Ne-Yo - Year of the Gentleman

It is my opinion that Ne-Yo is one of the most talented writers and producers ever.  He writes about a wide range of topics.  And he is one of the only writers nowadays that writes smooth bridges in his songs that add a lot of character to the songs.  Dude is truly talented.

Year of the Gentleman starts out in the club with Closer and Nobody.  Closer with its house-like feel and Nobody with its hard club beat get yo head noddin real quick.  Then he slows you down with the tantalizing Single....which should definitely be heard in a nice clear, high quality sound system.  The next song Mad is a typical slow Ne-Yo song.  It talks about not going to bed mad at your significant other...ha...easier said than done...or in this case sung.  I would say most couples have gone to bed mad at each other....for a few straight nights probably.  Then we come to Miss Independent...he blew my mind with this one.  The track is ridiculous and the lyrics talk about a dream woman for most men...most men that have their own anyway.  The core beat to the song sounds reggae inspired but the rest of the elements in the track do not sound reggae influenced.  It all comes together nicely though.  Why Does She Stay....uh because yo azz is paid...ha.  This song sounds good a typical Ne-Yo slow song for the women to love.  Fade Into the Background will get yo head noddin.  It has a nice sunny day feel to it that will definitely get some repeat action.   This is another song that has to be listened to a little louder volume than the rest...of course in a nice sound system.  Pay attention to the other sounds in the track.  Oh yeah do that with Miss Independent too.  One thing I always pay attention to with Ne-Yo's tracks are the string arrangements...always on point! 

Overall I like this cd but I wish it had some more of those chart toppin tracks Ne-Yo gives other artists.