Ne-Yo Year of the Gentleman Early Album Review

Ne-Yo has proven himself to be a very talented songwriter and an artist in his own right. He has written songs for Beyonce and Rihanna and is a proven hit maker. On his third solo album, Ne-Yo has changed his sound up a bit with a more international feel. Will the transition help Ne-Yo to broaden his fan base even further? On Year of the Gentleman we will find out.

The first single off of Year of the Gentleman is the StarGate produced Closer. The song is vintage Ne-Yo with a more international feel to it. Even with this newfound influence, the song still feels like a Ne-Yo track. The track is much more upbeat than you expect from the typical mid-tempo Ne-Yo first singles.

The second single is Miss Independent. The song also features a very international feel to it. This type of style may work very well internationally, however in America this approach is definitely outside of the box.

The standout track on the album might definitely be Nobody. The song channels vintage Michael Jackson. The track will appeal to mainstream R&B purists as it is just catchy from the initial listen.

On Single, Ne-Yo is joined by the New Kids On The Block and Polow Da Don. The song is produced by Polow and written by Ne-Yo. The song is also featured on the New Kids On The Block's latest album The Block. The song is just incredibly catchy.

Lie To Me is an interesting track sonically. The song has a techno and European house music vibe but slowed down.

Fade Into The Background is one of the more soulful tracks on the album. The song just makes you feel good with the feel of live instrumentation instead of a simple drum programmed beat.

Stop This World is another solid piano heavy ballad. The track will definitely get a lot of spins at weddings for the next couple of years.

So You Can Cry is another solid mid-tempo track. The song just sounds vastly different than all of the other tracks on the album.

Like the previous Ne-Yo albums, Year of the Gentleman features incredibly strong writing. The whole vibe of the album is much more diverse than any of his previous albums. If you were expecting more of the same from Ne-Yo you might be disappointed but if you are willing to go for the ride you might just be pleasantly surprised. Overall Year of the Gentleman gets 8 out of 10. If you are a fan of Ne-Yo make sure you pick up Year of the Gentleman when it is available in stores on September 16^th.