Ne-Yo - In My Own Words...
Published by Warren Dell under on Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Whenever the subject of who is the king of modern day R'n'B pops up it tends to start with Usher and then gradually you'll hear the names of Mario, Omarion, Bobby Valentino and the like mentioned after. While each year more and more artists are vying for that space one man can out himself alongside Mr Raymond on the back of his debut. He may take his name from a character in the over rated movie blockbusters The Matrix, but there is no denying that Ne-Yo is a star in the making that could eventually eclipse all that Usher has achieved.
When you can name check Mary J Blige and as people who want to work with you before your first single is played on radio you must be doing something right. After writing the Mario hit Let Me Love You you would be forgiven for thinking how stupid he was by giving away what was arguably the song of the year. As songwriters you can imagine them wondering each time whether what they write will be a hit and that track would have been whether he would admit it or not a massive shadow while working on In My Own Words.
The single Stay With Me with it's changing bass line served as an uptemp teaser for the album and set up for the confessional So Sick. The monster of a slow jam deals with Ne-Yo's heart ache and mistake after he listened to friends and cheated on his girl. It's already been a UK number one and has more than matched Let Me Love You. Despite his young age this is a guy whose view on love is that of an adult rather than the teenage ways of an Omarion or Mario.
The up beat Sign Me Up is a club banger in the waiting and should be ear marked as a future single. As it is When You're Mad is lined up as the next single and although it's a decent mid-tempo song it's not the strongest of what is a very consistent offering. The best tracks It Just Ain't Right, about feeling for an ex and Get Down Like That is a modern soul classic. Comparisons to Usher are inevitable and the track Mirror is very similar in style and subject matter to Nice and Slow. That was on his My Way album made when Usher was similar in age and before he made the critically acclaimed of Confessions. Neo has more than matched the standard of Confessions with his first album. The makings of superstar are all evident on what is a great modern r'n'b set.
When you can name check Mary J Blige and as people who want to work with you before your first single is played on radio you must be doing something right. After writing the Mario hit Let Me Love You you would be forgiven for thinking how stupid he was by giving away what was arguably the song of the year. As songwriters you can imagine them wondering each time whether what they write will be a hit and that track would have been whether he would admit it or not a massive shadow while working on In My Own Words.
The single Stay With Me with it's changing bass line served as an uptemp teaser for the album and set up for the confessional So Sick. The monster of a slow jam deals with Ne-Yo's heart ache and mistake after he listened to friends and cheated on his girl. It's already been a UK number one and has more than matched Let Me Love You. Despite his young age this is a guy whose view on love is that of an adult rather than the teenage ways of an Omarion or Mario.
The up beat Sign Me Up is a club banger in the waiting and should be ear marked as a future single. As it is When You're Mad is lined up as the next single and although it's a decent mid-tempo song it's not the strongest of what is a very consistent offering. The best tracks It Just Ain't Right, about feeling for an ex and Get Down Like That is a modern soul classic. Comparisons to Usher are inevitable and the track Mirror is very similar in style and subject matter to Nice and Slow. That was on his My Way album made when Usher was similar in age and before he made the critically acclaimed of Confessions. Neo has more than matched the standard of Confessions with his first album. The makings of superstar are all evident on what is a great modern r'n'b set.
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