ArtsEtc.

Singer not so ‘Dreamy’ in following Prince, still sexy

I have to admit I came into The-Dream's new disc with more than my normal amount of skepticism after I read a quote where The-Dream compares his debut Love Hate to Prince. His exact quote in the album is "very '80s, very Prince, sensual, sexy stuff." Granted, he probably meant his album is similar to Prince insofar as it oozes sex much like Prince's work does. That said, any time singers compare themselves to Prince, there is immediately the problem of qualifying said statement with their music.

I'll save you the subsequent rhetorical question-and-answer and just assert plainly The-Dream (ne Terius Nash) is musically not Prince in any way. His music may be sexy — in a modern sense — but there is nothing as sexy as Prince's "Darling Nikki" or "Free" here. While there are attempts to strive for that mythical status, the vast majority of The-Dream's songs fail on that level. And yet, Love Hate is a great collection.

A microcosm of this reality is "Fast Car." It is a great R&B song, to be sure, but I liked it a whole lot better when it was called "Little Red Corvette." For a guy who compared this debut to Prince's work, Nash is trying to actually be Prince.

All attempts at imitation aside, Nash is a great songwriter — or he can be when he wants to. Case in point, the man wrote Rihanna's "Umbrella," one of the biggest hits of 2007. Fantastic production and lyrics are truly areas where The-Dream shines.

Nash creates great tracks on his own record, too, but not nearly as often as he has claimed in interviews. Love Hate's best song, "Livin'A Lie," has lines like "I can't put my name on your kiss/ And I can’t speak your name from these lips." If released as a single, this song would be a huge hit, even perhaps to the extent of "Umbrella," partly in thanks to the fact that "Livin' A Lie" is a duet with Rihanna.

However, the record's first single "Shawty is the Shit" has an obscenely stupid title and questionable lyrics including "Time went by, turned you into a butterfly/ Better say hello, tell your nigga goodbye." Wait, what? Keep in mind, that line is preceded by the rather heartfelt "I know I'm late but destiny brought me back to you." This shows a serious dip in quality occurring within just a few seconds.

Ultimately, such is the reality of the album as a whole. Sometimes a great lyric is followed by absolute trash, or vice versa (cases in point: "Shawty" and "Nikki"), and sometimes the hook is superb but all the lyrics just suck (Listen to: "I Luv Your Girl"). Surprisingly, production is never the issue, as all 12 tracks have outstanding hooks. Also surprising is that the majority of hooks are mixed just below the vocals, so as to put Nash's voice front and center — where it absolutely should be, as it is one of the best this year. This mix also allows for the listener to still discover new things after a half dozen spins. The bottom line is, if you like modern R&B, you should give this disc a chance. The album may not have you partying "like it's 1999," but it is damn sure gonna try.

3.5 out of 5 stars