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[HiResDes]

(CLICK ARTWORK FOR STREAM)

Put yourself in The-Dream’s position: You’re an awkwardly hyphenated R&B superstar artist and producer. You have no problem getting Jay-Z and Beyonce to guest-star on your new album, “IV Play,” which drops next week. (You co-wrote “Single Ladies.” She owes you.) Your messy personal life is TMZ click bait. You’ve sold . . . not millions of albums, but a lot. Things are going well.

And yet.

You can’t shake the feeling that the great artists to whom you are an heir, artists such as R. Kelly and Prince, sold more records in their day than you have in yours, and that this is wrong, somehow. It’s gotten to the point where electro-pop dance hits, the kind churned out by frequent The-Dream collaborator Rihanna, feel like the enemy. For R&B stars who specialize in slow jams, the rise of dance-pop has been a giant killer.

“The cultural impact of records is more important to me than a No. 1 record,” says The-Dream, born Terius Nash, who doesn’t have any of those. “That doesn’t happen. But I don’t do mainstream music. If I feel a song in my soul, if it’s a part of me, then I’m happy most of the time.”

“IV Play,” like most of the music The-Dream makes under his stage name, spruces up R. Kelly-like bedroom jams with a phantasmagoric array of state-of-the-art studio effects and covers subject matter so steamy we can’t even print some of the song titles, let alone the lyrics. The result is a brilliantly made collection of heavily Auto-Tuned, ephemeral soundscapes that, while no better than any of The-Dream’s other albums, is at least as good. Nash and his longtime production partner, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, adorn these songs like Christmas trees: They’re gaudy, intricately constructed, and packed with features (Big Sean, Kelly Rowland, Gary Clark Jr.). Tell Nash that a critic once described his aesthetic as “more is more,” and he takes it as a compliment.

Nash’s own songs tend to be gentler and slower than the ones he and Stewart make for others. The two first teamed up more than a decade ago, and soon began midwifing a steady stream of era-defining hits: “Umbrella” for Rihanna; “Touch My Body” for Mariah Carey; “Me Against the Music” for Britney Spears; “Single Ladies (“Put a Ring on It)” for Beyonce; “Baby” for Justin Bieber.

Nash, 35, mostly focused on production work and made albums when he could get to them, beginning with “Love Hate” in 2007. By 2010, he was exhausted, tired of the need for endless self-promotion and wealthy enough from his production work to not have to bother. He announced that his then-new album, “Love King,” would probably be his last. “I’m an oddball Georgia working guy. I’m so myself all the time, but it’s critical to fit in,” says Nash, who claims the record industry’s relentless focus on image-making caused him to see artifice everywhere he looked. “That carried through to relationships. You start to realize no one is who they say they are.”

Nash married R&B starlet Christina Milian in 2009 and within months was photographed on a beach with another woman. The ensuing divorce informed what would become the raw, angry, borderline misogynistic “1977,” an album initially released for free online andthe only album he has issued under his birth name. “It’s more about relationships and the reality of it,” he says now. “There are songs on past albums [that were equally dark], but what happened was, they were blanketed by the amount of records I had in a good spirit.”

“IV Play” is The-Dream’s first official release in three years. As usual, it takes old-fashioned tropes and makes them sound ineffably modern. One single, the Fabolous-assisted “Slow It Down,” addresses The-Dream’s commercial woes. It’s part stripper anthem, part call to arms (“I know they ain’t gonna play this on Top 40 radio / . . . DJ you know you wrong / Enough with the [expletive] dance songs”). “Michael,” one of the disc’s slighter, better songs (and one of its most lewd), is an unabashed King of Pop tribute. “It’s my contribution to the Michael Jackson [lexicon], but not too much,” Nash says. “I say a lot of bad things on it.”

“High Art” has dueling vocals from The-Dream and Jay-Z, with Nash paying homage to marijuana and Jay-Z paying homage to Jay-Z. Beyonce, uncharacteristically bawdy, appears on the banger “Turnt.”

Nash swears that recording with Blue Ivy’s parents was another day at the office. Not because they’re just like everybody else, but because he’s just like them. “They kind of are the same as me in a lot of ways,” he says. “It’s hard for the public to understand. I bring them in and create a place for them to be open. I don’t boss them around, but they do expect me to tell them the truth in the studio.” Nash says this isn’t usually a problem.

“I am pretty frank of a guy. That used to be appreciated, back in the day.”

Link


IV Play Video


Release Date - May 28, 2013 (One Week Away)

 

[HiResDes]

Reserved for reviews.

 

[Dereck]

I am slightly curious.

 

[Furious Styles]

Man, perfect timing! I had Where Have You Been on repeat all day yesterday. Pretty hyped to hear this!

 

[iavi]

Sign me up. IV play is the jam.

 

[Snuggles]

So hyped. I'm loving the R&B renaissance over the past couple years but as far as I'm concerned The-Dream is still at the top of the game. If this is anywhere near as good as Love Hate or Love vs. Money it'll stay that way.

