You Must Hear Cher Lloyd's "Alone With Me"

British pop star Cher Lloyd’s sophomore album, Sorry I’m Late , is finally here, and thankfully, it was worth the wait. Surprisingly, even after releasing a whopping five promotional singles from the project, Lloyd was still able to save some of the best material for last. “Alone With Me” is without a doubt my favorite song on the album. In fact, it might even be my favorite Lloyd track ever — and it has a lot of stiff competition!

Produced by Karl “Shellback” Schuster (Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble”) and written by Savan Kotecha (Ariana Grande’s “Problem”), “Alone With Me” is the perfect blend of Lloyd’s bouncy, youthful style from her debut album, Sticks + Stones, and her newfound mature sound. On “Alone With Me’s” first verse, Lloyd imagines what it would be like to finally get together with the man of her dreams:

We could be the Bonnie and the Clyde of a new day

We could be the Johnny and June if you want me, boy

I’m over here in the corner, dreaming about us together

If you wanna go to heaven, I’ll take ya

If you wanna get a little hot, I’m a fire, boy

I’m over here in the corner, dreaming about us together

On the song’s synth-filled chorus, Lloyd repeats the line, “I want you alone with me.” Aww. It’s all very sweet, but then a brief post-chorus section comes along and adds an entirely new dimension to the track:

Yeah, we could be livin’ large

I’ll take you up to the stars

So why are we still apart?

Suddenly, the upbeat “Alone With Me” takes on a hint of melancholy. Lloyd knows in her heart that she’s meant to be with this guy, but he just doesn’t see it yet. Maybe he never will. I realize that’s kind of a pessimistic reading of the lyrics, but sadly, that’s just how life works sometimes! For me, these three lines give “Alone With Me” an emotional honesty and a depth that isn’t always found in three-minute long pop songs about love. It’s really refreshing, and it just further speaks to Lloyd's tremendous growth as an artist.

Sorry I’m Late features additional writing and production from Lloyd herself and hit-makers Max Martin and Benny Blanco. It’s an impressive album with plenty to offer pop music fans. Unfortunately, the singles released so far have struggled to take off in the United States, but here’s to hoping Lloyd will be able to recreate the success of her past hit, “Want U Back,” soon. The music on Sorry I’m Late is just too good to go unnoticed.

Listen to "Alone With Me" via YouTube below. Sorry I'm Late is available on iTunes now.