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Lady Love was originally scheduled for release in 2008 but got pushed back several times due to the corporate restructuring at Capitol Records (her label). The album is finally scheduled for release on August 25th 2009 in the US.

First Impressions
This album is categorize as contemporary R&B, and is a ballad-centric album. Production is quite slick, the cover on the album looks good too (visually overall). Frankly, I could listen this album once through without stopping, but I digress somewhere in the middle. The album starts off strong and the middle gets heavy on the ballads, though there are some ballads which ain’t sleep inducing.

Although this album is cohesive, it’s not varied enough. But why break it when it aint broken (I’m contradicting myself). Perhaps being a little more balance on the uptempos and midtempos would be better.

Standout Tracks

• Lady Love
  She sings in falsetto on the bridge and chorus. An uptempo track.
• She Ain’t Got…
  Very Rihanna-ish. If I’ve been given a first listen on this without being told by who, I would assume it’s a Rihanna demo as it’s her style. Well, the song is current and a club banger. Nothing bad to write about. It’s the 2nd single off the album btw.
• Not Anymore
  First single. The video’s rather nice. Retro-ish. Chorus is definitely sing-a-long material. =)
• Lazy
  Again, the hook on the bridge and chorus is addictive. Some compared this song with Rihanna’s Rehab, but I think it deserve it’s own merits as it’s better.
• Over
  Many would be able to relate to this song. Singing about a relationship being over and the reasons. One of the better ballads.
• Regret
  Reminds me much of Kelly Rowland’s Ghetto. Both songs has featuring artists too. Ghetto’s Snoop Dog to Regret’s Ludacris. It’s lush sounding compared to Ghetto.
• Take Away Love
  Estelle raps in this one. Slick production yet again.
• After Party
  The beat reminds me of Brandy’s What About Us. It’s quite similar.
• Drained
  The chorus is very ‘Pop’. Pop-R&B i meant. Easy on the ears and would definitely fit in mainstream.
• Tears
  The song is a killer, especially the chorus (yes, I know most of you all are probably tired of this word but there’s no other musical terms that describe the word “chorus“). Not really a soppy love song (though it’s a ballad), but it’s done in the R&B manner. Listen and you’ll get what I meant. One of my fave tracks in the album.
• I Don’t Need U
  I (HATE) the beatboxing element. It totally spoils this fantastic track. ARGH!!! But I guess I can overlook it. Another sing-a-long affair on this one.

Final Verdict
As I’ve stated, this album is contemporary R&B instead of the Pop-R&B that’s common in the industry (Think Beyonce). I would group this album along with Keri Hilson’s and Ne-Yo’s. Consistent for a sophomore album. This album is not really my kinda genre but I enjoy this album. Think that she would most probably score another number 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with this one again. An album worth buying. =)

This album scores a 4 out of 5.