisisRnB'' described the performance as "stirring". On October 22, 2017, Cole performed the song during

BET Her BET Her (formerly Centric) is an American basic cable television network owned by Paramount Media Networks. The network is a spin-off of BET with a focus on general entertainment targeting African-American women. The channel originally launched ...

's inaugural television special ''BET Her Fights: Breast Cancer'', and during the reunion of the fourth season of Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood the following day. On November 26, Cole performed the song at the

2017 Soul Train Music Awards The 2017 Soul Train Music Awards took place on November 5, 2017 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and aired on BET Her and BET on November 26, 2017. American singer and songwriter Toni Braxton was honored with the Legend Award for her co ...

, with the performance replicating the music video. Trent Fitzgerald of ''

The Boombox Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

'' described the performance as "dazzling" and declared that it was a "sexy rendition" of the song. Hamm of ''

'' complimented Cole's vocals, describing it as a "emotional, albeit by-the-numbers performance" and that "stood out" amongst her past live performances. Mark Elibert of ''Billboard'' described the performance as "exceptional".

Credits and personnel

;Recording * Recorded and mixed at

;Personnel *

– vocals, songwriter, vocal producer *

– songwriter, vocal producer *

– songwriter, mixing * Gabrielle Nowee – songwriter * Danja – production * Patrick "Guitarboy" Hayes – production * Randy Urbanski –

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

* Maddoxx Chhim – mixing, engineer *

– mixing Credits adapted from ''11:11 Reset'' album liner notes.

Charts

Release history

References

External links

* {{Keyshia Cole 2010s ballads 2017 singles Keyshia Cole songs Epic Records singles 2017 songs Songs written by Elijah Blake Songs written by Marcella Araica Song recordings produced by Danja (record producer) Contemporary R&B ballads