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.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CrazyShaffer Smith | Ne-Yo, Jay-Z | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 2 | Can We ChillShaffer Smith | Ne-Yo | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 3 | Do YouShaffer Smith | Ne-Yo | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | AddictedShaffer Smith | Ne-Yo | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 5 | Leaving TonightShaffer Smith | Ne-Yo, Jennifer Hudson | Play | 05:14 | 12 MB | 32 MB |
| 6 | Ain't Thinking About YouShaffer Smith | Ne-Yo | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 7 | Sex with My ExShaffer Smith | Ne-Yo | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 8 | AngelShaffer Smith | Ne-Yo | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | Make It WorkShaffer Smith | Ne-Yo | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 10 | Say ItTimothy Bloom, Shaffer Smith | Ne-Yo | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 11 | Go On GirlMikkel Storleer Eriksen, Shaffer Smith | Ne-Yo | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 45 mins | 104 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 300 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | June Ambrose | Stylist |
| 2 | David Barnett | Viola |
| 3 | Timothy Bloom | Composer, Producer |
| 4 | Jay Brown | A&R |
| 5 | Carter Administration | Audio Production |
| 6 | Jeff Chestek | Engineer |
| 7 | Compound Entertainment | Compilation Producer |
| 8 | Tom Coyne | Mastering |
| 9 | Joe Davi | Bass, Guitar |
| 10 | Kevin KD Davis | Mixing |
| 11 | Andrew Dawson | Engineer |
| 12 | Danielle Decker | Groomer |
| 13 | Mikkel Storleer Eriksen | Composer, Engineer, Instrumentation, Vocal Engineer |
| 14 | Theron Feemster | Producer |
| 15 | Larry Gold | Arranger, Producer |
| 16 | Jaymz Hardy-Martin III | Engineer |
| 17 | Tor Erik Hermanson | Instrumentation |
| 18 | Ricardo "Slick" Hinkson | Assistant Engineer |
| 19 | Bob Horn | Engineer |
| 20 | Josh Houghkirk | Assistant |
| 21 | Eric Hudson | Instrumentation, Producer |
| 22 | Jennifer Hudson | Guest Artist, Primary Artist |
| 23 | Jay-Z | Guest Artist, Primary Artist |
| 24 | Terese Joseph | A&R |
| 25 | Doug Joswick | Package Production |
| 26 | Gloria Justen | Violin |
| 27 | Olga Konopelsky | Violin |
| 28 | Emma Kummrow | Violin |
| 29 | Espen Lind | Guitar |
| 30 | Tai Linzie | Art Coordinator, Photography |
| 31 | Jennie Lorenzo | Cello |
| 32 | Ne-Yo | Primary Artist, Producer |
| 33 | Deepu Panjwani | Assistant Engineer |
| 34 | TaVon Sampson | Art Direction, Design |
| 35 | Shaffer Smith | Composer |
| 36 | Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith | A&R |
| 37 | Brian Springer | Engineer |
| 38 | Brian Sumner | Engineer |
| 39 | Igor Szwec | Violin |
| 40 | Phil Tan | Mixing |
| 41 | Robert Taylor "R.T." | Guitar |
| 42 | Mike Tocci | Engineer |
| 43 | Ellen Von Unwerth | Photography |
![Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself) [Remixes] - EP - Ne-Yo - Ne Yo](https://photos.eruce.com/thumbs/1cd/295/3ee/5d4/d35/c4e/d087a5de54bc3b19eeb4235be1ffbdb4_250x250.jpg)
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |