Ne-Yo: The Year of the Gentleman

Released on September 16, 2008, Ne-Yo's third album "The Year of the Gentleman" separates the writer-turned-crooner from the majority of his contemporaries. First single "Closer" seemed to be a huge risk at first (evident by its barely Top 20 peaking at Urban radio); however, the euro-pop, dance infused song exploded at Pop radio and has since hit the #1 spot on the Hot 100 Airplay.

However, it is second single "Miss Independent" that really holds the album together. The standout track is sure to become one of the biggest hits of Ne-Yo's career. Like the aforementioned tracks, "Year..." relies on smooth ballads, laced with even smoother, gentler beats.

Tracks suck as "Single" and "Mad" are personal favorites; however, the ingeniousness of the album somewhat gets drowned out by its repetitiveness. In fact, after track #5 ("Miss Independent") the rest of the songs seem to blend in together, though that is not necessarily a bad thing. I suppose that it is better to have similar, listenable tracks than... Of which, makes "Year..." definitely an album Ne-Yo should be proud of and that any R&B fan can simply play from start to finish.

Tracklist
1. Closer
2. Nobody
3. Single
4. Mad
5. Miss Independent
6. Why Does She Stay
7. Fade Into the Background
8. So You Can Cry
9. Part of the List
10. Back To What You Know
11. Lie To
12. Stop This World

Top 3 Tracks
Miss Independent ~ Single ~ Mad