 

[Furious Styles]

Just got through the whole thing and it bangs from start to finish. Favorite tracks so far are IV Play, Equestrian, Where Have You Been, Loving You/Crazy, and Slow It Down.

The second half of Loving You/Crazy...gawd damn!


Edit: Gotta add Michael and New Orleans to that list as well.

 

[Tokubetsu]

Really sad that this thread gets 6 replies and the J.Cole thread got 25 in a day. The-Dream is great.

 

[Koko]

Really sad that this thread gets 6 replies and the J.Cole thread got 25 in a day. The-Dream is great.

In my defense I didn't saw this thread until now.

Can't wait to hear the quality studio. Lately I have been playing 1977 (Terius Nash) to calm my nerves.

 

[HiResDes]

Word brotha

 

[DominoKid]

i refuse to listen to the youtube version. i need the real. i like that Hov song until Hov comes in. heard it on the radio the other day.

 

[Tokubetsu]

In my defense I didn't saw this thread until now.

Can't wait to hear the quality studio. Lately I have been playing 1977 (Terius Nash) to calm my nerves.

I think a lot of people glossed over 1977 intially because of the free release stigma but "Wake Me When It's Over" is one of my favorite Dream tracks.

 

[Snuggles]

Really sad that this thread gets 6 replies and the J.Cole thread got 25 in a day. The-Dream is great.

The-Dream is pretty great, I guess there's nothing to argue about so the thread stays on one page. But also, it's not even out yet, some of us are staying pure and haven't listened to it yet.

I think a lot of people glossed over 1977 intially because of the free release stigma but "Wake Me When It's Over" is one of my favorite Dream tracks.

I'm lukewarm on the album as a whole, but Wedding Crasher is a dope track.

 

[Snuggles]

"Turnt" feat. 2 Chainz and Beyonce

For those of us waiting for the real drop.

 

[HiResDes]

Errybody too good for youtube except me lol.

 

[DominoKid]

Equestrian depresses me because i dont have a girl to play this for lol.
Its a wonder i even like r&b really.

Pretty good album all around. Not his best. You can tell he really craves for that commercial acceptance now. Cant wait to hear the bonus tracks tho.

 

[Snuggles]

I kinda got that vibe from just seeing all the features on the album. I'd rather he just did his own thing outside of one or two tracks. Dude shouldn't need to lean on any names.

 

[Servbot24]

Errybody too good for youtube except me lol.

I had to quit two thirds through. Just not good. I don't understand how this dude fell so hard from his glory days.

 

[luckyboyceo]

Can't wait for this. The-Dream's past three albums (particularly Love/Hate) have contained some of my favorite R&B songs of the last decade. I have no doubt IV Play is going to deliver.

 

[OG Kush]

Enjoying the album so far. Haven't heard his earlier albums (except that Terius Nash 1997 EP/mixtape thing) so can't compare.

 

[OG Kush]

The album is good until Loving you/crazy. So basically I've got 8 good tracks out of the album. Not bad.

 

[The Return of]

I honestly have to say one really underrated aspects about making an album is how well tracks flow into each other. Jesus this the track by track flow on this album is incredible(It was in his previous as well). This is a decent album though, would have to listen to it more. I think it was Domino who said it feels like this is his album trying to gain much bigger success and I can feel that for sure.

Loving you Crazy doesn't even sound like a Dream track. Sounds like Dream take on JT or some shit. Not that I hate it, just my first impression.

Turnt reminds me of a Ciara song

 

[OG Kush]

Really feeling the track "Michael" for some reason.

 

[PG2G]

Ya'll is one depressing song lol

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

The GAWD. I need to get this album.

 

[R3TRO]

Still prefer his first two albums;I'd call this his weakest effort.

 

[see5harp]

Posting to show support.

 

[miksar]

His best album yet or at least on par with Love vs. Money. Most reviews I've seen largely miss the point. Equestrian, Michael, Loving You/Crazy, Self-Conscious, Holy Love, Divine and Y'All are highlights, though there are no songs that are not great. High Art, Turnt and Tron took time but they really grew on me. Also has great flow and amazing production with only 4 tracks not self-produced. I guess if you're not a big fan you'll probably think it is nothing special.

 

[Majmun]

Turnt is amazing. Beyoncé and 2 Chainz are really good on it.

Especially Beyoncé's part




On my phone, let’s hear it
Talkin bout you gon kill it
Beat it up, until I black out,
Cash up, boy



Guuuuurrlll

 

[Baby Milo]

dream is that dude

will listen

 

[BroggieDoge]

I never really got into the Dream. I enjoyed his singles when I've heard them over the years but I never bought a album. Is this a good starting point? I actually just realized the only song of his I bought on iTunes is "Ghetto" feat. Big Sean. The samples to 4P sound pretty good.

 

[The Return of]

This sounds so good in the whip