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Nicole Wray - Lovechild album review

The Lovechild album is one of Nicole Wray’s best works to date. You can tell she was very much hands-on with the songwriting. She showed off her mature side on this album with songs such as If I Was Your Girlfriend, So Sexy, Can’t Get Out the Game, Where I’m From, and Say My Name among other songs recorded. She showed off her mature side on this album unlike her debut album Make It Hot. There’s definitely a higher level of maturity in her music. Not to mention lyrics. This was because she was an adult who was old enough to talk about whatever she wanted to talk about as she was free and grown.

The Lovechild album uses a mixture of contemporary pop, rock, R&B/soul, and hip hop/rap. Her album is all love. Love, relationships, trust, and all the things she has been through that have made her a stronger woman. Every moment of the struggle helped Nicole become a better person. She simply equates her strength and success to balance.

Some may remember the buzz singles were If I Was Your Girlfriend, Regrets, Can't Get Out the Game, and Destination. The album spawned multiple buzz singles. If I Was Your Girlfriend, Regrets, and Destination were the popular buzz singles for her. All four of those singles were the most known singles off the Lovechild album which her fans knew about.

7 Aurelius produced a bulk of the album since he was responsible for the bulk of the production. 7 Aurelius allowed Nicole Wray to be free and to work alongside him by producing and writing. Which can be attributed to why Dream Factory Sessions was considered outside of her natural raw singing talent. She was allowed to be creative. The Lovechild Sessions were the most amazingly creative time of her life. She recorded at least 70 songs for the Lovechild album.

However there were other producers on the album. This now famous Toby Gad had produced a significant portion of the album. Damon Dash, Peedi Crakk, Max B, and Boola produced a portion of the album.


Nicole Wray explained how she titled her third album Lovechild in an interview with Vibe Magazine back in 2005. Here is how reason why Nicole Wray titled her third album Lovechild came from her parents. When Nicole Wray was born the nurse said she could see love in her eyes and that Nicole would be a star one day. The nurse explained to her parents, “‘She’s a love child’.” She saw the love in her father and my mother’s eyes when they were together.

Nicole had been through a lot already as she had this career that was high and everyone knew who she was. She was often seen performing on TV. And one day her career was snatched right from under her. But after a while she came to the realization that everybody was still like in love with her being Nicole Wray. That’s when she started feeling good about her and started feeling good about her music. Her title was a gift from God.

"Originally it was 'Fantasia Lovechild' but we erased 'Fantasia' off it because of the girl on Pop Idol. The 'lovechild' I took from my mom and my dad. They’re not together anymore, but I used to always wonder, my mum grew up in the hood and my dad grew up in an upper class neighbourhood and I always wondered what did he see in her and when I asked him he said the beauty in your mum, she was real she was there for me and my brother and sister were born in Virginia but I was born in California and my mum said that when I was born the doctor said she could see love in my eyes and I was to be a star so I just took that LoveChild."


The Lovechild album was supposed to be the spectacular third album by Nicole Wray that was supposed be released on Roc-A-Fella Records in 2005. But sadly her Lovechild album would suffer an array of setbacks as time progressed as was the case with her predecessor album known as the Elektric Blue album. However the album was never released due to industry politics, lack of proper promotion, and lack of charting singles. As you all know that didn't happen due to the Jay-Z and Dame Dash feud.

The other reason why the Lovechild album was never released was due to leaks. Nearly half of the album was leaked onto file sharing websites such as Limewire, RapidShare, Soulseek, MegaUpload, 4shared, and FilesTube. This also lead her album to be shelved.

As for Nicole releasing the Lovechild album herself, she is unable to release the Lovechild album herself because the rights to that album belong to Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. They would be the ones to release the album since both labels own all the rights to that album.

Honestly her Lovechild album should have been released. Roc-A-Fella dropped the ball on their R&B/soul division. They really screwed things up with this album which is definitely a shame.



Nicole showed off her mature on the song, lead single, and buzz single If I Was Your Girlfriend. She let her colors show along with her maturity. This is one of those sexy and sassy songs with a huge edge of sexiness and sassiness where she undoubtedly shows her more provocative side and mature side. Nicole was more involved in her sexuality with her being a female, being grown, and free. The Ohio Plays sample gives the song an edge of rock.

