While I'm post-whoring I decided to look up all the ALBUM reviews which so far mention NCOE and what they say about it. This is all of them. The only one who outright disses it is Popdust (and they think Shady sounds like Maroon 5, so whatev :
).
auditoryslam4) Never Close Our Eyes: Adams vocals really shine here. He sings this in an almost Savage Garden Darrin Hayes way, weaving flawlessly between the raspy low end of the verses into the sustained higher notes on the choruses. Great tune with another huge dance style beat.
bonersandbitchesWhat can I say about Never Close Our Eyes that hasn’t already said? Most people have heard this song already because it was announced as the second single, and rightfully so. It has a wonderful dance beat, great lyrics and Adam’s vocals really shine through on this track. This one is definitely one of my top favorites.
entertainment focus and mashes rock with electro-pop on current US single (and UK lead single) Never Close Our Eyes which was penned by Bruno Mars.
eq music blogNever Close Our Eyes – Funny story about this track. Well…not really. Anyway, when we heard some tracks back in January, we heard this one but we weren’t allowed to talk about it because it wasn’t finished yet. I can’t express to you how difficult this was for me, as this is one of my favorite songs on the album. To me, this is a perfect dance pop song: it’s got great lyrics, great structure, an amazing chorus and Adam’s vocals really, really shine on it. There seems to be a theme of unapologetic love on this album, and it really continues with this track and it fits quite nicely.
justlikejerryHighlights are "Trespassing," an infectious, no-brainer that does cheerleading pop much better than "Give Me All Your Lovin'" by Maddy, funky-silly "Cuckoo," current single "Never Close Your Eyes," and the Prince-like "Shady."
popmessiahThe second (and current) single “Never Close Our Eyes” is up next. This track throbs with energy and emotion. It’s by some accounts a beautiful love song but otherwise applicable to simply living life to the fullest. Penned by Bruno Mars, Adam’s voice is tender and/or powerful when and where it needs to be. Having heard the other songs on the album, I do question this now as the second single choice but it does seem to be getting great buzz thus far and hopefully will be a hit and put this album on the map. Those harmonies and that soaring note on the chorus, though. Goosebumps!
popdust (reviewed each track)
12. “Never Close Our Eyes”
“Never Close Our Eyes” has been out for a while; it’s the second Trespassing single. It’s also one of two tracks on Trespassing Adam had no credited involvement in. The other track is the other single, “Better Than I Know Myself,” and you’ve got to wonder why; when Lambert’s name slips off the credits, the quality slips as well.
Here’s who is involved in “Never Close Our Eyes.” The track was originally Bruno Mars demo, which makes a lot of sense–every other pop song’s got a carpe diem (and/or noctem) message, but who else in pop would be so literally morbid about it and write “there’s plenty of time to sleep when we die” or “none of us are promised to see tomorrow?”? (Lana Del Rey doesn’t count. Neither do the writers of “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.”) You almost wonder whether Bruno originally meant this as a slower, statelier ballad, something like “It Will Rain,” which would make a lot of sense. But that’s a moot question, because Dr. Luke and Cirkut got hold of it, and neither seems to know what to do. The prechorus, in particular, sounds like nobody could decide whether it called for a dubstep breakdown, spot of synth claps or Travie McCoy interjecting with his acoustic guitar. Adam does his best with what he’s given, growling and stressing and gospel-belting his way through lines too cliched for him. The problem’s not him, it’s the material–which is particularly baffling, considering there are at least five better singles on this thing. One of them is [the track] right after this.
popledgeNever Close Our Eyes – don’t get me wrong, this is still a good track but to me the record label have got all the single releases from Trespassing wrong. There are more exciting and progressive tracks on the album then this. However, I like the structure of this song, the way it builds up to the chorus is a testament to the skilled production on this album.
softpediaStrangely though, “Never Close Our Eyes” makes a discordant note with the rest of the album, prompting many to say it would have been a better fit on “FYE.”
underthegun“Never Close Our Eyes” comes from a more thoughtful place, but dresses itself in such stylised, gaudy disco beats that you’d hardly notice. Bruno Mars was involved in putting this together, and such is evident in the soulful, considered vocal line, which adds an earthy gravitas to the biting rhythms of the chorus.
yahooThe house-music epic "Never Close Our Eyes" (co-written by two other Midas-Touched hitmakers, Bruno Mars and Dr. Luke) probably has David Guetta cancelling all future recording sessions with the proposed guest allstars for his next album, and deciding to hire Adam to sing on every track instead.
btw there were also blog reviews just about NCOE when it first came out as a single, but they aren't helpfully indexed somewhere so I didn't go hunting for them, lol. But if I remember correctly, they tended to be very positive.
- it's just that I love how he's grown - makes me so happy!!!!! 
