Album Review: The-Dream - Love vs. Hate

This album is so perfect in so many ways, but so painfully hard to listen to at times that it's embarrassing to even own. Love vs. hate, indeed... The-Dream, also known as Terius Nash, has built an album so replete with current pop and R&B gold that R. Kelly could take an extended 8-10 year break and no one would notice. Mr. Nash, along with production partner Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, has quietly penned some of the biggest songs in the past couple of years (Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Jesse McCartney's "Leavin"), and it's clear that he has an ear for the genre. Love vs. Hate plays out like a push-and-pull between the absurd and meaningful, the single entendre and the double entendre... like he's continuously deciding whether to be the next R. Kelly or something else entirely.

"Rockin That Shit," the first single from Love vs. Hate is your run-of-the-mill R&B radio-filler, but Nash's vocals and Tricky Stewart's beat elevates it to another level. At it's core, it's a "I see you moving your hind parts in the club, and I really really like you... I think we should hang out" kind of song. It's catchy, and if you don't focus too much on the lyrics, you'll find yourself singing it unconsciously (which, depending on the situation, may be unfortunate). The same could be said about a lot of the songs on this album: "Put It Down" is a 5-minute homage to the power of The-Dream's love-making abilities, and "Sweat It Out" is an honest-to-god R. Kelly song if I've ever heard one. With an opening line of "Girl call Latisha, your beautician... cause your hair is gonna be fizzin," the song only gets more ridiculous, with The-Dream promising to get his young lady's hair fixed (even though, as he suggests, she should've gotten braids).

The whole album offers an unending string of hilarious (both intentional and unintentional) lyrics, but the literal and figurative heart of the album is the three-song arc of "Take You Home 2 My Momma," "Love vs. Money," and "Love vs. Money Part 2." Without question, The-Dream is at his strongest when he's a little vulnerable. Of course, the braggadocio is essential, but even The-Dream has been burned. And that same girl he expected to take home to his momma leaves him, as he starts to realize that he undoubtedly pushed her away. The consonance of "Take You Home" transitions abruptly to the cold, metallic dissonance of "Love vs Money", as Nash sings "I can't hate her, because I am to blame... instead of loving you, I was making it rain." It's some real chillbump-inducing songwriting, with the lyrics, hooks, and beats perfectly complimenting each other. He eases up on himself some by putting the blame back on the girl in "Love vs Money Part 2," but it's clear the damage has been done, and luckily, the album is the better for it.

So which Dream do you prefer? The whimsical, playful, and yes... demeaning variety at work in songs like "Kelly's 12 Play," or the introspective, reflective variety on tracks like "Right Side of My Brain?" Personally, I think the balance is good. Nash never ventures into misogyny... in fact, most of the lyrics are so absurd I find myself actually laughing out loud after hearing them. And when he's sad, he's borderline brilliant. Love vs Hate finds an artist at the top of his craft, and I'm sure we can look forward to more of the same in the future.