Ne-Yo Year of the Gentleman July 25, 2008

 

Grammy-Award winner Ne-Yo, who has impressed audiences with his talents since his 2006 with his multi-platinum, chart topping debut, ‘In My Own Words’, is fed-up with the sloppiness of current R&B. With Ne-Yo’s third disc, ‘Year Of The Gentleman’, the Las Vegas native and premier songwriter has constructed a suite of songs that shows exactly what he means by class. Written over the course of travels through Europe last year and influenced by his own fascination with the Rat Pack, Ne-Yo explains, “For me, the sharpness of Sammy and Sinatra is the kind of style I strive for in clothes and music. Year of the Gentleman is named in honor of those guys.”

Ne-Yo proves on the first single ‘Closer’, it is possible to be classy and funky at the same time. Produced by Stargate, the track is an electro-excursion in the glam of Euro-disco.

Harking back to a late-sixties retro sound, the beautiful ‘So You Can Cry’ was one of the first songs Ne-Yo recorded for the project. Opening with an enchanting guitar resembling soft rain, ‘So You Can Cry’ is a heartbreaking tune about a friend mourning a break up. Embracing Lennon and McCartney with the same vigor as Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, the amazing ‘Stop This World’ should be hailed as one of the most beautiful love songs in years. When Ne-Yo swoons, “She’s got heaven in her eyes,” there is no denying his passion. Moving beyond the competition by just being himself, Ne-Yo’s ‘Year of the Gentleman’ is right on time to usher in a new era of “world music”.