King of Hearts
by Lloyd
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. AllMusic
    Jul 6, 2011
    90
    Most of the successive leaks and singles continued the trend, and King of Hearts, in turn, is clearly the singer's best album yet.
  2. Pitchfork
    Aug 5, 2011
    79
    Many of the album's best songs seem to inspire comparisons with dancing: There is a connection to the idea of dance as liberation here, as Lloyd's blushing sincerity builds up potential energy, the nimble performance acts as a release valve.
  3. Uncut
    Mar 14, 2012
    70
    While the lyrics are cliched to a fault, Lloyd is a convincing loverman across the range of backdrops he's given. [Apr 2012, p.81]
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  5. Rolling Stone
    Jul 18, 2011
    70
    King of Hearts has taut production (mostly by Polow da Don) that takes in everything from synthy club pop to retrosoul, but what holds it together is the salacious silliness.
  6. The A.V. Club
    Jul 5, 2011
    83
    Lloyd's fourth album, King Of Hearts, doubles down on his amorous enthusiasm, pushing it to such delirious extremes that these songs feel risky and uncharted even as they play to his most obvious strengths.
  7. Slant Magazine
    Jul 25, 2011
    60
    When he's on his game, he poses a less rigorously focus-grouped alternative to Bruno Mars's tween-friendly pop-R&B, but every moment of genius on King of Hearts comes saddled with something less palatable.
  8. NOW Magazine
    Aug 19, 2011
    60
    [It] treads a fine line between charming and cringe-worthy.
  9. Boston Globe
    Jul 5, 2011
    50
    Lloyd shows little nuance, and Polow Da Don doesn't color in the tracks with enough interesting musical flourishes to mask some of the vocalist's weaknesses.
  10. The New York Times
    Jul 5, 2011
    80
    It all works: the urge, the sass, the sleaze masked with the pitiable presentation.
  11. Los Angeles Times
    Jul 8, 2011
    63
    As a singer, Lloyd possesses a levitating croon and admirably fills out most of producer Polow Da Don's synthetic boudoir songs.
  12. HipHopDX
    Jul 13, 2011
    60
    More sexual than sensual, King Of Hearts fulfills the bare minimum of love, lust and heartbreak, all the while showcasing Young Goldie's affinity for the female body.
  13. Billboard.com
    Aug 2, 2011
    84
    This Atlanta-based R&B crooner has utilized the extraordinary sweetness of his voice to get away with plenty of lines that would sound irredeemably sleazy coming from other singers.
  14. Village Voice
    Jul 5, 2011
    80
    Once the heat and light brought by Lloyd's nuclear P-bomb wear off, King remains utterly replayable.
  15. DJ Booth
    Aug 4, 2011
    80
    King of Hearts, his fourth studio album, is strictly for the grown and sexy. It may not be a new school classic (it's not) but this is a damn good album.

Awards & Rankings

94
#94 Most Shared Album of 2011

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