R&B singer Lloyd has recently been announced as one of the support acts, along with the highly underrated singer-songwriter Eric Bellinger, for Jagged Edge’s Cuffing Season Tour, which kicks off later this fall. In light of this announcement, I felt it was only fitting to shine a spotlight on Young Lloyd’s third album, “Lessons in Love,” for this week’s Second Listen Sunday.
Arriving in stores on August 4, 2008, the album was fresh off the heels of his gold-selling sophomore album, “Street Love”. For the album’s first single, “How We Do It (Around My Way),” Lloyd linked up with fellow Atlanta native Ludacris. The song was written by Wood Works with production from Baby Boy and Superkidd.
A midtempo bop, the song finds Lloyd trying to entice the ladies while Ludacris delivers his flow. The song was catchy, but it shouldn’t have been just a buzz single as opposed to a lead single because it didn’t fully catch on with the mainstream. The label then decided it would be best to repartner Lloyd with Lil Wayne for the next single, “Girls Around the World”.
Released in the spring of 2008, “Girls Around the World” was written by Lloyd and produced by his production team, Big Reese and Jasper Cameron. This perfect summer song pays tribute to the beautiful women around the world. It’s puzzling why the label didn’t promote it more, especially considering it was tied to a worldwide contest in conjunction with a tour.
The song also appealed to hip-hop enthusiasts as it samples the drum break from “Ashley’s Roachclip” by The Soul Searchers and features an interpolation of Rakim’s verse from “Paid in Full.” Additionally, Lil Wayne contributes a hot 16 bars, expressing that he finds a woman so captivating that he can’t concentrate on anything else. With all these elements, the song had all the makings of a hit.
For the final single, Lloyd took things to the bedroom with “Year of the Lover”. An exquisite ballad, crafted by the talented Rico Love and Eric Hudson, who also produced the track, captures a sensual and intimate atmosphere. “Year of the Lover” beautifully conveys the longing for a profound connection in a romantic relationship.
Lloyd’s evocative lyrics paint a vivid picture of a passionate evening, where he ardently expresses his desire to whisk his partner away on a memorable night filled with pleasure, tenderness, and romance. The rest of the album is textbook Lloyd, with tracks like “I Can Change Your Life”, “Sex Education”, and “Party All Over Your Body” working a little better than the titles suggest. I’m sure his base kept those songs in rotation.
While the label seemed to lose interest in the project after the third single failed to gain momentum, “Year of the Lover” isn’t Lloyd’s best, but it still has enough solid moments.
Final Grade: B-
“Year of the Lover” is available on all streaming platforms.
Tickets for The “Cuffing Season Tour” are on sale now.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit 2004 and highlight Romeo’s debut solo album, formerly of Immature. Titled “Food for Thought” and released on June 22nd, this project marked the singer’s change of name to Young Rome in an effort to distance himself from the youthful sound of his group, much like his bandmate Marques Houston had done a year earlier.
In the nineties, Hip-Hop reigned supreme, and every label CEO wanted a share of the lucrative R&B market. One strategy was to keep singers on their roster who could deliver catchy hooks, keeping everything in-house and saving money. Bad Boy had Carl Thomas, Death Row had Danny Boy, and Roc-A-Fella had Rell, our featured artist for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday
Growing up in the eighties, I was surrounded by incredibly talented male R&B singers who could deliver unforgettable love songs. Artists like Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and Peabo Bryson dominated the airwaves, but Freddie Jackson was another voice that truly deserved recognition.