Ne-Yo

All the songs on this album are love songs (a known trait of neyo), for those of you who don't know. The best songs on the album are tracks 3, 4, 5. Other than that, I believe the album is mediocre at best.

Once I hear his single "So Sick" I was sold on his voice and songwriting. But to my disappointment, as with most mainstream artist, I didn't like his first two albums because of the hip hop feel or soap operaish topics. While I didn't like those complete albums I always had favorite songs from them. But this album, Year of the Gentleman, is exactly what I was looking for when I hear Ne-Yo for the first time. Smooth voice and excellent songwriting over respectful quality mature topics. I like the whole album.

Ne-Yo is one of a kind. There is no other artist out there that can write a song like him. And on this album, Ne-Yo really gives you some good quality R&B music. Unlike his first two albums, which both i would consider more pop than R&B, this album really focuses on the R&B side more. Ne-Yo has never had the best voice, but he has always found a way to make it work. And yet again he works with previous collaborators Stargate to make another great album, and in my opinion, Ne-Yo's best work to date. The thing that really made this album speacial is that its not as holey as his other albums. By that i mean, Year of The Gentleman is an album that you can play almost all the way through, only skipping a two or three tracks. On his first two album, all he really gave you were some amazing singles and a couple of good album tracks, the rest was filler to me. On this album, the album tracks are some of the highlights, like on the very groovey and bluesy "Fade Into The Background" where Ne-Yo sings the story of watching a woman that he wanted get married. And on the amazing and very up beat guitar laced Stargate produced "Back To What You Know", he tells his woman "If you dont wanna be with me, than go back to what you know". But the singles on this album, are actually where some of the mistakes happen. Besides the cleary addicting and truly amazing "Miss Independent", the other singles "Closer" and "Mad" are kind of dull. "Closer" was alright for a while, but then it just got way to over played, and on "Mad" i just feel like hes whining to much. And then on "So You Can Cry" Ne-Yo sounds like hes choking on some food while hes singing, so that track was a miss, but it couldve been a great track if he didnt sing like a two year old on it. But other than those tracks there are some great songs on this album, like the Michael Jacksonish "Nobody", which litterally sounds like it could have been written for MJ, and on the sad and dark "Why Does She Stay" Ne-Yo brings back that So Sick feel with a great mid tempo ballad about how he doesnt treat his woman right. Overall, Ne-Yo provides his best work to date with "Year of The Gentleman", but i still do think he can give us more. But a great album none the less.



Grade:
B+

I loved both of ne-yo's previous cd's and this 3rd album is nothing short of amazing!! True Ne-yo fans and even new Ne-yo fans will love this album.. it really compliments his style.. my favs are- so you can cry, single, mad, miss independent, lie to me, nobody and part of the list!! check it out, its definetly worth every penny!! Love u Ne-yo, keep it up!!

This is the first CD of Ne-yo's that I have ever purchased so I can not compare it to his other work but I like this a lot! Finally some adult music! I am so sick of the music out there with no meaning and no subsatance. The songs on this CD tells stories and it's not over produced like so many others (Beyonce!). I have recommended it to several of my friends!

Ne-Yo is such a great artist and this album is no exception. I can play every song. I listen to this album all the way through without skipping any songs. If you do not already own it you need to buy it now as well as his others IN My Own Words and Year of the Gentleman.

I am a BIG fan of Neyo and this CD is WONDERFUL!I love his style..!

I think Ne-Yo's second effort is most likely a step back from his first effort . Where so sick, when your mad and sexy love really made me feel his music. I don't think this album was as strong a think because of you,go on girl where his best efforts and his duet with Jennifer Hudson was great the rest is kinda just there I think he needs to move away from only love songs and try some new things as he does'nt appear as versatile as say J.Holiday but he is several notches above Chris Brown I am also feel perhaps Ne-Yo is rushing his product out as soon he will have a 3rd album out he may need to step back as he may risk becoming over exposed . Ne-Yo is a very good vocalist along with a great songwriter but he must build to being a more complete artist .

