//Neon Reviews: Ne-Yo – Year Of The Gentleman//
Having written some of this decade’s biggest female anthems (Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable“; Rihanna’s “Take A Bow“), as well as sensitive hits of his own on his past two albums (”So Sick,” ”Sexy Love,” “Because of You“) Ne-Yo is no stranger to being the premiere lady-adoring R&B balladeer, but he didn’t want to stay trapped in the same genre for his third disc, Year of the Gentleman. So, he added a couple new influences to his repertoire. Joining Prince, Stevie Wonder, and, of course, Michael Jackson were Billy Joel, Phil Collins, and The Beatles. And what you get after mixing all of these influences together is a 12 song set of genre-crossing, heartfelt songs worthy of a real gentleman.
Year of the Gentleman is Ne-Yo’s most mature, diverse album yet. Opening the album is the Euro-pop/dance fusion hit “Closer.” It’s pulsing beat is like audio strobe lights; it’s a real stand out but clearly different from what Ne-Yo has done. But not to worry, ”Closer” is as far as Ne-Yo strays from his signature sound. The other songs are a bit more pop, but do not put off the average Ne-Yo fan. The synths return for the second single from Gentleman, “Miss Independent” but they’re less dancey and more complimentary, blending in harmony with the signature twinkling production of Stargate.
As with every album, Ne-Yo pays tribute to one of the men he credits with helping him find his voice as a singer: Michael Jackson. He takes it a step further on Year of the Gentleman. On some of the songs, you’d swear you were listening to a young Michael–the Off the Wall era inspired “Nobody,” the yearning coos in the chorus of “Why Does She Stay,” and the desperate pleas in “Lie To Me” all sound so close to MJ, it’s almost scary.
Ne-Yo takes time to honor Prince a bit on the funky groove of “Fade Into the Background.” His storytelling songwriting is in fine form on this track about a man attending an ex’s wedding despite thinking he should be in the groom’s place. “She looks so good in that white dress/At the far end of the aisle/Standing where I should be standing/Some other man/On his face there’s a smile.”
The entire album showcases some of Ne-Yo’s best vocals and songwriting, but the best testament to his songwriting is the dramatic climax of the album’s closer, “Stop This World.” “It’s too good to be true/I don’t deserve you/I never felt a love strong enough to stop this world from spinning.” Opening with a simple touch of piano and closing with the slightest strum of an electric guitar, the song is perfect from top to bottom. Couples will be walking down the aisle to this song for years to come. Leave it to the truest gentleman to help other men on the biggest day of their lives–the strength of Year of the Gentleman is bound to usher in the biggest year of Ne-Yo’s life.
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