Lloyd is a wounded romantic - but on "Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)," the centerpiece of his fourth album, Lloyd's lament is more specific than most: "Why is this happening to me? . . . That pussy changed . . . I miss that pussy," he sobs. Raunch leavened by laughs is the formula for today's best male R&B, and if Lloyd isn't quite a master of the form like R. Kelly, he's a spirited comer. King of Hearts has taut production (mostly by Polow da Don) that takes in everything from synthy club pop to retrosoul, but what holds it together is the salacious silliness: "You sexy/Love how you show it. . . . Go tell them bloggers/That they can quote me."

Listen to "Dedication To My Ex (Miss That)" feat. André 3000 & Lil Wayne:

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“The A Team”

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.