Ever since his debut album “Southside” which spawned a hit single of the same name, Lloyd has made a name for himself as a sultry crooner with the whispery voice.
In his new album, “Lessons in Love” (Universal Motown), Lloyd seeks to seduce the pants (literally) off you. Does it work though? Yes and no.
The production on the album is impressive. He didn’t stray too far from some of the material on his last album, but this time it seems they went for trance meets the hood vibes. A lot of the songs could easily be played in swanky lounges.
There’s no question that he attempted to go hard with this album based on the mere fact that he asked Lil’ Wayne (call him so he can make your album juicy for ya) to be on “Girls Around the World.” I can’t knock that track because it pulls on my nostalgic heartstrings. I am after all a true ‘80s baby (1982 thank you very much). I don’t think anyone else in the R&B game could have pulled off that song as well as Lloyd. His soft, whispery falsetto works perfectly with the song’s New Jack/Old School rap sensibilities. “Party All Over Your Body,” “I’m Wit It,” and “Heart Attack” are all very upbeat tracks. “I’m Wit It” made me bop back and forth for some time before I realized what I was doing. It’s really infectious. Lloyd’s voice is soothing and it works. “Touched by An Angel” is also quite upbeat and very bass heavy.
One of the drawbacks of this album is that it’s a veritable love and sex fest. It doesn’t cover a broad range of topics. Do not get this album for in-depth lyrics about the actual intricacies of sex and love and relationships. You get this album for the face value and a lesson in lust more so than love. Lloyd does come off very sweet, but he sounds like the guy that has pickup lines that are so laughable in their cheesiness that you just give him your number for his effort. In “Treat You Good” and “I Can Change Your Life,” Lloyd serenades a “woman” who is in an unstable relationship with an abusive or aloof boyfriend. Has it become standard to sing about taking away other people’s mates? I wasn’t a fan of “Have My Baby” because he gave no real justification for wanting this “woman” to have his baby. We are not talking about giving her a key to the apartment or even getting her a car. The song makes having a child seem like it’s less of a big deal than it really is. Take it from me. I’ve had two. You’re not just asking her to have a baby, Lloyd! Your asking her to be urinated on, thrown up on, pooped on and face the hell that is morning sickness for three months (if she’s lucky). That’s kind of a big deal. The track sounded more like something your drunk one-night stand or love struck boyfriend of two weeks would say to justify not using any protection.
He is growing though and while he made a valiant attempt at making the ultimate soundtrack to lovemaking, the lack of lyrical content made it fall somewhat short.
What I do like about Lloyd is that he has something going that’s relatively original to him. There can only be one Lloyd in the game right now and that’s fine. His formula works for him. While I would have liked to see refined lyricism, what Lloyd has managed to do is make an album that’s perfect for most bedrooms. If you want something to describe your love affairs, this may not be it. There are way too many bits of minutiae to relationships that don’t always revolve around sex. If you are looking for some sexy music to put on before you start your own “sex ed/anatomy” class with your partner, you might just want to give Lloyd a chance to enrich your “syllabus.”
