Also a personal favorite of mine, it is another of the more pop-friendly records. The production is once again A+, several different elements are built into the track that enhance the harmonies and melodies. LeToya brings her A game with the vocals to this track, ad-libs are tight, melodies are infectious, lyrics are honest. Everything you could ask for and more in an uptempo are present.

My favorite thing about this song is the amount honesty and vulnerability in the lyrics. The perspective from which LeToya originates on this song, is that of the guilty party in the relationship; “did some things I know that I’m gone regret, caused you pain since the day we met, now you barely got anything left, cause I was draining your love…no it ain’t easy to just forget, it’s not your fault baby you were the best…I was just draining your love.” WOW! There aren’t many songs in existance that are this honest and apologetic, “You used to try to save us, I was the one who played us, I was the one who made us, fall apart…”

Even though this song is very uptempo it is also very somber. There is pain in the delivery of the vocals on this record. It makes for an awkwardly satisfying experience; on the one hand you find yourself rocking to the beat, yet as you listen to LeToya pour her heart out, you are overcome with sadness. It’s bittersweet. This is track #11, and usually at this point a CD begins to slow down (quality wise, this is where album filler is inserted) and get dull; not with “Lady Love.” This album is screaming classic at this point…

Singswell’s rating: I give this song an emphatic 5/5, single material!

LNN team’s rating: 4.7/5

Listen to “Drained”:  

Full song on LeToya’s myspace page

LeToya – Drained

Oh, ohhh

[Verse 1:]
Love, don’t mean a thing
If you ain’t comfortable
If you can’t stop the way you feel when
Things, don’t go your way
And takes a turn, for the worst
And I, shouldn’t've done you wrong bae

[Chorus:]
There’s some things I know that I’m gone regret
Caused you pain since the day we met
Now you barely got anything left
Cause I was draining your love

The more I stayed the more that I caused you stress
Know it ain’t easy to just forget
It’s not your fault, baby you were the best
I was just draining your love

[Verse 2:]
You use to try to save us
I was the one who played us
I was the one who made us, fall apart
And I was just too afraid of
Didn’t know what love was made of
‘Cause of my past relation
I was by myself, I didn’t care about you, ooh, ooh, ohh
I don’t want you to leave me?,
Hey, So I’m a tell the truth, ooh, ooh, oh oh ohh
I took you for granted
[? ]

[Chorus:]
There’s some things I know that I’m gone regret
Caused you pain since the day we met
Now you barely got anything left
Cause I was draining your love

The more I stayed the more that I caused you stress
Know it ain’t easy to just forget
It’s not your fault, baby you were the best
I was just draining your love

[Bridge:]
Hate to beat myself up
But I gotta fess up
Really made a mess
Of your heart, of your heart

Baby, please forgive me
Start a new beginning
I’ll pick up the broken pieces to your heart
And I know that I…

[Chorus:]
There’s some things I know that I’m gone regret
Caused you pain since the day we met
Now you barely got anything left (please don’t go)
Cause I was draining your love

The more I stayed the more that I caused you stress
Know it ain’t easy to just forget (ain’t easy baby)
It’s not your fault, baby you were the best
I was just draining your love (your love)

There’s some things I know that I’m gone regret
Caused you pain since the day we met
Now you barely got anything left
Cause I was draining your love

The more I stayed the more that I caused you stress
Know it ain’t easy to just forget
It’s not your fault, baby you were the best
I was just draining your love…

Romance may be the bread and butter of modern R&B, but one thing the pop airwaves could always use more of is good relationship advice, especially when it’s delivered by a strong female voice. Though the lead single off Destiny’s Child alumnus LeToya Luckett‘s ‘06 solo debut found her “Torn” over the decision of leaving a man who wasn’t living up to her expectations, it seems that the singer’s developed a new level of confidence in the three years since her self-titled LP hit stores—in the wake of a label merge that delayed her return to the spotlight, LeToya’s ready to reemerge as an assertive Lady Love, willing to cut through the drama and say “Not Anymore.”

This anthemic lead single set the tone for a sophomore album that sees LeToya taking a more central role in the songwriting process, and stepping outside the box to address topics she hadn’t had the guts to tackle on her debut. Set to drop June 23rd via Capitol Records, Lady Love will represent the fruits of three years of artistic evolution, as well as an unprecedented level of creative control.

In an exclusive interview with our own DJ “Z,” LeToya steps into the Booth to discuss the modern conveniences she couldn’t live without, her commitment to choosing songs she and her audience can relate to (even if they were written for a male vocalist), and what today’s young women simply need to know about men and dating.

Listen to the interview here:

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