"Give It to You" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Martha Wash and the second release from her self-titled debut album, Martha Wash (1992). The song is the follow-up single to "Carry On", and is written and produced by Brian Alexander Morgan. Released in January 1993 by RCA Records, it would be her second number-one single on the US BillboardDance Club Songs chart, reaching the top spot on April 3, 1993.[1] It also became a modest crossover hit on the BillboardHot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, peaking at numbers 90 and 91, same year. The music video for "Give It to You" was directed by German director Marcus Nispel, featuring Wash performing in a castle, surrounded by shirtless male dancers.
Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Second shot from Wash's self-titled solo debut has more of a Black Box vibe than her recent No. 1 hit, "Carry On". The hook is simply irresistible, while the bass line firmly supports shoulder-shaking backup vocals and a plethora of cool keyboard effects. As always, Wash's one-of-a-kind soprano is the shining light of this track."[2] Randy Clark from Cash Box described it as "a rather simple, cliched melody with its repetitious, discotheque beat".[3] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton deemed it "a fairly standard piece of jack swing soul".[4] Ralph Tee from Music Week's RM Dance Update commented, "Martha opens her lungs and belts out the song with vitality and excitement, reflecting the urgency and uplifting quality of the music. An exceptional house track."[5]
In 1996, British DJ duo Sharp Boyz named the song one of their favourites. George Mitchell said, "When I first heard this I had to buy two copies, it's a classic diva track. You need two copies so you can play them back to back." Steven React added, "She's one of the best vocalists in the world."[6]