Ne-yo releases his third studio album 'Year of The Gentleman' today and I have to say that as much as Ne-yo enjoys frothing and foaming at the mouth about revolutionizing R&B music to another musical hierarchy, I just did not hear it here. In fact, 'Year of the Gentleman' comprises of your stunning track here and there, a lot of Jacko influences inbetween and well, a severe recycling of what he did on the last album. As much as the album having its shortcomings, there were a few corkers that I delighted in listening to despite his failure to push the boat like he said he would.....The album starts off with the lead single 'Closer', a catchy ear-engaging combo of dance/house & R&B at its severe finest. The track sees Stargate take their sound to newer heights with the pounding bass production and infectious guitar melody. The old-skool clapping dance groove 'Nobody' had me wanting to pull out Michael Jackson's 'Off The Wall' disc because the overall production and vocal-styling reeked of MJ like bleach soaking up a cloth. Add MJ's trademark "shamone's" and the song would have been straight MJ all the way. The same can be said for 'Back To What You Know' which mirrors his idol to the fullest especially with the marching band influence similar to MJ's 'They Don't Care About Us'. Another decent track is the Polow Da Don-produced 'Single' which was remixed as a duet with reformed 90's group Old Men
Even better is 'Fade Into The Background' where Ne-yo uses his magnetic songwriting ability to stress his story about the pain of watching an ex (whom he still has feelings for) marry someone else. The lyrics and the production were pretty good overall. I totally fell in love with 'Mad'. The thrilling R&B number pleases with its emotional lyrics and nice vocal delivery. When latest single 'Miss Independent' (Stargate) leaked a couple of weeks ago, I showed my appreciation for the track. The lyrics are pretty relative to a lot of females who can easily relate to the track especially a partnerless female. Matter of fact, the track which comprises of a bassy-synth production and addictive harp melody could even be the most favoured female anthem after Beyonce's 'Irreplaceable'. You have your pleasant-sounding ballads like the humbling 'Why Does She Stay' and 'Lie To Me'. Tracks that offer a little diversity include the strummy-guitar midtempo 'So You Can Cry' and 'Part of The List'. Finally, the album closes off with the emotive wedding ballad 'Stop This World', which displays Ne-yo's vocals to greater depth.
Personally, I think 'Year of The Gentleman' is a better album than I imagined it to be. I certainly enjoyed it a lot more than I did Usher's 'Here I Stand'. Lyrics were pretty solid as Ne-yo uses his songwriting skills to unfold the tales of love, heartbreak and relationships in general. Vocally, he stepped up. Subject matter was rather derivative throughout and there wasn't much diversity or pushing the envelope. Year of The Gentleman sounded like a polished over version of his last album 'Because of You' which really isn't saying much and he is still failing to touch up on the genius that was his debut 'In My Own Words'. Standouts consist of Closer, Miss Independent, Mad, Nobody and Fade Into The Background.
Rating: 3/5
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