For a minute, Ne-Yo thought that one of today's dieing genres of music, R&B was very phony. Here's what he had to say:

"I don't wanna name any names right now. You're gonna get me in trouble. But you know what I'm talking about. There was an era when R&B wasn't hot. . . . The whole hip-hop/R&B era just kinda threw me for a loop. Around early 2000 when every song kinda sounded like (one note repeated). Like for real, one note the whole song? That never made sense to me. 'Cause like, if you're gonna rap - rap. If you're gonna sing - sing. Don't try to do this combination hybrid of the two of them that sounds like (garbage). I didn't dig it. I just never got into it."

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS?

(source)

Release Date:

Album: Year Of The Gentleman

Rating: ★★★★

Review: Ne-Yo was rather public with his intentions to retro-fit "Year Of The Gentleman", drawing inspiration from Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. among others. Ne-Yo remarks that he was trying to take you "back in the day of, say, the Rat Pack and Nat King Cole." The video for the first single off the album Closer does an excellent job of capturing the throw-back spirit, where Ne-Yo showcases his skill as a performer. Ne-Yo also deserves credit for co-producing both singles off the album, Closer and Miss Independent, with producer Stargate, who also helped co-write both singles. The two singles are absolutely amazing. The remaining ten tracks on the album feature a more classic r&b style of music. Listen to Mad for a good example of the classic r&b infused with the new-age down south drum rolls. Nobody sounds eerily Michael Jackson-esque, but considering Ne-Yo also took a page from MJ's book of dance moves, emulating Jackson seems entirely appropriate. Ne-Yo puts in a very strong vocal performance, complemented by insightful and thought-provoking lyrics like "I'm sorry, I wont attend your pity party, Id rather go have calamari, and maybe a drink, and yes I think, you should come with me." We really enjoyed listening to this album and although you have probably heard enough of the two singles off "Year Of The Gentleman", there is a deeper listening experience to be had. Make sure to check out the iTunes bonus tracks also, which include (depending upon geographic location) the J.R. Rotem-produced In The Way and the Fabolous and Jamie Foxx collabo She Got Her Own.

http://www.orangekarmarecords.com

Acesta este cel mai recent single al lui Ne-Yo de pe viitorul sau album YEAR OF THE GENTLEMAN.

Met het album, dat 24 juni uitkomt, wil Ne-Yo niet meer dezelfde r&b route opgaan. "Ik kan niet meer pure urban maken, want om heel eerlijk te zijn, verveelt het me een beetje", aldus de zanger.