I am a Ne-Yo fan. Though I wouldn't argue that he is the most original artist out there, I will say that his songwriting is what sets him apart from any other R&B artist. With the mind-numbing "music" that is out there today, it's refreshing to remember that a song is not just about a hot beat but the actual lyrics.

With that said this album is overall disappointing. The single "Because of You" is a banger but when I initially heard it, I felt that it was a remix of some of his previous tracks. Jay-Z's rap on "Crazy" is completely gratuitous and does nothing but detract from an already mediocre song. The placement of the tracks is also peculiar as someone else pointed out as some of the best songs are placed in the middle or towards the end. (Note: A solid album doesn't really need to concentrate on placement b/c each track is so outstanding.) On the "Sex with My Ex" he is clearly channeling Prince (his idol) and on "Angel" he sounds like Michael Jackson (his other idol). Despite his blatant unoriginality, I still think the songs are good though I wouldn't arue with someone if they thought they were garbage.

The standout tracks are definitely "Leaving Tonight" with Jennifer Hudson, "Say It" which is my favorite song, and "Go On". Though I must say that "Go On" production sounds far too similar to Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" which we all know Ne-Yo wrote.

Overall, it's worth the $9.99, he'll most likely go platinum many times over, and as another writer mentioned, I hope he really brings it on his third album.

Ne-Yo (Shaffer Snith) has been writing songs for other artists since his teens but it wasn't til last year that he finally got some recognition for his work and the chance to record his own album and go from a songwriter in the backround to a singer in the spotlight. Ne-Yo's debut album "In My Own Words" was brilliant, and also one of the best R&B albums of last year. The single "So Sick" also turned out to be a success, topping both the Billboard and Uk charts, but also "Sexy Love" was a top 10 hit. Ne-Yo also wrote the Mario's superhit "Let Me Love You, Rihanna's "Unfaithful" Paula De Anda's "Walk Away", Mario Vasquez "Gallery" and Beyonce's massive #1 hit "Irreplaceable" and rumours say that he's curently working on material for Michael Jackson's new album. Needless to say, Ne-Yo is one of the most talented songwriters around and has proved that he's more then competent as an recording artist on his own. The expectations for his sopmore album are sky high, as good as his debut was, we know he can make an masterpiece, so the question is, how good is it?

Sophmore album is titled "Because of You" and is dedicated to his fans (Myself included I suppose), regardless of alot of rumours there aren't many guest artists included here, Only Jay-Z who briefly introduce one song and then a duet with Jennifer Hudson, but other then that Ne-Yo handles all the singing himself. Just like his debut, Norwegian duo Stargate produce most of the music while Ne-Yo writes his own lyrics ofcourse. Why change something that ain't broken?. Not too surpringing either the main themes here are, love, relationships, cheating, ex-girlfriends and late night hookups and as always the lyrics are magnificently written and alters the album to a very high level. So, While you listen, pay attention to what he sings cause the lyrics are half of the songs. Most songs are ballads or midtempo's, but that's his strenght and not uptempos, so it doesn't come as a surprise that most songs follow that path. I don't know if it got another "So Sick" but after a few listens, the songs grow on you and there are plenty of great songs of this album aswell. In my oppinion, plenty of standouts that could become smash hits. Alright, let's take a look at the songs.

It starts with the first single and title track "Because of You", which is one of the best, if not the best song of this album. A meliodic midtempo that deals with a guy who's addicted to his ex-girlfriend while he's with his new date and even starts seing her again, If you have seen the video you know what's it's like. "Crazy" is introduced briefly by Jay-Z, but then Ne-Yo takes over, it's very slow-paced and won't work on radio, but it's getter better with time and it got romantic lyrics. Still it lacks a good hook to be memorable enough. A Prince-esque midtempo called "Can We Chill" with some cool retro synthesizer sound and great melody/hook seems ready for something big. A beautiful but a little somber song named "Do You" where he calls his ex and wonder if she still thinks of him. "Addicted" is a song where Ne-Yo declare that he isn't addicted so sex, this song however is one of the weaker. The only duet is called "Leaving Tonight" and feautures Jennifer Hudson, This is an classic ballad and wouldn't have been off if it appeared in "Dreamgirls". Ofcourse Ms. Hudson steals the show on this one.

