Lloyd, 'Lessons in Love'

Backstory: R&B singer Lloyd Polite, Jr., has been in the trenches of the music business since he was 10, when he became the lead singer of the sweet but short-lived boy band N-Toon. He broke out on his own four years ago, first as a guest on street singles by Southern rappers 8Ball and MJG and then with the debut solo album “Southside” for Murder, Inc., the label that made stars out of Ja Rule and Ashanti. Last year’s single “You” featuring Lil Wayne (from the album “Street Love”) hit the top 10 and opened Lloyd up to a wider audience, in part due to the song’s clever sampling of ‘80s hit “True” by Spandau Ballet.

Why you should care: Lloyd has one of the best vocal tones in R&B, which he often pushes up into a beautiful, controlled falsetto. And unlike many of his contemporaries, he sounds comfortable and memorable both on slow jams and club tracks.

Verdict: Confident without being cocky, Lloyd has figured out how to maintain street credibility while crafting pop efforts. Even a potentially cheesy ballad like “Year of the Lover” is reigned in because Lloyd doesn’t make unbelievable boasts about his prowess; he just tells the girl that he wants to love her. He’s still fiddling with infectious retro melodies, as on “Lose Your Love,” which borrows its chorus from the ‘80s rock song of the same name by the Outfield. And his beats are getting more adventurous, like the guitar-led funk rhythm in “Love Making 101” and the electro beat (by Usher’s brother J-Lack, who also produced Lloyd’s hit “Get It Shawty”) on “I’m Wit It.” Lil Wayne returns to guest on “Girls Around the World,” and it’s almost (but not quite) as catchy as “You.”

X-Factor: Lloyd is currently using the video platform Kyte TV to make mobile television programs that broadcast live on his Web site (and anywhere else someone embeds the channel), giving fans a fly-on-the-wall look at his hustle.

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