Because of You is pretty much, In My Own Words Part Two. He sticks to alot of the same methods that he had on his first album. He doesnt really work with big name producers except Stargate, which he works with alot less on this album. But the one thing he did change up on this album is there is alot more slow jams. But he doesnt do the slow jams very well like i was expecting him to. The writing on this album is still on point. But the production is a little off i think. This album has alot more darker appearance than his first album did. There are some standouts though, like the heavenly bright spring song, "Angel", which just has a very mellow and laid back vibe to it. And then the mid tempo ballad "Do You" is another excellent track, in some ways it reminds me of So Sick. And then the relationship mending "Make It Work" is another classic. But other than a few other good tracks there is not much to offer on this album. The problem with this album is that it seems like he didnt put much time into it. With his first album, you could tell he planned it out and picked his best songs. With this album, i feel like he rushed the album out. I mean, he only took one year off between this album and his last. He needs to sit on his matierial a little longer to make sure its right for the albums he is putting out. And on top of that the actual artwork in the booklet is lame. So is the cover. But Ne-Yo still rocks, and he still served up a good enough album to please his fans if nothing else.



Grade:
B-

Wonderful CD. Enjoyed all the songs.
The seller did a great job of shipping the product on time.
I would recommend the CD for anyone who enjoys Neyo or just wants
to listen to music that captures your soul.

I am a BIG fan of Ne-Yo's, and I LOVE this CD! He has such a SEXY voice, style, swagger, etc...

I thoroughly enjoyed this CD because it just captured some of the emotions that I am going through at the moment. Although I am twice the age of the artist, the expressive emotional vibe that is given with each of the songs brings it all into perspective.

This was just a simple 'I have to have it A.S.A.P.!'. This was bought for a friend's Daughter...And she's been playing it to death! Not my cup of tea (I lean more towards 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's & 2000 Deep Soul, Soul, Blues, Jazz & Gospel Music). Expect several more Top Selling Albums/Singles from this artist....So how easy that was!

This Boy Possesses ILL skills - Like *Magic*. He Won't Be Denied in the Near Future, I'm just So sure of it!

I like His smooth vocal ability, His decent range, and His songwriting skills are up there with the rest of the non-refundable R&B/Pop stars.

I love Ne-Yo. He's kinda cute and He's so fly.

I can't speak enough about Him!!!

I now own this and have played it enough to know how it works. There are songs that are close enough to R&B to actually be called so - So Sick, When You're Mad, and Time - as well as those with a more Pop and catchy feel - Stay, Let Me Get This Right, Sign Me Up (one of my favorites), and the mid-tempo Let Go. He has a way with words and although this CD is about music - Stay - relationships, love and, well, relationships and love.

Although the subject matter at hand it quite limited, that doesn't make this a bad run through nor does it take away from this man's talent. It's very fresh-feeling, youthful, catchy, filled with good, good beats, a few samples and something that a lot of the monotone rap could take a few tips from; talent.

This album as of February 2006, has sold over 1,400,000 copies (1.4 million) in the U.S. alone, certified platinum once over. His sophomore release, which wasn't up to par but way more varied musically, Because Of You is doing well also. It has been certified Platinum also.

There is not one song here I don't appreciate at least a little.

He's got *It*, I'm telling You. Buy a copy, and just zone the "F" out. :P

Cover Art: A+
Inside Art: B- -I like all the drawn stars in it. They're simple, but they're there. I've always been into stars. (:-
Songwriting: B-
Vocals: B-
Vocal Emotion: C+
Production: A+
Overall: A-

4.5 stars.

end note: It Just Ain't Right is pretty much my favorite track from the album. It's a bit more poppy than R&B, but the lyrics and the way he sings it gives it R&B undertones. Come to think about it, I may like this CD more than some others cause it is pretty poppy in parts...

I, like a lot of people began to hear about Ne-Yo when his single, SO SICK "blew him up". I honestly don't listen to the radio anymore but do occasionally watch videos so the fact that every channel I turned to seemed to have his video on constant repeat informed me that he had a huge hit on his hands. As the summer and fall of 2006 progressed, I got to see Ne-Yo perform on awards shows and was intrigued enough to get his debut disc.

After listening to it off and on for the past few months I can honestly say that in addition to his songwriting skills, he's got a pleasant smooth voice that works extremely well with his songs. In the tradition of the other so-called 'young guns of r&b', he mixes elements of hip hop and r&b to make an album of catchy mid to up-tempo tracks. I was prepared to only like 2 or 3 tracks and had initially wrote him off as a one hit wonder but was pleasantly surprised - this is a solid debut.

