After splitting with the sinking ship, once known as Murder Inc., Lloyd returns with his fourth studio album ‘King of Hearts’, which was released on July 5th.
Of the album and Polow da Don, he says "We've created something in the likes of what Justin Timberlake and Timbaland were able to create [on 'FutureSex'] and Usher and Jermaine Dupri were able to create [on 'Confessions']".
Summary Analysis
Surprisingly, the first voice you hear on ‘King of Hearts’, is not the crooner’s smooth vocals, but rather it is rapper Game, who introduces the star with his rhymes on “Intro (MMDA)”.
It makes for quite a strange, yet oddly efficient opening that is completely forgiven once you hear the old-school and refreshing essence of “Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)”.
Aside from serving as a strong testament of his abilities as a vocalist, the cut, which also features Lil’ Wayne, sees Andre 3000 making an appearance with unique rhymes that it seems we rarely get to hear, but never fail to leave us feeling impressed.
In fact, the song captures a response that you rarely get to relive in the twelve tracks that follow, which is more of a testament about the magical allure of the single than the album.
The beautiful “Angel” and pleasant singles “Cupid” and “Lay It Down” are all good and even songs like the sexually-charged “Naked” and the confident “Bang”, boast sounds and topics that will appeal to music consumers.
However, collaborations with fellow singers Chris Brown and Trey Songz on “Luv Me Girl” and “Be the One”, respectively, do not fare as well and simply arise as forgettable, which is also the case for “This Is 4 My Baby”, “Jigsaw” and the tawdry “Shake It 4 Daddy”.
“You II”, which is a follow-up to his 2007 No.1 hit “You”, is another mishap, while the closer “World Cry”, featuring R. Kelly, Keri Hilson and K'naan, feels like a dwindled opportunity, given it doesn’t match the talent that finds placement within its existence.
Final Verdict
On ‘King of Hearts’, his first release on Interscope Records, Lloyd delivers of solid collection of love songs that refer or equate women as everything from angels to nymphos, and although he is no R. Kelly, he shows more dexterity than a bulk of his peers.
3 OUT OF 5
Celebrity Bug’s Key Tracks
“Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)”, “Cupid”, “Lay It Down” and “Angel”.
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