Some of you out there may remember the lyrics to the hot freaky chorus which went.

[Chorus]
If I was your girlfriend (Girlfriend)
Imagine what you could see now (See now)
I wanna take my clothes off (Clothes off)
'Cause you got my body hot and ready to freak out (Freak out)
If I was your girlfriend (Girlfriend)
Imagine what you could see now (See now)
I wanna take my clothes off (Clothes off)
'Cause you got my body hot and ready to freak out (Freak out)

And also hazy loopy chorus that was slightly off key and off balance.

[Pre-Chorus]
Take me, baby, I'll light your fire
I will be your only desire
Take me, baby, I'll light your fire
I will be your number one supplier (Woo)

These lyrics showcased her maturity: “I wanna take my clothes off (Clothes off)/'Cause you got my body hot and ready to freak out (Freak out)”

If Nicole was your girlfriend, imagine what you could see now. Imagine what you could see if Nicole was your girlfriend. Nicole wants to take her clothes off because you got her body hot and ready to freak out.

Nicole doesn't care what those other people say as it doesn’t even mean a thing. Nicole doesn't care what those other people do as long as you know Nicole wants you. It's so hard for her to stand back and let you get away. It's so hard for her to stand back and let you get away. Now that you know how she feels for you, you can set her body free. Nicole Wray will be your only desire and number one love supplier.

Don't get misunderstood and think she’s not ready for you as a girl like Nicole never throws her feelings on the table. Nicole will have you wishing she was your girlfriend. She’ll have you wishing she was more than a friend.


Almost Famous was produced by 7 Aurelius. Almost Famous is accompanied by a barrage of live instruments including a small violin ensemble the beginning. The beats are absolutely amazing! Live instrumentation is perfect for a song like this song.

Almost Famous is a throwback song down memory lane which is where Nicole Wray takes us on this song. Just today Nicole Wray saw her ex-boyfriend’s smile. She has not seen him in a while. He made her feel so good and all the other girls knew it. She wonders if his kisses are still the same. She wondered if they had another chance. Nicole would love to call him her man (my man). How he kissed the girls, broke their hearts, and gave them material things. She is loving him all over again.

She remembers when they used to go for rides. He would let the top down letting wind blow. Sippin’ on hennessey. They always looked good together. It’s not the same because Nicole is all caught up in the games her ex played.


Lollipop is a song Nicole Wray recorded back in 2005 for her Lovechild album that was supposed to be released on Roc-A-Fella Records. Of course the famous producer 7 Aurelius produced Dream Factory for her. He was responsible for producing those hot beats you hear. Dream Factory is also the song that appeared in the State Property 2 soundtrack & film in 2005. Roc-A-Fella Films included Lollipop in the State Property 2 film.

Dream Factory had everyone going crazy in the dance clubs back in the mid 2000s. The beats were absolutely nuts. Nicole Wray had an underground buzz with this song despite it not being chosen as a buzz single. The New York City club scene is where Dream Factory first gained an underground. The song undoubtedly shows her more provocative side and mature side.


Act A Fool is an upbeat soul song with a fast tempo making the pace very uptempo. The song is upbeat as a typical Nicole Wray song usually is. The song has both a Spanish flair and Latin music flair to it due to the rhythmic guitar used and Spanish flamenco beats. You will love the Spanish/Latin rhythmic guitar used on this song. Upbeat and uptempo are two words that can best describe this song.

Sound quality for the song Act A Fool is fairly low but good enough for you to enjoy at home or traveling on the road. Act A Fool has a low production sound and vibe to it.

She often fusses and fights with her lover over the way she acts. Nicole acts like a fool which still trying to be a background singer in the music industry. Still Nicole Wray manages to make it through her days. Sometimes she just does want to act like a damn fool as the song portrays.


Where I'm From is a sad heartfelt song about where Nicole Wray is from. The song has a sad bluesy feeling overall. Nicole has a bluesy touch and feel in her vocals for this song. That is why Where I'm From will remind you of a sad Blues song.

