NeYo : In My Own Words
Reviewed By: Belinda Boakye
http://www.thesituation.co.uk
The corners of my mouth begin to twitch and however hard I try, I can’t help but crack a smile every time I hear the opening track of this infectiously feel good record.
Ne-Yo, aka Shaffer Smith, the songwriter responsible for Mario’s ‘Let Me Love You’, making contributions to Faith Evans, Mary J Blige and B2K to name but a few, has now emerged from the shadows with his solo debut effort – ‘In My Own Words’.
‘In My Own Words’, an appropriate title for this album, Ne-Yo’s autonomous creative input is prevalent throughout and results in a slick finish, securing its place at the high quality end of today’s R&B scene.
The pure dirty beats of ‘Stay’ set the tone of the album and encapsulate the addictive dynamic of the whole record. But, there are no gangstas, pimps or hoes here despite the filthy bass line – this is Ne-Yo’s ode to music and his sublime layered harmonies in the hook reveals the soul injection that makes his signature sound.
In the following songs, the tempo is taken down a peg or two. In ‘Let Me Get This Right’, he gets the girl; in the smash hit ‘So Sick’, we all know that he’s lost her, but don’t despair because in ‘When You’re Mad’, he gets her back again, (even though she seems to be angry at him most of the time).
And so it’s not hard to miss the gist of lyrical content. It may be an unoriginal subject matter, but Ne-Yo talks about love, lust and relationships in a simple and honest way, including the little details we can all identify with: “Could it be the little wrinkle over your nose/When you make your angry face/That makes me wanna take off all of your clothes/And sex you all over the place.”
Another of the main highlights is the heavy track ‘It Just Ain’t Right’, which features a sample of Switch’s ‘I Call Your Name’. Ne-Yo updates this Motown track, taking it to another level with a catchy chorus that invades the brain however much you don’t want it to.
Slow jams for the backroom come in the form of ‘Mirror’ and ‘Get Down Like That’, and reveal a structurally sound songwriting technique that will guarantee consistent commercial hits.
One track reaffirms this album’s status and proves great things are sure to follow in this artist’s career – the track in question is ‘Sexy Love’. A fusion of Michael Jackon’s ‘Liberian Girl’ and ‘Human Nature’ spring to mind, all in an uplifting major key.
Ne-Yo’s credibility and differentiation from his peers comes from his multiple talents. The development of such a signature sound at such an early stage in his career means that there is no need for overcompensation in other areas. Comfortable in his own skin, the tracks are allowed to breath without ostentatious vocal acrobatics or pretentious lyric. Ne-Yo tells it like it is and it is this endearing quality which gives the album a human touch and universal appeal.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Top 3 tracks:
Stay
Sexy Love
Get Down Like That