Cool Black Media: Ne-Yo-Because of You REVIEW

Ne-Yo-Because of You REVIEW

Below is a repost of a survey I previously published on Jun 29, 2007, 4:56 PM

Ne-Yo-Because of You

For a piece there it seemed like Ne-Yo was collected to get the next Nate Dogg singing hooks for rap artists like Ghost Face Killah (Back Like That) and Remy Ma (Feels So Good).

He could have been construed as the next Babyface writing hit songs for the likes of Mario (Let Me Know You), Rihanna (Unfaithful) and Beyonce (Irreplaceable), but he was also co-starring in movies (Stomp The Yard (Good movie). I guess doing all that he was also running on this new album Was it worth it? Not really.

The duet Leaving Tonight with Jennifer Hudson is ok, but never actually gets off the background because of the mediocre melody and uneven vocal styles. Jennifer simply outsings Ne-Yo on her vocals. Jennifer is such a powerful singer that it may have someone like the recent great Gerald LeVert to touch her vocally not an "airy" vocalist like Ne-Yo. Sex With My Ex has all the bone machine and electric synths of a Prince song. This "court" to Prince does not succeed like other homages to Prince a la Diddy's Last Night (featuring Keyshia Cole) and just falls flat.

The "warm" Say It has an ethereal almost operatic hook and like many of the songs I designated as "warm" could plausibly be HOT given enough radio play, but right now.no.

The best song on the album is Do You and is already getting air play. It's pretty much alone among a lot of mediocre songs. I mean next time he should observe the right stuff at national and stop spreading it around town. As common here are all the tracks that I mean are HOT, warm, or not.

1. Because Of You-HOT
2. Crazy (feat. JAY-Z) warm
3. Can We Chill
4. Do You -HOT
5. Addicted
6. Leaving Tonight (feat. Jennifer Hudson)
7. Ain't Thinking About You
8. Sex With My Ex
9. Angel
10. Make It Work- warm
11. Say It-warm
12. Go On Girl-warm

I reviewed Ne-Yo's better first album, but never posted it. Below are the tracks that are HOT.

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Ne-Yo-In My Own Words

1. Stay-HOT
2. Let Me Get This Right-HOT
3. So Sick-HOT
4. When You're Mad-HOT
5. It Just Ain't Right
6. Mirror
7. Sign Me Up
8. I Ain't Gotta Tell You
9. Get Down Like That-HOT
10. Sexy Love-HOT
11. Let Go-HOT
12. Time
13. Get Down Like That Remix (Featuring Ghost Face Killah)