"the-dream: love vs money" review.

so let me start off by saying, i will review albums from a musician's/producer's/music theorist's point of view, while trying to keep it applicable to all. you'll see chord progressions, in parentheses and where applicable, for the sake of certain points i may make in reviewing.

let's get into it... 

rockin' that s*** - (IV-V-iii-IV)

the lead out single. not a bad song at all. you can definitely hear the tie over from the last album though. sounds like it could've easily been written or started either during or immediately after the last album. the break in the second verse with the crazy bass drag/slide... yeah i dig that. and the emergence of the solo synth in the bridge/3rd verse, whatever he's calling that. typical dream song.

walkin on the moon - (ii-V-vi) IMMEDIATELY, and i do mean immediately, all i hear is a sped up version of falsetto. the same ii-V-vi progression is used and his falsetto high notes take me back to that song so quickly. and to me, this is one of the plagues with the dream's material. there's such a uniform sound to his music. that being said, i do still enjoy this song. the way in which it is developed with the instrument choices make it stand out. i'm a kayne fan, nothing exorbitant or anything. i think the addition of his verse to this song is a major plus considering where kayne is at musically right now. the whole retro, 808 feel of the song is right in mr. west's lane right now. smart addition dream.

my love - (IV-V-iii-IV) does that progression look familiar? maybe just 2 songs ago?? this song is cool, decent listening. miss mariah carey doesn't wear my ears out on this song, i'm just tired of her doubling her own vocals an octave under (heard when her verse first drops). this falls into the typical category of the dream's music again for me.

put it down - (ii-vi[V(6)-I]) this song initially caught my attention. i love this track. it still sounds like many others, but it was hittin in my honda! yet... :\ he says some of the corniest s*** on this song!!! no.1 who is he talkin to in the beginning?? is this a diss? if he was gonna call somebody out, would this be the right song to do that on?? THEN - "i'm all up on you like a white tee on a thug"??!???! really?!? that's sexy?! i don't like his content or his vocal production on this song... although the "call me ali" line - lol, i like those cocky utterances. i can see myself saying stuff like that. man, i just wanted the vocals and lyrics to match the track... it didn't. i'm in the middle of the road on this one...

sweat it out - (ii-V-iii7-VI+) i dig this song. great ballad. this song is packaged well enough that the simplicity and repetitive nature of the hook doesn't even strike me as a detractor. i have no qualms! 

take her home 2 my mama - my ears are intolerant to this song. i'm pretty sure i will delete this song from my ipod. i have no interest in it whatsoever. flopper. 

love vs money pts. 1&2 - the first thing i will even dare to mention is that the musicality of the break in the second verse is wonderful. thank you dream for that. the bass drags are extremely dramatic, maybe too dramatic without something else to accent and complement it. there may be a poly synth sounding with with the actual hit on the IV chord, but because of the similarity of the sound textures/timbre, it, to me, is ineffective. moving into pt.2, i like the musical variations. i'm glad this was packaged as a pt.1 pt.2 deal. if it weren't, i may have had a problem with it, just because a lot of his songs sound like they are pt.2 of other songs with different content. oh... dream. what made you pick the f# over a g minor chord?? that's gross. i totally don't approve! lol. not that my opinion probably would matter to the guy. but man... that's horrible dissonance.

 

fancy - (iii-IV) so i like the song initially. the minimalistic approach to the track works for this song, or so i thought. i'll get back to that in a second. 2nd verse... he mentions paris, and here appears an accordion. lol, i think it's corny in sound, but conceptually i think it completes his idea and the feel that he was trying to give. i get it. lol. back to the minimalism... this song is 6.5 minutes long. around 3:42, he begins to develop the drums. enter hi hats. fair. so the whole time along, i'm waiting for the recap of the hook that brings about a bass drum. no such thing exists... UNTIL 6:18!!!!! WHY WOULD YOU WAIT UNTIL THERE ARE 12 SECONDS LEFT TO DROP YOUR BASS DRUM?! and yeah, at that point he is doing something different lyrically... but still, there's 12 seconds left man! i can't get with it. however to his credit... the chord on which he ends = common tone modulation (for any musical theorists out there). GOTTA love that. this sets up the next song.

right side of my brain - (ii-I-vi-V) GOD BLESS BIG BASS DRUM/TYMPANI HITS!! this nearly makes up for the lack in the last song. i like this song, just about everything about it. this is a big track. i would love to see this as his second single. 

mr. yeah - the musician in me says this would be a fun song to play live because of the rhythmic hits throughout the chorus. i'm also a fan of the break down. smooooooooth. lil bass run at the end. i can get with that. lol... so much for subtleties huh dream? that's a nice lil question at the end of the song... i'd suggest picking and choosing where you drop that line. lol. definitely not one for the first date. guys please... hear me. but it definitely prepares you for the next song.

kellys 12 play - you can read the track name and know where this song is going. this is the song you don't even listen to, you just immediately drop it to the sexy time playlist on your ipod, which i personally believe everyone should have accessible on their ipod anyways. ;x i completely get the point of the song, and everything that takes place in the song. like it or not, it fulfills it's purpose! 2nd verse... the skip-skip-sk-sk-skip?!?! isn't that just inspirational?! this is the trouble song of the album. >;]

let me see the booty - oh boy... this is one of those songs that gets play in the club. not the upscale lounge joints... i'm talkin bout THE CLUB. i would imagine scandalous things would take place to this joint. not much musicality in this song... hey it's a lil jon joint. so yeah, i have nothing to really elaborate on with that. 

-- so i give this album like a C/C+. it's different in ways, but a lot of it sounds the same as the last album, mainly because of the drum programming. the melodic progressions are pretty typical, but then again so is the entire industry. there's a lot of things about this album that just don't cut across for me. but then there are some really strong points about the album. it's just with this uniform sound of his... how much longer can dream remain popular? give a listen and let me know what you think.

pz&<3

-groove