This Is My Time
Using the same 'Adventures In The Land Of Music' sample as Angie Stone did on 'Lovers' Ghetto' from Stone Love, Walker turns in a feisty bass-heavy opening to her sophomore album. Terri is singing that it is her time to rise above those who criticise her and to hold the world within her hands. It's her time to shine and with this song, she really does.
L.O.V.E
The pace doesn't drop one little bit for song two, the bassline is heavy again, the lyric is fast and the song is catchy. Terri is asking for a little L, a little O and a little V, E from her partner. He makes her feel beautiful when he is with her and when he is not, she feels down and recognises that she can then begin to moan. The bridge is fantastic, Terri sings that she 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg' for the love that she wants and this is another good track.
Whoopsie Daisy
As quaint as the title is, the song is anything but. Harder than the first two songs, both in sound and vocal, this is sung directly at a would be suitor. Brass punches throughout the song, which is about Terri turning somebody down. She sings 'Whoopsie Daisy, I've been driving him crazy, Cos I look so tasty'... She makes no apologies for being so hot, just like the song, but makes it plain that nothing is going to happen by sending the boy home to his momma. The very end of the track, with the guitars is great.
Hurt By Love
The piano starts off this song, which does sound as though it is going to be a slower affair, until the vocal starts and the bass drops. The melody is slow but the lyric is fast and the bass returns to make the song a force to be reckoned with. This complements the lyric perfectly in that Terri is telling people who have been Hurt In Love not to hold on to the pain, to stand firm and say that they won't be victims anymore.
What The Hell
The first slow jam on the album, which has percussion and the piano for accompaniment. Walker is thinking What The Hell she is going to do without the love of her ex and the lyric explores this. Terri sounds as good reigning it in for this track as she has done belting out the earlier ones. The melody is beautiful and the song holds its own against the stronger tracks that come before it.
Slow It Up
This is one of my favourite songs on the album and has a completely different vibe to the earlier tracks. Almost reggae in style, the song is to someone to whom Terri gave her number and now they are all up telling everybody that they are together, calling her all of the time and generally coming on a bit too strong. Terri is telling them to Slow It Up or it's 'Bye, Bye, Bye'. The lyric is quick, distinctly British in places and this song tends to get repeated on my stereo.
Star
Another song, another style. It's a slow jam and a love song that will have you snapping your fingers and nodding your head. Terri likes Rioja wine, has some and makes a call to her man. She makes the call to her man 'with no hands', since he is far away and the mental call is her thinking about him. She tells him to, no matter where he is, to select a star and they will ride along the Milky Way together in her car. She is completely in love, separated from her lover, thinking about what they could do together and advises people in the same situation to do the same to help them get over the distance: 'Go inside your head and make them babies'. We get a rap from Walker about being startroopers in her Mini Cooper and a jazz solo wraps the whole thing up and makes this another solid track.
Ain't No Love
This song speeds up proceedings once more. Strings feature more heavily on this song that is to the person in Terri's life. He is the first thing on her mind when she wakes up, his love gives her shivers down her spine and is getting sweeter by the day. The song incorporates elements from 'I've Never Found Me A Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)', which give the song its appeal, makes it as catchy as it is and make you want to hit the dance floor when this comes on.
The Woman You Want
The pace of the album drops to its slowest for 'The Woman You Want'. Terri sings softer and higher than she has so far, showing off greater range to her voice. The song is to her lover once again and is asking him how she can be The Woman He Wants when he won't talk to her and tell her what this is. Things have changed in the relationship, she can feel that things are not as good as they were, wants to address this and please her man but is getting nothing to work with. You sense her frustration and desperation when faced with the breakdown of her relationship and it is this that makes this song a success. Strings feature again. Her man (uncredited) does reply to say that it is just a phase; she does please him; there is, nor ever will be, anyone else. She doesn't haven't to do anything. The whole thing is packed with emotion and the happy ending makes this beautiful.
The One That Got Away
The pace picks up a little and the music is interesting for this. There is percussion but a repeated, haunting, stuttered electonic sound is the main feature. Terri sings over this about an ex telling her that he has met somebody else, who just might be the one. This cuts Walker 'like a knife' as she had taken it for granted that he would always be around for her. She asks herself how she could have let him be The One That Got Away saying, in a muted vocal during the pre-chorus, that it should have been her taking his name but now she is left out in the cold. The melody is beautiful and, by placing this track towards the end of the album and after 'Woman You Want', the affection that we now have for Ms. Walker gives the song a greater impact.
Feel Love
This is another slow jam, that winds up a little and has a bassline comparable to the opening tracks. Terri Feels Love when she is around the person she sings to, who is deserving of her one of a kind love. There is a sond similar to the baby crying in Aaliyah's 'Are You That Somebody?' that repeats throughout the track, whose soft vocal is in direct contrast to the hard bassline.
Yes I Do
The last song on the album is an out and out love song. The bass guitar is pronounced and accompanied by guitars, strings, keyboards, percussion and a more prominent backing vocal. From this moment on, Terri gives herself to her partner and the repeated 'Yes I Do' hits this point home. They are going to be together for the rest of their lives and I think it genius to place this song about a new beginning at the end of the album. Everything is new, she is looking forward to things to come; which, as a listener, you are too. This is a great album.
'Untitled' was Terri's first album and tracks such as 'Four Feet Under' and 'Love Fool' got her noticed but 'L.O.V.E' earned critiques such as, 'Sexy, Sassy, Soulful and Sophisticated, L.O.V.E is arguably one of the best UK R&B albums of recent years' (Mojo) and 'Forget about pretenders, there's no UK soul artist with the humour and confidence of Terri Walker, just watch her become a superstar' (Touch). Sadly this was not to be as, following on from this album, Terri left her record label to sign with a smaller independent label and her follow up album 'I Am' completely passed a lot of people by. This is such a shame as this is such a good album. You must go out and buy this!
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