My stand-out tracks:

SEXY LOVE - now this track I love more than SO SICK

TIME - interesting ballad

LET GO - I like the interesting beats used on this track

LET ME GET THIS RIGHT - catchy lyrics & exceptional musical arrangement

IT JUST AIN'T RIGHT - loved how the DeBarge sample was incorporated

Ne-Yo is such a talented songwriter. He is always coming up with more fantastic material. This song is hot, and on point. Vocally he always sounds the same in every song he does, but this is my absolute favourite song of his (after So Sick). It's definately going to be a top 10 if not #1. The lyrics are great and I can't wait for this album to drop (it comes from his third release called Year Of The Gentlemen) in either July or August.
This is a song that I haven't stopped playing for the last 48 hours almost straight. I love it and know it's going to be another big hit for this musical genius.

All the songs on this album are love songs (a known trait of neyo), for those of you who don't know. The best songs on the album are tracks 3, 4, 5. Other than that, I believe the album is mediocre at best.

Once I hear his single "So Sick" I was sold on his voice and songwriting. But to my disappointment, as with most mainstream artist, I didn't like his first two albums because of the hip hop feel or soap operaish topics. While I didn't like those complete albums I always had favorite songs from them. But this album, Year of the Gentleman, is exactly what I was looking for when I hear Ne-Yo for the first time. Smooth voice and excellent songwriting over respectful quality mature topics. I like the whole album.

Ne-Yo is one of a kind. There is no other artist out there that can write a song like him. And on this album, Ne-Yo really gives you some good quality R&B music. Unlike his first two albums, which both i would consider more pop than R&B, this album really focuses on the R&B side more. Ne-Yo has never had the best voice, but he has always found a way to make it work. And yet again he works with previous collaborators Stargate to make another great album, and in my opinion, Ne-Yo's best work to date. The thing that really made this album speacial is that its not as holey as his other albums. By that i mean, Year of The Gentleman is an album that you can play almost all the way through, only skipping a two or three tracks. On his first two album, all he really gave you were some amazing singles and a couple of good album tracks, the rest was filler to me. On this album, the album tracks are some of the highlights, like on the very groovey and bluesy "Fade Into The Background" where Ne-Yo sings the story of watching a woman that he wanted get married. And on the amazing and very up beat guitar laced Stargate produced "Back To What You Know", he tells his woman "If you dont wanna be with me, than go back to what you know". But the singles on this album, are actually where some of the mistakes happen. Besides the cleary addicting and truly amazing "Miss Independent", the other singles "Closer" and "Mad" are kind of dull. "Closer" was alright for a while, but then it just got way to over played, and on "Mad" i just feel like hes whining to much. And then on "So You Can Cry" Ne-Yo sounds like hes choking on some food while hes singing, so that track was a miss, but it couldve been a great track if he didnt sing like a two year old on it. But other than those tracks there are some great songs on this album, like the Michael Jacksonish "Nobody", which litterally sounds like it could have been written for MJ, and on the sad and dark "Why Does She Stay" Ne-Yo brings back that So Sick feel with a great mid tempo ballad about how he doesnt treat his woman right. Overall, Ne-Yo provides his best work to date with "Year of The Gentleman", but i still do think he can give us more. But a great album none the less.



Grade:
B+

I loved both of ne-yo's previous cd's and this 3rd album is nothing short of amazing!! True Ne-yo fans and even new Ne-yo fans will love this album.. it really compliments his style.. my favs are- so you can cry, single, mad, miss independent, lie to me, nobody and part of the list!! check it out, its definetly worth every penny!! Love u Ne-yo, keep it up!!

This is the first CD of Ne-yo's that I have ever purchased so I can not compare it to his other work but I like this a lot! Finally some adult music! I am so sick of the music out there with no meaning and no subsatance. The songs on this CD tells stories and it's not over produced like so many others (Beyonce!). I have recommended it to several of my friends!

Ne-Yo is such a talented songwriter. He is always coming up with more fantastic material. This song is hot, and on point. Vocally he always sounds the same in every song he does, but this is my absolute favourite song of his (after So Sick). It's definately going to be a top 10 if not #1. The lyrics are great and I can't wait for this album to drop (it comes from his third release called Year Of The Gentlemen) in either July or August.
This is a song that I haven't stopped playing for the last 48 hours almost straight. I love it and know it's going to be another big hit for this musical genius.

Ne-Yo is such a talented songwriter. He is always coming up with more fantastic material. This song is hot, and on point. Vocally he always sounds the same in every song he does, but this is my absolute favourite song of his (after So Sick). It's definately going to be a top 10 if not #1. The lyrics are great and I can't wait for this album to drop (it comes from his third release called Year Of The Gentlemen) in either July or August.
This is a song that I haven't stopped playing for the last 48 hours almost straight. I love it and know it's going to be another big hit for this musical genius.