Nicole Wray came from an area where crime and poverty was commonplace. Nicole didn’t exactly come from a middle class upbringing. She grew up in the projects. Nicole Wray is from the slums. The area Nicole Wray is from is where people ain't got no money and people look real funny. Dogs roam behind each other because they have no shelter or home. Young guys on the corner be pushin' real hard from Monday to Sunday regardless of the legality of the product or not. Whether it's legal or illegal. People ain't got no money but they all have a lot of love to share and give with each other. Nicole came from the streets. She doesn’t come from a wealthy family.


Bling Bling is a fast paced pop-soul oriented song with hyphy beats that are off the hook. In fact, you can hear some heavy bass notes with that edge rock sound. Other than that, Bling Bling is a very pop oriented song which is a club song full of energy. Bling Bling was a song for the Lovechild album that was supposed to be released in 2005. This song was also a demo song for 3LW and The Cheetah Girls.

Some hardcore Nicole Wray fans claim and say that Bling Bling was a leftover song from the Elektric Blue album that dropped in 2001. However Bling Bling was a song for the Lovechild album that was supposed to be released in 2005. The song Bling Bling was also a demo song for 3LW and later on was used by The Cheetah Girls as well. So Bling Bling was NOT a track for Elektric Blue at all.

Bling Bling is one of those club songs to groove your body to. This song is for the ladies to get their girls to and get iced up! This is a song to move your body body and throw your hands up to! A song to party to all night long! So toast to the good life!

All the girls get iced up. Let's bang the clubs. Because the night is young and Nicole wants shake her thang. Nicole’s got big wheels which is drop-top Bentley 23-inch rims. Let's head to the bar. Toast to the good life. She can't get enough as she feels as if you're the one. She’s burning up inside. She feels the heat keep thuggin' her. Tonight is right. Twist our bodies to ecstasy. Hot girl is what she be. Toast to the good life. Bling, bling all night.

Cuties push up in slow motion. She feels free. Nicole has got her  eyes on the man wearing a fitted hat with the baggy jeans. It feels so good. DJ, just let the record play. Let's dance the night away. The heat is burning up inside.

The bridge is super catchy and poppish. Read these lyrics.

[Bridge]
Move ya body, body, lift ya hands up
Roll ya waist now, touch the ground
Pump real fast, check my diddy bop
Do that diddy bop (Woo)
Move ya body, body, lift ya hands up
Roll ya waist now, touch the ground
Pump real fast, check my diddy bop
Do that diddy bop (One more time)
Move ya body, body, lift ya hands up
Roll ya waist now, touch the ground
Pump real fast, check my diddy bop
Do that diddy bop (Woo)


Nicole Wray was the Billie Holiday of the streets on Can’t Get Out the Game as she had a story to tell. The song was Nicole’s life at one point. Nicole was in a relationship with this man who was there for her when everything was failing for her in life by not going her way. So Nicole attached herself to him like nobody could tell her nothing wrong about him. She felt like this man was her only hope. Then she just started seeing negativity.

This is no surprise as Nicole has always been in relationships with gangstas and drug dealers. She often used to find herself in dangerous predicaments. It got to the point where Nicole was uncertain if she was going to live or die in her situation with her then-boyfriend. She didn’t know what was going to happen. Somebody could kill him, or try to rob me because of his lifestyle.

Can’t Get Out the Game is her favorite track on the album. She explained this information herself a webzine called urbanconnectionz in 2005.

"'Can’t Get Out of the Game.' It’s my life. I’ve always been in relationships with gangstas and drug dealers She often used to find herself in dangerous predicaments. In that gap I'd been waiting to come back out, I was just partying drinking, hanging out. It just got to the point where I didn’t know if I was going to live or die in my situation with my boyfriend. I didn’t know what was going to happen. Somebody could kill him, or try to rob me because of his lifestyle. So, I addressed the pain on the hook, 'can’t get out of the game'. I’m tryin but it’s so hard and I wanna educate the youth, the girls. They see the guys in the club spending money, big ballin, shot callin', but we can do the same thing as women if we get our head right and that’s what I address on the album: be independent because when that nigga gets locked up where you gonna be at now!!"

Here is what Nicole wanted with Can’t Get Out the Game, “I want young girls to don’t feel like because something bad happened you have to attach yourself or you think this is the only hope for you, because that’s what I felt.”

