1977 (also known as Terius Nash: 1977)[2] is the fourth album by American singer-songwriter The-Dream. It was originally released as a free download on August 31, 2011, through the singer's Radio Killa website. Recorded over the course of two weeks, the album was issued in response to contractual issues with The-Dream's label, Def Jam Recordings, delaying the production of his planned IV Play album. 1977 was later released for commercial sale by Def Jam on December 18, 2012,[3] and IV Play followed in 2013.
| 1977 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Original free edition | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 31, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Genre | R&B[1] | |||
| Length | 57:43 | |||
| Label | Radio Killa | |||
| Producer | The-Dream, Carlos McKinney | |||
| The-Dream chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 2012 commercial release by Def Jam | ||||
Recording
editFollowing issues with his contract with Def Jam Recordings, production on The-Dream's purported fourth studio album Love IV MMXII halted, having originally been due for release of September 20, 2011.[2] As a result, The-Dream recorded additional material for a new album titled 1977 – named after the year of his birth – which he intended as a stopgap release following the delays to Love IV MMXII;[2] the recording was done over the course of two weeks.[4]
Music and lyrics
editAccording to Interview magazine, 1977 still features the "catastrophically lush productions" of The-Dream's previous three albums but departs from their "epic love-gushing Prince suite or sparse snap-and-bop". Instead, "accounts of love lost" are conceived as more of a "somber shrink visit", while the singer's "wiggling tenor sounds more liquored-up and angry than ever", with the magazine citing the song "Used to Be" as an account of "how his life's changed – at one point, he even jokes about ending it."[5]
Release
edit1977 was released as a free download through The-Dream's Radio Killa website[6] on August 31, 2011,[5] despite Def Jam's objections to the decision.[2] The release was credited under the singer's legal name, Terius Nash.[5] After Love IV MMXII failed to see a release during 2012, it was announced on November 14, 2012, that 1977 would be released for commercial sale by Def Jam on December 18, 2012.[3] Unlike the free version of the album, where he was credited under his birth name Terius Nash, the commercial release will see The-Dream returning to being credited under his stage name.[3] The new version of the album features the additional tracks "AK47" and "Tender Tendencies".[3] Love IV MMXII would later be released as IV Play in 2013.[7]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [8] |
| Consequence of Sound | C+[9] |
| MSN Music (Expert Witness) |  [6] |
| Newsday | B[1] |
| Now | 2/5[10] |
| Pitchfork | 7.9/10[11] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[12] |
| Q | [13] |
| Rolling Stone | [14] |
| Slant Magazine | [15] |
1977 was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 10 reviews.[4]
Reviewing in September 2011, Pitchfork critic Jordan Sargent found 1977's music "engrossing" and "vivid" as a one-sided depiction of a failing relationship.[11] Glenn Gamboa from Newsday felt the record "doesn't quite stack up against The-Dream's more polished work, lacking his usual lyrical wordplay and musical sophistication, but the intensity of the emotion keeps it interesting."[1] Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe felt that The-Dream shares "too much" with the more "confessional" album and said that "his usual sensual production and delicious hooks are missing, but the rawer musical approach serves the lyrics' edges."[16] The New York Times critic Jon Caramanica wrote, "These songs aren't much more than melodic rants, but that's enough for Mr. Nash, who's never been a forceful singer, but whose talent for cramming oddball twists into R&B remains unparalleled."[17] Robert Christgau gave 1977 a three-star honorable mention in his consumer guide for MSN Music,[6] indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure."[18] He cited "Wedding Crasher" and "Used to Be" as highlights, although he also summed the album up with the judgement that "living for sex gets less dreamy all the time".[6]
