speeddemon531's Full Review: In My Own Words by Ne-Yo
Let’s face it. There’s a definite segment of today’s R&B scene that’s completely anonymous-especially when it comes to male vocalists. It’s a problem that was sure to raise its ugly head at some point when everyone’s trying to sound like either Michael Jackson or Luther Vandross. While there are some that have distinct personalities-Maxwell comes to mind, as do D’Angelo and John Legend-there are many that are interchangeable. Take away the genre’s most popular artists-Usher and R. Kelly, and you wind up confusing your Ginuwines with your Carl Thomases with your Donell Joneses with your Marios.
Singer-songwriter Ne-yo’s debut album, “In My Own Words”, should rightfully fall into that trap of anonymity. He’s a talented vocalist, but not a showy or particularly memorable one. Eh, maybe memorable’s the wrong word. He lacks any sort of distinct flavor. He just sounds like your workaday soul vocalist. He shows signs of being a promising lyricist, but his lyrics still occasionally fall into cliché. The production on his album is unassuming, to say the least. So why do I like this album so damn much?
Well, “In My Own Words” is solid without being spectacular. One thing Ne-Yo does have a talent for is melody. You will be humming half the songs on this album within 2 or 3 plays. The man born Shaffer Smith (any wonder why he changed his name?) has come up with a winning combination of all of the factors I mentioned in the last paragraph.
That said, the most memorable song on the album is still the first single. I guess I’m fortunate in a way for not listening to the radio or watching BET too much, because I never really paid attention to “So Sick” until a week or so ago. Since then, it’s been in power rotation in my CD player. “Sick” is a wistful little song about not being able to get over a relationship. It’s a simple clap track with a synthesized harp sound, but the melody is inescapable and the lyrics speak to everyone who hasn’t been able to get that special someone out of their head:
“I’m so sick of love songs/So tired of tears/So done with wishing you were still here/Said I’m so sick of love songs/So sad and slow/So why can’t I turn off the radio?”
Several tracks on this album definitely show that Ne-Yo has promise as a songwriter. “When You’re Mad” has a sunny vibe that vaguely recalls early-Nineties new jack swing. The lyrics feature Ne-Yo playfully extolling the virtues of angry sex. The fact that it winds up sounding cute instead of crass speaks volumes. “Mirror” is a percussive midtempo jam that’s definitely meant to be listened to with that special someone with the lights out!!
Apparently, Mr. Yo has sort of a fetish for the music made by the DeBarge family, as two songs on this album prominently feature snatches of music from the Motown group. “Stay” (which manages to charm despite the grating raps from Peedi Peedi) features a re-write of the chorus from DeBarge’s 1983 album track “Stay With Me”, while “It Just Ain’t Right” excellently weaves in a vocal sample from “I Call Your Name” by Switch, a Motown group that featured older DeBarge brothers Bobby & Tommy. It also features Ne-Yo’s best vocal performance on the album. He lets loose with some serious falsetto juice on this track.
Proof that there’s a layer of talent that hasn’t quite been peeled off of Ne-Yo yet exists in the album’s official closing track, “Time”. It’s a passionately sung piano ballad (the only true ballad on the album!) with dramatic strings. A drum machine thump is inserted partway into the song, I guess because urban radio seems to stray away from songs without a beat. Thankfully, the song is memorable despite the unnecessary addition.
Of course, this album isn’t without faults. Ne-Yo’s certainly a good singer, but he hasn’t yet established his identity as a vocalist. On certain songs he recalls Usher, while the excellent “Sexy Love” sounds like it was ripped straight off of Donell Jones’ “Where I Wanna Be” album. “Sign Me Up” wastes a roof-raising organ groove on idiotic lyrics about whips and chips, while “Get Down Like That” (which appears twice on this album) commits a sample faux-pas by containing the same Philly soul sample that crooner Jaheim uses on his current single “The Chosen One”, which was released a scant two weeks before Ne-Yo’s album. The songs even have similar melodies. One nice thing about this album (and a welcome development in current R&B) is that this album doesn't O.D. on guest raps. Aside from the aforementioned Peedi verse, the only other guest MC is Ghostface Killah, who drops one of his most lucid rhymes ever on the remix to "Get Down Like That", which appears as a bonus track here.
“In My Own Words” is certainly a promising debut. Hopefully the success that this album has attained so far will be even more of an incentive for Ne-Yo to sharpen his songwriting and singing skills. However, as it stands, “In My Own Words” is a solid album that signals the arrival of a new talent.
Ne-Yo "In My Own Words"
Released 2006 on Def Jam Records
4 out of 5 stars
A master in the art of storytelling, Ne-Yo began writing at an early age. A vivid imagination and creative energy has allowed Ne-Yo to write songs for...More at Buy.com
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