Unlike some of you youngin's, I can remember back to a time when R&B was actually...well, good. No one gave a damn about a Destiny's Child (TLC had that shit on lock), Usher still had some sort of artistic integrity, and you had Aaliyah, Jodeci, Boyz-II-Men and Dru Hill all throwing down.
Fast forward a few years, and R&B is in a real slump. Aaliyah and Left Eye's lives ended in tragedy, and the great R&B groups of yesteryear disappeared. D'Angelo got into that car accident, and had been M.I.A. since (sidenote: dude is coming back, and yes, he will be a problem). Now, you've got mediocre acts like Mario, Omarion, and Marques Houston runnin' it (can anyone really tell the difference between these guys?), but in comes Ne-Yo. With an actual quality voice, and songwriting ability to boot, Ne-Yo took the R&B world by storm with his 2006 debut In My Own Words. Around that time, it was revealed that the talented young artist was responsible for writing some of the biggest hits in recent times (Mario's Let Me Love You being one of them).
Because he is such a formidable presence in a slumping genre and solidifying his hitmaking ability by penning Rihanna's "Unfaithful" and Beyoncé's "Irreplacable," all eyes are on Ne-Yo for his sophomore album - Because of You. In terms of pure singing ability, Ne-Yo remains solid on the entire record; however, he won't amaze you much either. It is undisputable that when it comes to singing, Ne-Yo ranks near the top of current R&B artists. His voice is crisp and smooth; unfortunately, he doesn't really push himself to give a performance that would have him pushing the limits of his singing ability. "Ain't Thinking About You" is a particular example of this, as it suffers from a mediocre singing effort.
Because of You is almost all Ne-Yo, as he keeps the guest list to only two. Saying that he chose his company wisely is an understatement; the singer enlisted the services of none other than Jay-Z and Jennifer Hudson (of Dreamgirls fame). Hov chimes in on the first 30 seconds of Crazy, but his effortless flow sets the confident tone for the song. On "Leaving Tonight," Jennifer Hudson and Ne-Yo's back and forth is one the most rewarding tracks on the record, as Ms. Hudson's singing pushes Ne-Yo to keep up with her considerable voice. The song, a tale of the doubts in a relationship, is far and away the standout track of the record.
In terms of hit-making ability, there isn't really anything here that matches In My Own Words' "Sexy Love," "So Sick" and "When You're Mad." "Because of You" comes close, but only because it's almost a replica of his previous singles. This is prevalent in other tracks such as "Can We Chill," "Angel" and "Make It Work"; if someone told me those songs were leftovers from his previous album, I wouldn't have trouble believing it.
What really makes this album shine is Ne-Yo's undeniable songwriting talent. "Do You" is a touching song attributed to a love that has long since passed: "First off let me say congratulations/Heard that you just had a baby girl/If she looks anything like her mother/She's the prettiest thing in the world." The song has a lamenting tone, which is a welcome departure from the often upbeat, syrupy sweet R&B songs tailor-made for casual listeners. "Addicted" and "Sex With My Ex" both have Ne-Yo channeling Prince. On "Sex With My Ex," Ne-Yo gets particularly freaky: "I...really like the way you go/ Beggin me to not kiss right there/ Oh and you suddenly just lose control/ Beggin' me to smack it and pull yo' hair."
When it comes down to it, you can chalk Because Of You as another "W" for Ne-Yo. It spawns a few more hits, and has a few really standout tracks. The thing about the album that's regrettable is that Ne-Yo's sound really hasn't evolved since his last LP. It seems like the mentality he took with this record was "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." While he certainly is successful in that department, Ne-Yo squandered an opportunity to make something even better. However, in a world where good R&B is so sparse, this is a welcome addition.