"Ain't Thinking Of You" seems to be another song about about not feeling remorse over a relation that didn't end up well. This is also a faster song and grows at repeated listens. A catchy song with nice beats called "Sex With My Ex" is also ok, was it is with his ex's?. "Angel" a sweet tender romantic ballad that actually reminds me alot of Michael Jackson, this one also grows on you and is really good for certain occasions. "Make It Work" however is one of the definite standouts, a midtempo that deals with relationships and how important it is to never give up even during hard times. For those of you in a long-time relationship, this is your song. A slow piano-ballad called "Say It" is next. It also lacks the catchyness of a good melody and hook and is one of the weaker songs. However, good albums end up well. "Go On Girl" the closer is another standout and is also rumoured to be the second single. It deals with a cheating girlfriend, for once it's actually the good guy and the bad girl and not the other way around. This song got anything to be a big hit.

Overall, Ne-Yo seems to be Prince & Michael Jackson's crown prince, his lyrics and melodicism are first class and few R&B and Pop songwriters at this point can be compared with him. This album should be judged after repeated listens though and you should pay attention to his lyrics which are very fundamental in his music. I'm not sure if he'll score with another "So Sick" that topped the charts on both sides of the atlantic last year but if we're gonna compare his sophmore with his debut album, this one certainly looks more solid with better overall material. Having said that, this is one of the best albums of 2007 and highly recommended to people that apreciate good music.

I think we all can agree Ne-Yo is a great writer, but that isn't enough. I felt all some of the tracks needed a super producer, to bring the lyrics to light. I felted kind of bored with the music, it was like okay, you are talking about some good stuff here, but the music is making me bored.

Superstar R&B singer / songwriter / actor Ne_Yo has got mad talent - his vocals are strong, smooth and soulful, his songwriting game is sharp, his résumé is more than impressive and he's got enough personality and swagger to make his music more distinctive. So with all these qualities, as well as a brilliant Platinum-selling album ("In My Own Words") and an emotionally rendering U.S. #1 smash hit ("So Sick") to his name, amongst other things ("Sexy Love & "When You're Mad" were also hits in the U.S.), it's disappointing to say that his sophomore album, "Because Of You", fails to completely match up to "In My Own Words". In comparison to "In My Own Words", which was mostly a smooth, mid-tempo type of album, "Because Of You" is a lot more engaging, ambitious and creative, but there are several things that bug me about it.

Firstly, there's nothing on the level of "So Sick". Understandably, there are several artists who have failed to match and/or surpass their signature hits (Amerie, Beyonce, Mario Barrett, Christina Milian, etc.), but this is Ne-Yo we're talking about - as an overall person, he's much more of a complete package than the artists I just referenced (well, it might vary with Beyonce, but you get what I mean) (though I think they're all great). It's just my personal opinion. And said-to-be second single/"So Sick" sequel "Do You", as beautifully arranged and emotionally sung as it is, is great on its own accord, but doesn't match up to "So Sick".

What I dislike most about this album, though, is how Ne-Yo constantly contradicts himself. I'm usually OK with this when it comes to rookies, concept artists (Gnarls Barkley) or artists with little to no personality altogether (Christina Milian), but in Ne-Yo's case, it's personally discomforting.

