On Lloyd's third studio album, the R&B cooner refuses to break any new ground sticking to the usual subject that his core audience has grown to embrace. Every single song from beginning to end features Lloyd portraying himself as the perfect lover when it comes to the art of sex and romance, a subject which becomes increasingly tiresome by track three. This shouldn't be much of a surprise considering every major hit Lloyd has captured up until now has laid between the narrow lines of puppy love and love making, and Lloyd's third outing shows him struggling more than he ever has to find a balance. The album's lead single 'Girls Around the World', which features Lil' Wayne who helped Lloyd score his biggest hit to date with 'You', and while its catchy, it still fails to live up to the original magic they created with 'You'. 'Year of the Lover', one of the disc's standout tracks, sees Lloyd approaching R.Kelly's signature facade, as Lloyd sings, "I’m a put you up on the stove, take off all your clothes, girl watch me cook until you get nice and tender", similar to the same territory Kelly dipped into with his hit 'In the Kitchen'. On 'Sex Eduation', the opening track, Lloyd tries to teach you how to move in between the sheets, as he uses his sultry voice over the guitars and rambling bass line. The track almost manages to produce a solid bedroom cut, until you hear Lloyd scream out "I wanna make an A", which which only makes you question whether Lloyd actually know what he's doing. 'Love Makin 101', possibly the album's best track, from the screaming guitar solo to Lloyd's charismatic charm at a level that its almost enough to actually make R.Kelly proud.
Lloyd's formula of teaching you lessons in love would have been a real testament, if he would have used this approach less, but an album full of empty promises about being the perfect lover, falls flat. Lloyd's last album, 2007's Street Love, was charming and creative, but Lessons In Love, lacks creativity and originality. It also proves that artists such as R.Kelly, Chris Brown, or even Usher, after the terror that was 'Here I Stand', don't have to worry about giving up their crowns anytime soon, because 'Lessons in Love' makes it clear, Lloyd is not the teacher he claims to be, but just a student who's at the bottom of the pack.
2.5 out of 5.
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