Other reviewers were more critical. AllMusic's Andy Kellman accused The-Dream of "tedious wallowing" and alternately "licking his wounds and puffing his chest",[8] while Rolling Stone critic Matthew Trammell dismissed his lyrics as "poorly articulated male scorn rooted in juvenile, you-made-me-cheat reasoning".[14] Tom Ewing from The Guardian regarded 1977 as "the worst thing" the singer had recorded, finding it marred by "unhappy, scab-picking".[19]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wake Me When It's Over" | Terius Nash | |
| 2. | "Used to Be" (featuring Casha) | Terius Nash | |
| 3. | "Kills The Lights" | Terius Nash | |
| 4. | "Ghetto" (featuring Big Sean) | David Borrego, Sean Anderson, Terius Nash | |
| 5. | "Wedding Crasher" | Terius Nash | |
| 6. | "Rolex" (featuring Casha) | Terius Nash | |
| 7. | "Silly" (featuring Casha) | Terius Nash Rob Holladay | |
| 8. | "1977 (Miss You Still)" | Ralph Johnson, Douglas Gibbs, Shawn Carter, Terius Nash | |
| 9. | "Wish You Were Mine" | Terius Nash | |
| 10. | "Real" (featuring Pharrell) | Pharrell Williams, Terius Nash | |
| 11. | "Form of Flattery" | Terius Nash |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wake Me When It's Over" | Terius Nash | 5:36 |
| 2. | "Used To Be" | Terius Nash | 4:55 |
| 3. | "Long Gone" | Terius Nash | 4:16 |
| 4. | "Ghetto" (featuring Big Sean) | David Borrego, Sean Anderson, Terius Nash | 5:27 |
| 5. | "Wedding Crasher" | Terius Nash | 5:04 |
| 6. | "Rolex" (featuring Casha) | Terius Nash | 3:41 |
| 7. | "1977" | Ralph Johnson, Douglas Gibbs, Shawn Carter, Terius Nash | 5:07 |
| 8. | "Wish You Were Mine" | Terius Nash | 3:54 |
| 9. | "Real" (featuring Pharrell) | Pharrell Williams, Terius Nash | 5:18 |
| 10. | "Form of Flattery" | Terius Nash | 4:15 |
| 11. | "AK47" | Terius Nash | 4:57 |
| 12. | "Tender Tendencies" | Terius Nash | 5:13 |
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from AllMusic.[22]
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Charts
edit| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | 29 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Gamboa, Glenn (December 14, 2012). "The-Dream's 'Terius Nash: 1977' review". Newsday. Melville. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Horowitz, Steven J. "The-Dream Releases Free Album "Terius Nash Est. 1977"". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "The-Dream Readies '1977' Album for Commercial Release". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. November 14, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
- ^ a b "Reviews for 1977 by Terius Nash". Metacritic. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ a b c "On '1977,' A Dark Dream". Interview. August 31, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Christgau, Robert (February 21, 2012). "Odds and Ends 006". MSN Music. Microsoft. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ Young, Alex (March 27, 2013). "The-Dream to release new album IV Play on May 28th". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "1977 - Terius Nash, The-Dream". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ De Revere, Paul (September 13, 2011). "Terius Nash – 1977". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Mistry, Anupa (September 15, 2011). "Terius Nash - 1977". Now. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Sargent, Jordan (September 8, 2011). "Terius Nash: 1977". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ Amidon, David (September 8, 2011). "The-Dream (Terius Nash): 1977". PopMatters. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ "[title unknown]". Q. March 2013. p. 99.
- ^ a b Trammell, Matthew (October 18, 2011). "1977". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 22, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Cataldo, Jesse (December 22, 2012). "The-Dream Terius Nash: 1977". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Capobianco, Ken (December 18, 2012). "The-Dream, 'Terius Nash: 1977'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (September 5, 2011). "New Music". The New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Key to Icons". Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ Ewing, Tom (September 8, 2011). "Message to The-Dream, AKA Terius Nash: please stop sharing". The Guardian. London. Film & music section, p. 2. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ "Tracklisting: The-Dream – '1977'". Rap-up.com. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "The-Dream Terius Nash 1977 Tracklist". Rapradar.com. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "1977: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2020.