This problem pretty much stems (mainly) from "Addicted", where Ne-Yo humorously responds to rumors of him being a sex addict over a pleasing arrangement of horns, guitar strings and other instrumentation, proclaiming that he's "not addicted to sex" like a teenage smart aleck. Such a statement would be believable if it weren't for the numerous sexual tones that are so blatantly obvious in the record. "Sex With My Ex", which reeks of Prince-ish influences with its upfront subject matter, throaty growls, burning rock guitars, percussion and smooth piano, couldn't be more obvious if he tried; and "Say It" is one of the raunchiest tracks on the album, reminiscent of Justin Timberlake-mimicking-Prince in the way Ne-Yo lustily sells himself to a sexually charged female over echo-like drums and creepy piano keys (this thought may not comfort you, but "Say It" sounds tailor-made for some porno and/or horror movie).

The title track and "Can We Chill", both of them being reminiscent of vintage Michael Jackson, have much more sophistication and cool in their step, riding along to smooth grooves and solid production as Ne-Yo appropriately plays it cool with his smooth vocals (although it's stupid for him to claim "I don't wanna waste no time / With no corny player lines" JUST after saying "Since I came up in here / You're a superstar my dear" on "Can We Chill"). Unfortunately, "Crazy", featuring a less-than-ace Jay-Z as an opening guest rapper, is more reminiscent of plasticized pedo'-era MJ than vintage with its lyrical content and minimalist production, making a potentially great track just OK because of the vibe it conjures. And to put an end to this presumably monotonous theory of Ne-Yo's contradictory stance on this album, a handful of these songs sound written for women, particularly "Ain't Thinking About You", one of the least appealing tracks on the album (it ironically sounds like something better accustomed to Beyonce or Amerie).

Speaking of females, Ex-American Idol contestant-turned-critically acclaimed actress/singer Jennifer Hudson makes an appearance on "Leaving Tonight", easily the best track on the album. "I believe love and trust are one in the same...", Ne-Yo correctly hypothesizes at the beginning, proceeding to talk a bit more about it until Jennifer Hudson gets things moving, delivering a superbly powerful and emotional performance for the duration of the track over minimalist instrumentation. It's basically an old-school-influenced R&B / Soul duet, with Ne-Yo trying to convince Jennifer that he's not cheating, but neither of them fall short vocally or lyrically, and the end result is downright beautiful - a surefire future single if their labels aren't stupid.

On the whole, the album itself is actually rather great. Production, songwriting, vocals and such are generally great, but the numerous contradictions and discomforting vibes are too hard for me to ignore. 3.5 stars!

5 Best Tracks:

"Leaving Tonight"

"Do You"

"Because Of You"

"Can We Chill"

"Sex With My Ex" - less creepy than the other two

I really think that the vocals in a lot of these songs are top-notch. I personally can't compare it to his first album because besides the singles and the song "Time", I haven't heard it.

While this CD may not be as good as his debut, there are still some good songs here. The main problem is that this CD contains a lot of uninteresting and average songs.

I like "Because of You", Kind of like what he did with "Crazy" but something about it doesn't sit with me. Jay-Z's rhyme doesn't really do much for the song. The worst thing about it is probably the chorus - boring!

I must say that I'm a fan of his second single (or at least it's playing on the radio, not sure 'bout a video), "Do You". It's not as good as "Because of You", but then again, even that song had to grow on me for a little bit.

"Can We Chill" starts off nicely. I have actually come to like it. "Addicted" can be added to the list of average songs. It kind of grabs you in the beginning but the downer is that it's kind of repetitive.. The lyrics are OK.

"Angel" is OK. It's a bit above average. I'm not going to sit here and go through all of the songs but I'll say there are a couple of good songs but most of them are kind of average. It leaves you feeling a bit cheated.

But like I said, the vocals are superb. Ne-Yo has a good voice and he uses it pretty well.

Something that you will also either love or hate: This CD is pretty upbeat : If you like Ne-Yo's ballads and slow songs, you may be a bit disappointed because they are few and far between.

3.5 stars, just like its current rating as of 5/11/07.

Best Songs: Because Of You, Can We Chill and Do You.

Hope this helped some make a decision about the CD.