The-Dream - "IV Play"

Sometimes, you have to listen to the poppiest thing.

The-Dream can be corny. He's known to use the posse shout "Ayee!" more liberally than Guy Fieri uses mayonnaise*, as if all his homeboys are in the room with him every time he's making sweet love to a respectable lady-friend. He gets away with it because his songs are the epitome of Pop music, in their own right. There isn't ever one sound or genre of music that defines Pop, because it's defined by whatever is popular at the time, and The-Dream has written and produced quite a bit of popular music in his career. The-Dream realizes Pop music, every cheesy** move included.

The title track off of his new recor is standard Dream. He doesn't revolutionize the wheel, but hell if he doesn't make it run smoother than ever. He layers his voice into sickly-sweet falsettos and choruses that the ear can't help but enjoy. Every snare and kick come at such a perfect moment, the brain almost expects them. I remember the first time I listened to "Fancy," every time I expected a new layer, or the final drop, it came exactly on time, just as expected. There's something uncomplicated and pleasing in the simplest way about getting exactly what you're expecting, exactly as you want it.


*Okay, maybe not that much.
**Even the fact that we consider The-Dream's "ayes" contrived is an example of Pop music's reflection of the rest of pop culture. They seem contrived because we've seen the same themes and elements before, only they weren't so the first time we liked them. Before what worked became old. I guess it's always new and unknown that's most thrilling.