Coming off of a high after producing and co-writing Beyonce’s megahit, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” Terius “The-Dream” Nash has even more to be excited about. With his newest album “Love vs. Money” just dropping, he has proven, not only that his top-notch debut was not a fluke, but also that he is sure to be a huge impact on the R&B genre in the years to come.
With 13 full tracks on the album, “Love vs. Money” is strongly reminiscent of the ’90s version of then-R&B-king, R. Kelly (before all that pesky legal trouble, that is). However, The-Dream blends his own style of synthesizer-driven R&B/electronica sounds to propel his funky, futuristic trademark sound. Although not the greatest singer or most profound lyricist, he is able to combine all elements of music in an oddly enjoyable fashion. The album leads off with the hip-swinging banger “Rockin’ That Thang,” which is the first single and also the most commercial-friendly record off of the album. The song shows that he still hasn’t lost his knack for creating simple yet beautiful harmonies.
The-Dream keeps most of the content on “LvM” slow and sexual, an obvious nod to ’90s artists such as Jodeci and R. Kelly. On “Kelly’s 12 Play,” Dream sets up a scenario in which he sifts through his CD collection, bypasses Usher’s “Confessions,” and picks out Kelly’s “12 Play” to get it on with a woman waiting for him in the nearby bed.
With “Put It Down,” Dream admits that he’s not the best singer in the world (“Yo, if they ask you can I sing like Usher, say “˜no,’ but I can make you sing like Mariah”) and then sings lyrics that make listeners question his writing abilities in “Sweat It Out” (“Girl, call Laticia, your beautician/’Cause your hair is gonna need fixin'”). However, these flaws somehow work for him in a way that doesn’t really work for other artists. Other slow songs include “Fancy”: six and a half minutes of a melancholy piano-driven lament about a woman who dreams of living above her means. On “My Love,” Dream churns out an average record featuring Mariah Carey. Although the duet sounds like the typical we-love-each-other-and-nothing-can-change-that record, Carey’s voice sounds pretty darn good if that counts for anything.
But not all of the songs on the album are geared toward the knockin’ of the boots. “Walkin’ On The Moon,” is an upbeat, Michael Jackson-inspired space age record (“P.Y.T.” anyone?), which features a rap verse from Kanye West sans the auto-tune. The verse isn’t even close to being one of ‘Ye’s best, but did we mention that there was no auto-tune involved? At the very least, Kanye’s verse wasn’t even half as bad as “Let Me See The Booty,” the obligatory but ill-advised club song. Featuring Lil’ John, it is easily the worst song on the album.
Where “Mr. Yeah,” “Right Side Of My Brain” and “Take U Home 2 My Mama” find strength in their impressive production value, “Love vs. Money” parts 1 and 2 find even more solidity within their heartfelt lyrics and emotion. Dream recalls a past failed relationship in which he thought he could buy his woman’s love. He battles back and forth between the importance of love as opposed to money and finally comes to a conclusion: “Money ain’t no match for love.”
With “Love vs. Money,” The-Dream not only proved himself to be a talented artist, he also brought back hope to the R&B genre, which many feel has been dying since the ’90s. Sporting only a few minor bumps on this album’s road, the R&B Gorilla can be sure to see his “Love vs. Money” replacing R. Kelly’s “12 Play” in the CD changers of sexually charged boot-knockin’ couples.
E-mail Koroma at skoroma@media.ucla.edu.