Love Vs. Money - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

Love vs. Money received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 83, based on 13 reviews. Allmusic editor Andy Kellman commended it as "Love/Hate's equal, stuffed with hooks, ceaselessly absorptive productions, and clever and often funny wordplay". Sean Fennessey of Vibe praised The-Dream's production and stated, "The craft is meticulous, and the sound so epic, and at times, operatic that moments on this album comprise some of the best pop music of the decade". Ajitpaul Mangat of Tiny Mix Tapes commended his interpretation of the "pop formula" and dubbed the album "a fascinating and at-times sonically remarkable post-structuralist-esque move". The Boston Globe's Ken Capobianco called it "a seamless, brilliantly produced affair featuring his unmatched contemporary pop technique and songwriting craftsmanship".

In his review for Rolling Stone magazine, Jody Rosen found most of the album's songs "unforgettable" and stated, "the combination of classicist songcraft, wild sound collage and a muse that partakes equally of the sensual and the silly makes Love vs. Money far more than just an accomplished genre piece". Alex Macpherson of The Quietus noted its cyclical thematic structure, but stated, "it's how the wheel turns, endlessly and inevitably, which is what compels about Love vs Money." Slant Magazine's Wilson McBee viewed it as an improvement over Love Hate and wrote that it "keeps to the same aesthetic touchstones while cranking up the gears of ambition". McBee called the album "a cohesive, front-to-back artistic statement" and commented on its studio and hook-oriented "songcraft": "What keeps all this over-production from being distracting is Nash's intelligent arrangements and a keen avoidance of clutter."

In a mixed review, Entertainment Weekly's Mikael Wood felt that the lyrics are marred by "material obsession", and The-Dream's "vision of romance mostly plays like a nightmare". Robert Christgau, writing in Blender magazine, said that The-Dream "will turn on only the many hopeful ladies who consider Patrón the most exquisite of aphrodisiacs". In his consumer guide for MSN Music, Christgau gave it a two-star honorable mention, indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy". Tyler Fisher of PopMatters found its weaknesses to be "cliché love songs, too many similar beats and melodies, and a lack of energy", although he called it "an R&B pop album with great production, composition, and lyricism". Okayplayer's Sean Deezill said that the album offers "impressive, yet, familiar production, unorganized structure, catchy radio tracks, and laughable lyrics".

Rolling Stone named it the eighth best album of 2009. Time ranked the album number six on its year-end list for 2009.