Album A Day: Ne-Yo – Year of the Gentleman

Year of the Gentleman found itself on the Top 10 lists of many a blogger (mostly the ones who didn’t spend all their time fellating Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver), it was nominated for Album of the Year (where it lost on the grounds that Ne-Yo is below the age of 50), and I only just listenened to the album for the first time today. You have to hand it to Ne-Yo; dude is 29 years old and has already had his name attached to a small army of hits, both his own and others on which he collaborated, and he’s done it pretty quietly and unceremoniously thus far. For added fun he’s one of the few stars out there right now who has managed to balance fame and a relatively quiet life (his worst offense is a glorified speeding ticket).

I love when an album’s title isn’t just a marketable name, but also a sign of what to expect on the album (it’s why I think most self-titled albums are cop-outs). Year of the Gentleman wins in that regard. The album is top to bottom a classy affair. Ne-Yo doesn’t have the same flair as, say, Chris Brown or Usher, he’s got more than enough suave and talent to make up for it. Album leadoff “Closer” has dancefloor appeal while still maintaining a classy, mature attitude. He’s even willing to step aside and let other boys play, albeit reluctantly, as he writes on “Single” and “Fade into the Background”. But even though Ne-Yo takes the high road and aims to be the nice guy, the tradeoff here is that these songs feel a little shy. They don’t command your attention and adoration the way R&B usually does. It’s not necessarily a fault, and it doesn’t seem like Ne-Yo sees it thus, but listening to it becomes a bit more of a passive affair as a result of it. Overall, Ne-Yo shows he’s R&B’s true nice guy, and deep down, everybody likes that.

Ne-Yo – Closer [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==