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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 Beyoncé'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 /TiVo
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Tor Erik Hermansen, Unknown, Other, ComposerLyricist - Mikkel S. Eriksen, Recording Engineer, Unknown, Other, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Josh Houghkirk, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - PHIL TAN, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Shaffer Smith, ComposerLyricist - StarGate, Producer - Ne-Yo, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Shawn Carter, ComposerLyricist - S. Smith, ComposerLyricist - Bob Horn, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Kevin Davis, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jay-Z, FeaturedArtist - Ne-Yo, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Theron "Neff-U" Feemster, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Shane Woodley, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - R. Blaylock, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Eric Hudson, Producer, Unknown, Other, ComposerLyricist - S. Smith, ComposerLyricist - Kevin Davis, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian Sumner, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ne-Yo, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shane Woodley, Recording Engineer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Larry Gold, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Kevin Davis, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - M. Allen, ComposerLyricist - Shaffer Smith, ComposerLyricist - Jeff Chestek, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Olga Konopelsky, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Emma Kummrow, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Igor Szwec, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Ne-Yo, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jennie Lorenzo, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Shane Woodley, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - M. Sparkman, ComposerLyricist - Gloria Justen, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Jaymz Hardy Martin III, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - David Barnett, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Deepu Panjwani, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ricardo Hinkson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Heavyweights, Producer
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Shea Taylor, Producer, Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - S. Taylor, ComposerLyricist - Kevin Davis, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shaffer Smith, ComposerLyricist - Ne-Yo, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shane Woodley, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Robert Taylor, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Marvin Tarplin, ComposerLyricist - Kevin Davis, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shaffer Smith, ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, ComposerLyricist - Knobody, Producer - Ne-Yo, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shane Woodley, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jennifer Hudson, FeaturedArtist - J. Foster, ComposerLyricist - J. Davi, ComposerLyricist - Pamela Moffett-Young, ComposerLyricist - Joe Davi, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Eric Hudson, Producer, Unknown, Other, ComposerLyricist - S. Smith, ComposerLyricist - Kevin Davis, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ne-Yo, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shane Woodley, Recording Engineer, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Deepu Panjwani, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ricardo Hinkson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
S. Smith, ComposerLyricist - Sammy Taylor, ComposerLyricist - Shea Taylor, Producer - Kevin Davis, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ne-Yo, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shane Woodley, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Robert Taylor, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
R. Perry, ComposerLyricist - Kevin Davis, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shaffer Smith, ComposerLyricist - Brian Springer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Andrew Dawson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ne-Yo, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shane Woodley, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Syience, Producer
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Shea Taylor, Producer - S. Taylor, ComposerLyricist - Kevin Davis, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Shaffer Smith, ComposerLyricist - Ne-Yo, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shane Woodley, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Deepu Panjwani, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ricardo Hinkson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Danielle Laporte, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Larry Gold, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Keys, Producer - Kevin Davis, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shaffer Smith, ComposerLyricist - Jeff Chestek, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Olga Konopelsky, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Emma Kummrow, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Igor Szwec, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Ne-Yo, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Jennie Lorenzo, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Shane Woodley, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - T. Bloom, ComposerLyricist - Gloria Justen, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Jaymz Hardy Martin III, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - David Barnett, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Deepu Panjwani, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ricardo Hinkson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Tor Erik Hermansen, Unknown, Other, ComposerLyricist - Mikkel S. Eriksen, Recording Engineer, Unknown, Other, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Amund Björklund, ComposerLyricist - Josh Houghkirk, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - PHIL TAN, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Espen Lind, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Shaffer Smith, ComposerLyricist - StarGate, Producer - Ne-Yo, Producer, Co-Producer, MainArtist - Michael Tocci, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Album review
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 Beyoncé'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 /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:49:56
- Main artists: Ne-Yo
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Def Soul
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B R&B
© 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group ℗ 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group
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