Street Love is the second studio album by singer Lloyd. It was released on March 13, 2007 through Young Goldie Music, The Inc. Records, Sho'nuff Records, and Universal Motown. The singer worked with a variety of new collaborators on the project, including The Inc. in-house producer 7 Aurelius as well as Big Reese, Jasper Cameron, Bryan Michael Cox, Don Vito, Eric Hudson, Jazze Pha, among others. Lil Wayne, André 3000 and Nas appear as guest vocalists on the album.
The album received a positive reception from critics who considered it an improvement over his debut album Southside (2004). Street Love debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, selling 144,672 copies sold in its first week. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and reached Platinum status in 2024. "You" featuring Lil Wayne was released as the album's lead single, while "Get It Shawty" and its remix featuring Yung Joc served as the album's second single.
Promotion
"You," the album's lead single was released on October 23, 2006. It became Lloyd's highest-charting single yet, peaking at number nine of the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was eventually certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and also reached Gold status in the United Kingdom.[2][3] "Get It Shawty" was issued as the album's second single on March 13, 2007. It became at top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number four one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, reaching 2× Platinum status in the United States.[2] "Player's Prayer" was released as the album's third and final single on July 17, 2007 but was significantly less successful, reaching number 74 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [4] |
| AllMusic |  [5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[6] |
| Okayplayer | [1] |
| PopMatters |   [7] |
Street Love garnered a generally positive reception from music critics who found it an improvement over Southside (2004). AllMusic's David Jeffries praised the album for shedding Lloyd's thug image and replacing it with slow jams that come across as more convincing and sexy, saying that "Lloyd is more comfortable, committed, and believable on Street Love, and if taken in small doses, you can add satisfying to the list."[5] Mark Edward Nero of About.com also complimented the album for providing songs that will catch the public's attention but also said that its lacking in artistic quality, substance and vocal delivery, concluding with "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."[4] New York Times critic Jon Caramanica called the album "a small triumph of contemporary R&B."[8]
Adam Pearthree of Okayplayer said that despite faltering towards the end he praised the track variety throughout the record for having formulaic but attention-grabbing lyrical work, concluding that "Those looking for the next great step forward in R&B will be sorely disappointed, but if you need to fill the gap in your life while waiting for a new Usher album, Street Love will not let you down."[1] Andy Greenwald of Entertainment Weekly said that the album had potential but concluded with, "Unfortunately, in between, Lloyd's talents are adrift on an ocean of samey slow jams."[6] Gentry Boeckel of PopMatters criticized the record for having an overabundance of slow-paced ballads, saying that "Lloyd seems more interested in making staid, tried-and-true, music-that-will-get-me-laid music, rather than taking the style to new enclaves."[7]
Commercial performance
Street Love debuted and peaked at number two on both the US Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 144,672 copies sold in its first week.[9] It marked hist first top ten entry on the former chart as well as Llody's best sales week by then.[9] By December 2007, Street Love had sold 523,000 copies domestically, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[10] The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 18, 2007 and reached Platinum status on October 16, 2024, based on sales and streaming figures in the United States.[2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lloyd (Intro)" |
| 1:32 | |
| 2. | "You" (featuring Lil Wayne) |
|
| 4:33 |
| 3. | "Certified" |
| Jazze Pha | 4:32 |
| 4. | "I Don't Mind" |
|
| 3:55 |
| 5. | "Get It Shawty" |
| James "J Lack" Lackey | 3:29 |
| 6. | "Incredible" |
|
| 4:12 |
| 7. | "Valentine" |
| Wirlie "Wyl-E" Morris | 4:26 |
| 8. | "Hazel" |
| James "J Lack" Lackey | 3:51 |
| 9. | "Player's Prayer" | Cameron | Jasper | 4:11 |
| 10. | "Killing Me" |
| Big Reese | 4:37 |
| 11. | "Take You Home" |
|
| 3:47 |
| 12. | "What You Wanna Do" |
|
| 3:44 |
| 13. | "Streetlove" |
|
| 4:55 |
| 14. | "One for Me" |
| 7 Aurelius | 4:12 |
| 15. | "I Want You (Remix)" (featuring André 3000 and Nas) |
| 4:27 | |
| Total length: | 60:43 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Drop It on the One" |
| Don Vito | 2:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17. | "Hit the Floor" |
| Matty P | 4:22 |
Notes
Sample credits
- "Lloyd (Intro)" contains a sample of "Public Enemy #1 Part 1", written by James Brown, Charles Bobbit, and William Stallings; and performed by James Brown.
- "You" contains elements of "True (Spandau Ballet song)", written by Gary Kemp.
- "One for Me" contains a sample of "Moments in Love", written by Anne Dudley, Trevor Horn, Gary Langan, Jonathan Jeczalik, and Paul Morley; and performed by Art of Noise.
- "I Want You Remix" contains a sample from "True", written by Gary Kemp, and performed by Spandau Ballet.
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[2] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ a b c Pearthree, Adam (April 2007). "Lloyd - Street Love". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on July 8, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "American album certifications – Lloyd – Street Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ "Lloyd Ft Lil Wayne, You". British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Retrieved February 13, 2025.
- ^ a b Nero, Mark Edward. "Review: Lloyd - "Street Love"". About.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Street Love – Lloyd". AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
- ^ a b Greenwald, Andy (March 7, 2007). "Street Love". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Boeckel, Gentry (May 31, 2007). "Lloyd: Street Love". PopMatters. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (August 4, 2008). "Critics' Choice: New CDs". New York Times. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
- ^ a b Hasty, Katie (March 21, 2007). "Musiq, Lloyd Usher Six Big Debuts Onto Album Chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
- ^ Watson, Margeaux (December 7, 2007). "Irv Gotti's career comeback". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
- ^ "Lloyd Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ "Lloyd Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2007". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2007". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
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