SINGLE REVIEW: Lil Wayne - How To Love

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Tha Carter IV is coming. Lil Wayne was in jail. He is not joking. Its third single, “How to Love,” which was released four days ago, gives an assurance that the album will not be restricted to nothing but “John” and “6 Foot 7 Foot” records.

That is not an attack on either of the two preceding singles. Both are, in actuality, better than "How to Love." Over and above that, the newest single reminded Stone (aka the Barack Obama of The Couch Sessions) of a Maroon 5 record, whereas I was reminded of couple of different artists.

At first, in some measure, it echoed James Taylor and Randy Newman, dreary, repetitive and slow. Still, after being more attentive to giving it an appropriate appraisal, the proper records it resembles became evident.

Rebirth, Lil Tunechi’s self-proclaimed alternative rock album, had a deluxe version that included the track “I’ll Die for You.” How to Love seems to be a remix of that record, as Wayne mixed in a bit of the “Love Like This” remix he recorded back in 2008 for Natasha Bedingfield. Mix both records along with the goal of mirroring B.o.B’s “Lovelier Than You” that is also dominated by guitar and what one will get is "How to Love."

Attempting to diversify the album is not surprising. What is surprising is the fact that the artwork for 6 Foot 7 Foot is black and white and consists of Wayne leaning against a wall while looking at the camera with the song title highlighted in hot pink, on the side, in large font. Yet, the artwork to How to Love is also black and white but illustrates Tunechi about-faced with his armed stretched out, showing off his UNIF spike jacket, and his alias, Lil Wayne, taking up a third of the cover in red while the song title is undermined in white and a smaller font on the bottom of the cover. Maybe he just wanted to produce a record to flaunt his jacket in the artwork.  Maybe the girl he has been spotted with at Miami Heat games and the beach inspired him. Who knows? He says he is “not a human being.” Whatever that means. I just do not know how to love "How to Love."