Lady Love is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist LeToya originally scheduled for release several times in 2008. After corporate restructuring at Capitol Records the album was released on August 25, 2009 in the United States.
Luckett worked with a wide variety of collaborators for the album, including; Ne-Yo, Chris Brown and Bryan-Michael Cox. Featured guests include Ludacris, Estelle and Mims whilst some versions of the album will also have a bonus track which also features Bun B, Killa Kyleon, and Slim Thug. Described as "showcasing a more laid back and comfortable LeToya", Lady Love differs stylistically from its predecessor in that it incorporates less elements of hip-hop and hip-hop soul music, instead adopting a more polished, electronic sound. Lady Love debuted and peaked at number twelve on the US Billboard 200 Chart and number one on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Background
Production for Lady Love originally began in 2007, with a release scheduled several times in 2008. However, due to the fusing of Capitol Records and Virgin Records, funding for many artists was frozen until the completion of the merger, affecting not only the release of Lady Love but also the release of "Obvious", the third single from Luckett's self-titled debut album. In early 2009, the release date for Lady Love was announced to be May 19, 2009, however it was later pushed back to June 16, 2009, before finally being set to August 24, 2009.
Composition
Lady Love is a contemporary R&B album, which Andy Kellman of Allmusic described as 'directed toward the pop market [...] heavier on gleaming synthesizers and in-your-face production.' The album begins with the 'conceited but confident up-tempo' "Lady Love" which is followed by the 'startingly brash', 'electronically soaked' "She Ain't Got..." on which LeToya displays a 'fierce personality' through her vocals and the lyrics, one line reading "Bout to put my foot down on homegirl's neck, to make her see that, she ain't got s*** on me". From this point on, the album slows into more mid-tempos and ballads, such as the Ne-Yo composition "Not Anymore", which 'tells a story about a young lady who decides enough is enough and tells her no good womanizing partner to leave' and the 'break-up anthem' "Over". "Regret", featuring rapper Ludacris, has been repeatedly likened to the Mary Mary hit single "God in Me", with its 'rat-a-tat snares' and 'alternately gliding and prodding vocal attack', while LeToya's "breathy" vocal performance on the "steamy" and "sensual" "I Need a U" – complete with a "burning" electric guitar solo – has been likened to the style of Janet Jackson. On the "supremely smooth" "Take Away Love" (featuring Estelle), LeToya plays the part of a lover who is having difficulty getting her lover to realise that she "doesn't want a relationship with him" because she is "still in love" with her "ex" and he "doesn't understand that". While on the 'densely layered' "Good To Me" which has been described as 'serious and sexy at the same time' and likened to some of the material on Usher's Confessions album, LeToya names and describes the qualities she wants in her ideal man, emphasising that he must be "good to [her]". The tempo of the album 'slows down towards the end' with the songs "Drained", "Tears" and the Marsha Ambrosius-penned "Matter". Shortly before closing the album, LeToya "shows off her upper vocal register" on "Don't Need You" which has been herladed as "LeToya's best recording to-date" by Timothy Michael Carson of About.com.
Release and promotion
Amidst much anticipation for the album release, Luckett released a five-track sampler on May 19, 2009. The sampler features first single "Not Anymore" and 1 minute 30 second snippets of "Regret", "She Ain't Got...", "Lady Love" and "Matter". The album was released on physically and digitally on August 25, 2009 in the US and worldwide a day earlier. An explicit version of the album is also available and bears a Parental Advisory label. To celebrate the album's release, LeToya hosted an album release party at Cain in New York City on August 27, 2009.