Review: Lloyd - "Street Love"

On his second album, the singer Lloyd establishes the fact that he's here to stay, and also solidifies his status as PG-13 sex symbol for the teen/young adult female audience. Street Love is by no means a masterpiece - his vocal style and range are limited and two-dimensional and his subject matter is almost completely unoriginal - but despite this, the album has a certain amount of charm, style, originality and of coolness that Lloyd's target audience of teens and young adults will certainly be able to appreciate.

Back when Lloyd was on Irv Gotti and Ja Rule's Murder Inc. Records, it seemed like the Creole singer was destined to be just a flash-in-the-pan, a here today, gone tomorrow artist. Although he had a minor hit with the song "Southside," (a duet with labelmate Ashanti), Lloyd's career never really flew too high after that.

Then after Murder Inc.'s various problems (legal and otherwise), it seemed like Lloyd may have disappeared forever. But true talent can't be held down forever and Lloyd's come back strong with his sophomore album, Street Love.

The good news about Street Love is that it's got some really catchy songs, starting with the song "You," which features the rapper Lil Wayne and is built around the melody of the old Spandeau ballet song "True." Also among the better material is the love song "Valentine," the marijuana ode "Hazel" and the bouncy jam "Get It Shawty." In fact, there's enough radio-friendly songs here to keep this album on the charts and in the public eye, for months on end.

The bad news is that artistically, the album's neither complex, nor mentally stimulating. The songs are simple, straightforward and sometimes cliched tales of love, lust, seduction, infatuation, etc. And although the album's not completely devoid of substance, the substance it does contain is shallow and surface-deep. Lloyd's vocals are distinctive, yet sometimes brittle and unremarkable.

That said, the album isn't bad. Lloyd plays his role well and manages to come across as sensitive yet strong, and not as a sappy sucker.