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King of Hearts (Lloyd album)

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King of Hearts is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Lloyd, released July 5, 2011, on Zone 4. Production for the album took place at various recording studios and was handled primarily by producer and Zone 4-head Polow da Don. It is Lloyd's first release after leaving his former record label The Inc. Records in 2009.

Background

After releasing three albums for The Inc. Records, Lloyd left the record label in 2009 due to creative differences.[1] He subsequently released an eight-track EP, Like Me: The Young Goldie EP, as a free download on the Internet.[2] In 2010, Lloyd was featured on the Young Money hit single "BedRock" and signed to Zone 4, the label of producer and longtime friend Polow da Don.[1] He previously worked with Lloyd on the latter's 2008 album Lessons in Love.[3]

Recording sessions for the album took place at Doppler Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, No Excuses Studio in Santa Monica, California, Record Plant in Hollywood, California, and Setai Recording Studios in Miami, Florida.[4] Polow da Don served as the album's executive producer and produced or co-produced all of its songs, managing sessions with background singers and hord and string sections.[1] In an interview for Billboard, he said of his role on the album, "I promised [Lloyd] my full dedication. So I stopped doing a lot of work with a lot of other artists. I usually have seven songs on the radio at the same time, but I shut down shop to focus on his album".[1] Lloyd has said of the album's music, "We've created something in the likes of what Justin Timberlake and Timbaland were able to create [on 'FutureSex/LoveSounds'] and Usher and Jermaine Dupri were able to create [on 'Confessions']".[1]

Release and promotion

The album was released by Zone 4, with distribution through Interscope Records.[1] It was released on July 5, 2011, in the United Kingdom,[5] and on July 6 in the United States. In promotion of the album, Lloyd will accompany rapper Lil Wayne on the second leg of his I Am Music II tour during the summer.[1]

Singles

The album's lead single, "Lay It Down", was released on August 31, 2010.[6] It reached number 64 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[7] The second single "Cupid" was released in February and peaked at number 11 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[1][8] The third single will be "Be the One" and it features Trey Songz and Young Jeezy.[1][9] A music video for the single was shot in Los Angeles and features Trey Songz.[10]

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
The A.V. Club(B+)[11]
The Boston Globe(mixed)[12]
Los Angeles Times[13]
The New York Times(favorable)[14]
Newsday(A-)[15]
The Source(mixed)[16]
USA Today[17]
The Village Voice(favorable)[18]
The Washington Post(mixed)[19]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on five reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[20] Allmusic editor Andy Kellman gave it four-and-a-half out of five stars and called it "clearly the singer’s best album yet [...] his most unified set of songs", adding that "Lloyd has pretty much perfected the art of transcending the modern-R&B Lothario cliché".[3] Maura Johnston of The Village Voice described the album as "utterly replayable" and commented that it "veers back and forth between unabashed romanticism [...], club-borne lust [...], and the brooding, yet unleashed love songs that helped him initially break onto the scene".[18] The A.V. Club's Evan Rytlewski complimented Polow da Don's material for Lloyd and wrote that the album "doubles down on his amorous enthusiasm, pushing it to such delirious extremes that these songs feel risky and uncharted even as they play to his most obvious strengths".[11] Steve Jones of USA Today gave the album three out of four stars and stated, "it's Lloyd's energetic but smooth deliveries that create a diverse set of keepers".[17] Glenn Gamboa of Newsday called it "ambitious" and commended Lloyd as "a bold thinker and a skillful singer".[15]

However, Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe found its songwriting "weak" and stated, "Lloyd shows little nuance, and Polow Da Don doesn’t color in the tracks with enough interesting musical flourishes to mask some of the vocalist’s weaknesses".[12] Despite calling it a "strong-laced R&B vocal album", Mireya Fernandez of The Source perceived an "inability to definitively differentiate from the vast sea of other R&B singers".[16] The Washington Post's Allison Stewart complimented the track "Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)", but commented that "it’s the first and only track on 'King of Hearts' to inspire any kind of strong reaction at all".[19] Los Angeles Times writer Jeff Weiss commented that "Lloyd possesses a levitating croon and admirably fills out most of producer Polow Da Don’s synthetic boudoir songs", while noting "not a cliché left unemployed".[13] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times viewed a lack of "focus" with the songs, but commended Polow da Don for "feeling the full range of [Lloyd's] lushness" in producing the album.[14]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro (MDMA)" (featuring Game) 1500 or Nothin'1:15
2."Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)" (featuring André 3000)D. Smith, Polow A. Jones, Dwayne Carter Jr., Andre BenjaminD. Smith, Polow da Don (co.)3:56
3."Cupid" (featuring Awesome Jones!!!1)Bei Maejor, Jones, Jason Perry, CurtisPolow da Don, Greg Curtis (co.)3:55
4."Luv Me Girl" (featuring Chris Brown & Veronica Vega)Keithin "J Mizzle" Pittman, Jones, Chris Brown, B. Bramlett, L. RussellPolow da Don, Mizzle Boy4:05
5."Naked"Maejor, Jones, CurtisPolow da Don, Greg Curtis (co.), Paul "Hollywood Hot Sauce" Dawson (co.)5:07
6."Jigsaw"Ryon Jermaine Lovett, JonesPolow da Don3:36
7."Bang!!!!" (featuring Titi Boi & Salo)Timothy & Theron Thomas, Kem Fambro, Clifford Henson, Titi Boi, Salome, JonesKen "K-Fam" Fambro, Clifford "Wiz" Henson (co.), Polow da Don (co.)3:40
8."Be the One" (featuring Trey Songz & Young Jeezy)Tony Scales, Tremaine Aldon Neverson, Young Jeezy, JonesPolow da Don4:33
9."Shake It 4 Daddy"Lloyd Polite Jr., Full Circle, Jones, W. Clarke, M. Wright, P. WrightPolow da Don3:57
10."Lay It Down"Jones, Ester Dean, V. BozemanPolow da Don, Veronika "V." Bozeman (co.)4:01
11."Angel"D. Rockett, JonesDan Rockett, Polow da Don2:59
12."This Is 4 My Baby"Lovett, JonesPolow da Don5:13
13."You II"Polite Jr., Full Circle, JonesPolow da Don4:57
14."World Cry" (featuring R. Kelly, Keri Hilson & K'naan)David Mazoor, Jason Boyd, Jones, Robert S. Kelly, K'naanKing David "The Future", Polow da Don (co.), Jason "Poo Bear" David (co.)4:41
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Stay"Dean, JonesPolow da Don, Paul "Hollywood Hot Sauce" Dawson (co.)4:23
16."Never Window Shopping"Polite Jr., Sean McMillian, Dernest Emile IID'Mile3:45
17."King of Hearts"Full Circle, JonesPatrick "Guitar Boy" Hayes, Polow da Don (co.)4:53
Notes

 • (co.) Co-producer
1Alias for Polow da Don

Personnel

Credits for King of Hearts adapted from Allmusic.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Yuscavage, Chris (July 1, 2011). Lloyd Overcomes Label Drama To Become 'King of Hearts'. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  2. ^ Paine, Jake (December 15, 2009). FREE ALBUM DOWNLOAD: Like Me by Lloyd. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  3. ^ a b c Kellman, Andy (July 5, 2011). King of Hearts - Lloyd: Review. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  4. ^ Lloyd - King Of Hearts CD Album. Muze. CD Universe. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  5. ^ King of Hearts: Lloyd: Music. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  6. ^ Lay It Down - Single by Lloyd. iTunes Store. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  7. ^ Lay It Down [Edited Version] - Lloyd. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  8. ^ Lloyd Music News & Info. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  9. ^ NEW MUSIC: LLOYD FEAT. TREY SONGZ & YOUNG JEEZY – BE THE ONE (NEW SINGLE). ThisIsRnB. May 27, 2011. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  10. ^ Janneti, Cola (June 29, 2011). Behind The Scenes: Lloyd “Be The One”. Singersroom Gossip. Retrieved on 2011-07-08.
  11. ^ a b Rytlewski, Evan (July 5, 2011). Lloyd: King Of Hearts | Music | Music Review. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  12. ^ a b Capobianco, Ken (July 5, 2011). Lloyd: "King of Hearts". The Boston Globe. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  13. ^ a b Weiss, Jeff (July 5, 2011). Album review: Lloyd's 'King of Hearts'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  14. ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (July 4, 2011). New CDs by David Weiss and Lloyd - Review. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  15. ^ a b Gamboa, Glenn (July 1, 2011). Drops: Lloyd's 'King of Hearts'. Newsday. Retrieved on 2011-07-09.
  16. ^ a b Fernandez, Mireya (July 7, 2011). Lloyd - King Of Hearts [Album Review]. The Source. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  17. ^ a b Jones, Steve (July 4, 2011). Listen Up notables: Lloyd's 'King of Hearts'. USA Today. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  18. ^ a b Johnston, Maura (July 6, 2011). Lloyd: Expletives Embraced. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  19. ^ a b Stewart, Allison (July 5, 2011). Quick spins: Lloyd, Pure X, Old 97s - Click Track. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  20. ^ King of Hearts Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
  21. ^ King of Hearts - Lloyd: Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
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