| Product Summary | | Label: Universal Music Group | | UPC: 00602517256484 | | Release Date: 5/1/2007 | | Buy.com Sku: 204347964 | | Item#: M3KP6F | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 25530 | Format:  CD |
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(P) 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
(C) 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
| | Citing Prince, Marvin Gaye, The Rat Pack, and Stevie Wonder in his list of favorite entertainers, Ne-Yo's album invokes a nostalgic feeling, a renaissance if you will. Whether it's the bedroom or the dance floor, Ne-Yo's songs are filled with passion and intense energy that pulls (you into the music) and puts you into a zone. Ne-Yo is taking the music industry by storm, as he graces and challenges popular music with his writing & vocal talents. Much more than today's male singer, Ne-Yo is a rare artist; expressing creativity thru drawings, paintings, martial arts and song. He is distinguished by youthful energy with in-depth lyrics that touch the soul. Ne-Yo is honored and ecstatic to be apart of the Def Jam brand, which produces some of the best R&B and hip-hop artists in the world.
"...an unmistakable attempt to channel [Michael] Jackson's early Quncy Jones-helmed LPs--and the effort often pays off beautifully." Entertainment Weekly
"...takes Ne-Yo's case where it belongs: to the dance floor." Hartford Courant
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Robert Taylor "R.T.", Espen Lind, Joe Davi (guitar); Gloria Justen, Igor Szwec, Emma Kummrow, Olga Konopelsky (violin); David Barnett (viola); Jennie Lorenzo (cello). | | Audio Mixers: Kevin "KD" Davis; Phil Tan. | | Recording information: Battery Studios, New York, NY; Chalice Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Compound Studios; D.M.L. Studios, East Orange, NJ; L. Gold Studios, Philadelphia, PA; Lethal Studios, Bridgetown, Barbados; Roc The Mic Sounds, New York, NY; sony Music Studios; Westlake Studios, Beverly Hills, CA. | | Photographers: Tai Linzie; Ellen Von Unwerth. | | Arranger: Larry Gold. | | In My Own Words, released in early 2006, was a major success for Ne-Yo. It was a number one album supported by two Top Ten singles and a third that peaked in the Top 20. As it kept gathering steam, the singer/songwriter/producer shrewdly continued to write for others: Rihanna's Top Ten "Unfaithful" and Beyonc?'s number one "Irreplaceable" kept his profile on the rise through the end of the year. Indicating that he still has quality material to spare, Because of You comes just a little after a year after his debut, and it is just as solid. Though some of the accomplices remain, such as the Norwegian StarGate team (his partners on "So Sick," "Sexy Love," "Unfaithful," and "Irreplaceable") and Ron Feemster, the key to the album's potency and freshness is its differences from In My Own Words. None of the debut's singles were as upbeat as this album's lead single, "Because of You," a sophisticated yet youthful song for the dancefloor, one of many instances where it's evident that Ne-Yo has thoroughly absorbed Michael Jackson and Rod Temperton's rich vocal arrangements on Off the Wall. The album's closing quarter fulfills the contemporary ballad quota, but the preceding quarter provides imaginative and surprisingly adventurous arrangements, as well as some of the nastiest hooks. "Sex with My Ex," the wildest of these three songs, is somewhere between a screwed-and-chopped mix of Prince's "Delirious" and Diddy's "Last Night," its hard beat and synthesizer rays twisted into knots. It's also one of several moments where a newfound swagger is just as convincing as that of prime Usher. Making it to number one on your own, writing a major hit for one of the planet's most popular entertainers, and qualifying as the heir to R. Kelly can have that effect. Executive producer Jay-Z seems to know exactly what he has on his hands: on "Crazy," he completes his verse within the first 30 seconds, allowing his R&B franchise star to take over with no interruptions. ~ Andy Kellman |
Producer: Eric Hudson; Larry Gold; Ron "NEFF-U" Feemstar; Ne-Yo; The Carter Administration; Compound Entertainment (Compilation) |
Engineer: Mike Tocci; Mikkel S. Eriksen; Jaymz Hardy Martin III; Andrew Dawson; Brian Sumner; Jeff Chestek; Bob Horn; Brian Springer |
Musical Guests | | Jay-Z | | Jennifer Hudson |
| | Artist Overview | | Pop/R&B sensation Ne-Yo is a music industry double-threat. In addition to releasing two hugely successful albums and scoring numerous Billboard hits (including a number 1 with 2006's "So Sick"), Ne-Yo has also written hits for some of the biggest names in pop and R&B, including Rihanna, Beyonce, Mario, Chris Brown, and Mary J. Blige. Ne-Yo is a multi-talented performer in the style of impresarios such as Jermaine Dupri, Teddy Riley, and Jay-Z. He even founded his own label, Compound Entertainment, in 2007. |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Associated Artists and Works |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 05/01/2007 | | Original Release Date : 2007 | | Catalog ID : 8697 | | Label : Def Jam (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Runtime : 49m : 57s | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00602517256484 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Boston Globe 7 of 10
The 24-year-old R&B wunderkind found time in his busy schedule as a songwriter for hire -- Beyonce's ''Irreplaceable,'' Rihanna's ''Unfaithful'' -- to craft a sexy and sweet sophomore release that's got more love flowing from it than an ''Oprah'' audience on ''My Favorite Things'' day...Although several different hands are employed, the album flows as if from one mind, with an emphasis on crafty vocal arrangements, crisp snap-and-clap percussion, and breezy keyboard work...The formula is openly descended from Michael Jackson tracks like ''Human Nature'' and ''Rock With You,'' but Ne-Yo is enough of an individual melody maker to avoid mere mimicry, and his penchant for inventively mixing up grooves adds a personal twist...''Go on Girl'' is the album's undeniable highlight. Just as Beyonce proved she could handle emotional shadings from vulnerable to steely on ''Irreplaceable,'' Ne-Yo nails both wounded and angry as he boasts, ''I'm too fly to be depressed.'' - Sarah Rodman
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| | Bio | | | Ne-Yo At the tender age of twenty-two, the lyrical and musical talent that Ne-Yo posses are far beyond his years. Born into a family of musicians from Arkansas, Shaffer C. Smith a.k.a. Ne-Yo was raised in a single parent home by his mother. In hopes of a better opportunity, Ne-Yo's mother relocated the family to Las Vegas Nevada; where Ne-Yo would discover his passion. The singer/songwriter, penned on the biggest radio records of history (189.5 million listeners in one week) Billboard's #1 R&B chart for several weeks, the words on "Let Me Love You" touch your heart and makes you feel good in your soul. Written with Scott Storch and Kam Houf and performed by the R&B artist Mario, "Let Me Love You" is just a glimpse into the mind of a true writer. "It's a great song, and I'm really happy to have wrote it," he says." A master in the art of storytelling, Ne-Yo began writing at an early age. A vivid imagination and creative energy has allowed Ne-Yo to write songs for multi-platinum artists such as Mary J. Blige, B2K, Faith Evans, and Musiq. When asked about writing number one hits for other artists, simply put, Ne-Yo said, "I feel there is always room for good music. I want to reach people's soul with my lyrics thru whatever vessel God chooses." With the album in the chamber, ready to go, Ne-Yo now just has to prepare himself for the stardom that is sure to follow. "The toughest part has been getting used to being known," he confesses, "I've always been the writer, the guy in the background, but being the actual artist is a whole new experience for me."
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