Talking of experience and feelings, Nicole has also learned the hard way about destructive relationships, "I was in a relationship and this guy was there for me when everything failed, so I attached myself to him like nobody could tell me nothing about this guy," she says emphasizing her point by gripping her hand tight. "I started just seeing a lot of negative stuff and I speak about that in my music 'cause I want young girls to don’t feel like 'cause something bad happened you have to attach yourself or you think this is the only hope for you, cos that’s what I felt, like this is my only hope this guy. And I was hurting, and in the time of my hurt I was still writing and I just said fuck it man, I’m going to New York."

Nicole new this girl coming up from her hood. She was young. She was ready and headed for trouble. This girl was 17 year old child who was running wild. She was in the mix to the fiends and the gangsters. Like a fool, she fell in love with a hustler.

Both of them played the game. It was sold and never told. So she played anyway that she could because all she knew was the struggle. There was no doubt she was too lost and turnt out. But she prayed away every night, wondering about where did the love go. She wonders where the love went and how things spiraled out of control. She can't get out of the game. She's crying all the time and she can't stop. But she don't know what else to do.

One night this girl took a ride with this person that she thought was her man but she didn't understand that he didn't love her. You could tell by the look in his eyes this man was colder than ice. They drove to the hood but never let her know what his true intentions were.

So they stopped at the stoplight. They were smoking and drinking. They didn’t notice the person in a car creeping up slow. The car was a blue El Dorado. Within a blink of an eye threw the passenger side of his ride, shots were fired and she cried. All you could see was the blood flowing. She's in trouble.

This girl was caught up in the struggle and addicted to the hustle. It's fair game in the city and in the hood. The thought of her strapping those things to her frame. She did it from the muscle. She was no different than all the Lauren's and Tiffany Lang’s. Like a moth, she was drawn to the light. Leading her to the flame. After difficulty coming, you gotta feel the pain.

She stood tall in the storm and late nights in the rain. Not knowing the flip side of the game. And once you’re addicted to the game, it’s hard to maintain.


So Sexy undoubtedly shows her more provocative side and mature side. The song uses poppy beats over a poppy soundscape. The song is about the love a sexy man brings to Nicole.

They gone way too far to turn back now. That man is all she wants. Nicole whispers in his ear to show him affection. She wants to give him all her love. And whatever he wants.

It’s meant to be. Nicole ready to go all the way. He is so sexy. The fire and desire are taking her higher than before. It feels so go. That man is what Nicole needs to be in her life. He makes her say, “Put it on me.” She does indeed feel so crazy. The love they make is off the chain.

Nicole thinks about him when she is alone. It’s gotten to the point to where she cannot live without him. He keeps her in good peace. He tells her not to worry about anything. Nicole feels safe with him. The love they make is off the chain. It’s all about the joy he brings her.


Say My Name is a mature love song sung and performed by Nicole Wray over the smooth sample of  Janet Jackson - Anytime Any Place. This is another unreleased song from Nicole Wray out of her catalogue and repertoire of music.

Thug Style with Peedi Crakk is the unexpectedly loud futuristic song of the album. You might remember this song was played during the Harlem Day Parade in 2004. Nicole Wray was on the Hot 97 float promoting her album with Rell, Allen Anthony, and the rest of the Roc.

Change of Heart was originally recorded in 1999 with songwriter Tamara Savage for Nicole’s sophomore album Elektric Blue. That is why you can hear the work Tamara Savage all over the song. Change of Heart was later used on the Lovechild album. Change of Heart was originally a love ballad was written by Tamara Savage. Think dial my heart for love.

This Love is a lovely love song. The song has uses memorable and catchy lyrics in the chorus which go, “ This love is gonna make me go out and hurt somebody/This love is gonna have me behind bars/Feel what I'm feeling” This Love has a Middle East meets Hindi Indian music type of feeling to the percussion, woodwinds, and drums used. The song uses Hindi Indian drums and woodwinds.

Your Favorite, Your Friend was another song recorded with songwriter Tamara Savage for the Elektric Blue album and was later used on the Lovechild album.

5/5*****!!