On his third solo album, Love King, The-Dream ups the ante, focusing his considerable talents on making hits for the long haul, jams from this day forward.
All Artists:Dream Title:Love King Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 0 Label:Def Jam Original Release Date: 1/1/2010 Re-Release Date: 6/29/2010 Genres:Pop, R&B Style:Soul Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPC:602527370378
Synopsis
Product Description
On his third solo album, Love King, The-Dream ups the ante, focusing his considerable talents on making hits for the long haul, jams from this day forward.
CD Reviews
Triple Threat
Enlightened | Atlanta Georgia | 07/05/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Dream has completed the trifecta with his third and final (supposedly) album LOVE-KING. The Dream has been compared to R. Kelly and rightfully so. While not being the high caliber singer as Robert (honestly The Dream isn't that great of a singer but he uses what he's got to the max), he undoubtedly makes up for it with his arrangements, production and songwriting. But rather than compare the two we'll just call him this generation's version of R. Kelly.
His debut album Love/Hate was a welcome surprise to the music world. While being behind the scenes for quite some time, he stepped out as a solo artist and needless to say his production style has caught on from everyone from Mariah Carey to Ciara. He's to the point (also much like R.Kelly) where he's producing and writing entire albums for other artists.
He continues his reign on Love King in which there is absolutely no fall off. The album flows along at a perfect pace and it seems like one big jam session as each song seamlessly transitions into the next. Every transition is good and every song fits so well. The trilogy of Yamaha,Nikki Part 2, and Abyss (for which there is a 13 minute video) perfectly displays the genius. In my opinion, every song is 4 to 5 stars but my favorites seem to be Turnt Out, February Love, Yamaha and Sex Intelligent. The bonus tracks are a welcome addition (especially Priceless) even though it makes the album longer than it's supposed to be.
If this is indeed The Dream's final album it would be an absolute tragedy as he has the ability to create great albums. Love Vs. Money and this album Love King are borderline masterpieces. This album is best listened to as a whole but each song does great on its own. Love King is easily one of the top R&B albums of the year even though it's been quite a few great albums this year (Monica, Usher, Corinne Bailey Rae, Nneka, Erykah Badu, and Janelle Monae) and we are only halfway through the year. This album is a must-have and should be added to the collection as soon as possible. 5 stars."
Deluxe!
B. Shaw | ca | 07/01/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you like the dream or have bought either of his previous CDs and enjoyed them, buy this now! in comparison to Love VS Money, this album dosent have as much variety, theres alot of slower songs on this CD, i kind of wish there were more "yamaha"'s on here dont get me wrong i love all of the songs on the CD with exception to Florida University, particularly February Love which seems like fancy part 2, which was my favorite song of love vs money, theres more cursing than the last albums so if you have youngins get the clean version, if your deciding between deluxe and regular, spend the few more dollars and get deluxe, the 5 extra tracks are excellent, espically sorry, oh and bass lovers will not be disappointed either, turn the subwoofer way up!"
INCREDIBLE...
Mister | DALLAS TEXAS | 07/01/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"He's done it again! This CD is the BEST CD to come out this year.
You will not be disappointed. This guy has so much talent and it really shines on LOVE KING. BUY THIS CD NOW!!!"
Another Fine Release by The-Dream
Musac Critic | 07/21/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was saddened to read that The-Dream, one of my favorite current R&B artists new album Love King debuted at #4 on the Billboard Charts with only 58,000 copies sold. Those numbers mark a 93,000 copy plunge from The-Dream's "high-water mark" Love vs Money. It is sad because The-Dream is one of the few 'current' R&B artists that separates himself out of the saturated cloud of contemporary R&B. Sure, he is "gimmicky" in his songwriting, a trend that has caused many R&B purists to question the "sanctity" of R&B anymore, but he is also one of the most creative songwriters/record producers. His credits include "Umbrella" (Rihanna), "Single Ladies" (Beyoncé), and "One Time" and "Baby" (Justin Bieber) among others. His own albums are as solid, if not more so, than the many artists he collaborates with. Naturally, when The-Dream announced that 'Love King' would be his final solo album, I was utterly sad; he makes up for it though when he announces the release date for his next album within "Sex Intelligent (Remix)."
Despite being a fantastic song/single, "Love King" practically bombed as a promo single for the album of the same name, peaking only around the high nineties of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. While it does sound similar to singles "Shawty is a 10!" (Love/Hate) and "Rocking That Thang" (Love vs. Money), The-Dream does a superb job of differentiating the sound of this single slightly from his others. The hook is undeniably catchy ("L to the O, V to the E...", the piano heavy production is perfect and The-Dream's name-drops of girls (including a ludicrous name "Fatima") is hilarious. I like, even if it isn't in the heaviest rotation on the radio circuit.
While I'll leave fans to argue whether "Walking On The Moon" (from Love vs. Money) or "Makeup Bag" featuring T.I. from 'Love King' is better, I think "Makeup Bag" is superb. Here, heavy piano is used, but differently from the production work used in the past. It probably also is worth noting that The-Dream writes a couple of tracks by himself sans the help of his production buddy Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. "Makeup Bag" is clever as anything else The-Dream has written in my mind. T.I.'s appearance is solid, though not his most stellar collaborative effort. "F.I.L.A." also finds The-Dream slightly altering his signature sound. The brass production is great and as always, The-Dreams repetitive songwriting never grows old or boring. "Sex Intelligent" and "Sex Intelligent Remix" keep up a string of fine cuts in which "R. Kelly, Jr." continues to "do his thing."
"Yamaha" sounds like an update of 1980's/90's Prince, which I assume is the sound that The-Dream was aiming for. It isn't incredibly dissimilar from "Fast Car" from Love/Hate. "Nikki Part 2" plays off of "Nikki" from Love/Hate, bring some cohesion into The-Dream's three releases, something many artists don't even attempt to do. "Abyss", which follows may not eclipse the earlier cuts from 'Love King', but it is by far above-par. "Panties To The Side" reminds me of "Ditch That" from Love/Hate, finding The-Dream returning to a couple of "his old tricks" from his stellar debut. Despite the similarities, The-Dream does a fine job of making old sound new once again. "Turnt Out" finds more humor-laden songwriting from The-Dream (he makes a punch line about "tricks," then adds "Silly Rabbit"). The falsetto is much appreciated.
"February Love" again resurrects the piano ostinato of "Makeup Bag" (not perfectly, but the same vein as far as sound). It isn't as quite as good as many of the other cuts, but it does find The-Dream experimenting. What is clever about "February Love" (liken it to "Fancy" from Love vs. Money) is that before the drum programming kicks in, is that it contains some cool minimalistic elements that are worth the time it takes for the song to really "ignite." Finally on the standard edition, the cleverly penned "Florida University," a disguised 'F.U.' ends the album greatly. The Deluxe Edition includes additional cuts ("Veteran," "Priceless," "Take Care of Me,", "All Black Everything," and "Sorry"). While 'Love King' isn't as good as 'Love vs. Money' or 'Love/Hate', it is still much better than a number of other R&B albums out there right now. 4 stars."
The Dream aka Love King drops a nightmare album
Benny Boom | Las Vegas,NV | 08/07/2010
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Since and even before the dream came out I really enjoyed listening to his music and then when he dropped his first album I was so amazed and amazed everything after was getting better but after hearing this one its like a nightmare.He was doing so well and his previous albums were all hits in my books but this one is like a bad nightmare and I truly believe this will hurt him.Don't get me wrong he does have a few good songs on this album which most artists will but all the way around its a total flop."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1