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Product Description
No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: NE-YO
Title: BECAUSE OF YOU
Street Release Date: 05/01/2007
Domestic
Genre: RAP/HIP HOP

Amazon.com
Kelly Clarkson, kindly step aside: the title "Because of You" now belongs to Ne-Yo, who has done things with it no one with a pair of hands to clap will soon forget. And not just on the phenomenally appealing first single. Throughout Because of You, the sophomore disc by the songwriter responsible for such monster hits as Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable" and Rihanna's "Unfaithful," a flutter-voiced fluidity--the kind seldom heard since Michael Jackson's Off the Wall days--reigns. Jay-Z makes room to let it rip on "Crazy," and Jennifer Hudson wraps herself around it with restraint on "Leaving Tonight," a lovers' quarrel that could hold its own against anything Marilyn McCoo & Billy David Jr. cared to toss off in their heyday. If it's MJ who's lingered in Ne-Yo's ear longest, Prince hasn't gone silent, either: echoes poke up on the far-out "Sex with My Ex." Elsewhere, shades of contemporaries such as Nelly and Diddy show through. Overall, though, Ne-Yo's flammable hooks, flirty vibe, and flawless vocals reveal an R&B genius in the making. If the talent bar for up-and-comers is set impossibly high in the coming years, chances are it will be all because of him. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews: Read 68 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Not at all May 5, 2007
14 out of 20 found this review helpful

I didnt go into listening to his cd thinking it was going to be like the last one. I just wanted a high quality cd for what i paid money for. In some instances i did get that with "Because of You" obviously been a hot track and i even like "Crazy" feat Jay-Z to an extent as well. But i just couldnt get into almost have the cd. Ne-You has the skills as far as songwriting and vocals. But I just was not feeling tracks 3,4,5,7 or 8. Can We Chill, Do You, Addicted, Ain't Thinking About You and Sex With My Ex (not really sure what was going with this one at all). The others i listed above i didnt really hate but i just know that Ne-Yo has better to offer in my opinion. Others might love those tracks i listed and thats fine. I also liked Leaving Tonight, Angel, Make It Work and Go On Girl (should be the next song) however. "Because of You" is a pretty decent cd for the most part. But for me decent just isnt really enough.

3 out of 5 stars

Not Quite A Sophmore Slump, But Not Far From it! May 2, 2007
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

Ne-yo is definately one of my favorite artist. For the most part he is very orginial, writes his own music, and has a very soulful R&B Voice, and I admire him for that! But, his lastest album "Because Of You" is a medicore performance of what he is capable of. I will rate every song on the album one by one, and explain my opinion.

1. Because Of You-First single, everyone knows it. I personally love the song to death! I was so happy when i heard this song, because in my mind I thought "If because of you is this good, The album will be excellent!" I was 50% Correct on that statement. But most definately one of the best songs on the album, also the video is great too! :) 10/10.

2. Crazy Feat. Jay Z-This song is actually pretty catchy before you actually get to the chorus, then it just goes downhill from there. I must admit that the verses to the song are very good, and creative. I actually like the melody to the song quite a bit, but the chorus can become repetitve after awhile. 7/10

3. Can We Chill-Can we chill kind of starts off with the sounds of church music, and then ne-yo's melodic voice over it, which creates a very good intro. Also the beat and the chorus are very catchy. Very good song, and one of the best on the album. 9/10

4. Do You- I have three big problems with this song. 1)The placement of of the song on the album, I beleive it should have been the last. 2) The song is very boring and vague, the lyrics are sub-par and ne-yo's voice is just very mono-tone through the entire song. And he shows no excitement. 3) The beat to this song is extremely good! And, I am kind of mad that, this song was wasted on this beat. Probably the most boring song on this album. Definately a filler. 5/10

5. Addicted- I absolutely love this song! This is definately ne-yo's style right here. It is just extremely catchy, and I really like the lyrics and were he is going with this song. I would love to hear this song as a single! Probably my favorite song on the album! 10/10

6. Leaving tonight Feat. Jennifer Hudson- I Love this song! and it features the beautiful and talented Jennifer Hudson.(She is my blood cousin by the way), but this song is extremely soulful, and catchy. I could listen to it over and over again, its just extremely soulful, and a good song just to relax to. 10/10

7. Ain't thinking about you- The song is not very good, the beat is extremely! repetitive. And the song gets old very quick. This is definately an album filler, and easily a skipper. 4/10

8. Sex with ym Ex-To be honest, I have no clue where to go with this song. It totally sounds like a michael Jackson song. It's no doubt about it. The song is not bad though, I will give him that. But this style has already been done many times before. I just consider this as an average effort. And its not a very memorable song at all. 7/10

9. Angel- I think this song is very beautiful! I wont sya that its really catchy or anything, but it most definately a beautiful song. It's really meaningful too, I would love for this song to be released as a single, I think it could skyrocket his sales. 10/10

10. Make it work-Alot of people like this song, but I am not a huge fan of it at all. I don't like the lyrics, the beat or anything. The Constant "AYO" "AYO" During the chorus is just really repetitive, and not really needed. This song is also a filler track as well, and can be passed. 3/10

11. Say it- WOW! This song is like Mirror from his first album, but more sensual and slower! I absolutely love it. The song is just so sensual and just so melodic. This is what you call baby making music! It's just such a good song, words cant describe how good this song is! Love it!!! 10/10

12. Go on Girl-This is suppose to be the second single, and I must say what a good choice it is! Go on girl deifantely is up there as the best song on the album. The lyrics and the overall sound of the song is just extremely addictive, and you wont stop listening to this one! 10/10

Overall this album scored 94/120=78% Which is a C+ Rating! Ne-yo definately could have done better on this album. There are a few songs on this album that will just blow you away, while others are just repetive, and your fast to hit the skip button on your MP3 Player. I still think that Ne-yo will have a bright future ahead of him, and he'll keep writing great songs for other artist! If his record label pick the correct singles off of this album, his sales should be as good as his first album.

4 out of 5 stars

"In My Own Words", "Because Of You" isn't as good as his debut, but I like it.... May 17, 2007
9 out of 13 found this review helpful

I was first introduced to Ne-Yo when I saw his video for the track "Stay" that featured Peedi Peedi. I liked the song but since Ne-Yo was a new artist, I wanted to hear another track before I decided to purchase his debut CD. Once I heard the Stargate produced "So Sick", buying Ne-Yo's CD was basically a no-brainer. "In My Own Words" ended up being one of my favorite r&b CDs in the year of 2006. My favorite songs on the CD were "Let Me Get This Right", "Get Down Like That", "Sexy Love", "Time" and of course "So Sick". I was watching VH1 Soul one night and all of a sudden there was a new video by Ne-Yo entitled "Because Of You". The song became an instant favorite of mine, although, the Michael Jackson vibe of the track was obvious.

"Because Of You" is the 2nd CD from Ne-Yo who is also known for his songwriting credits including Mario's "Let Me Love You", Rihanna's "Unfaithful" and Beyonce's "Irreplacable". He also did work on Reuben Studdard's current CD that is out now. "Crazy" is a midtempo jam that features Jay-Z and it is a track that was left off of "In My Own Words". Ne-Yo went to the studio and reworked the track and put it on this CD. I also like this track as well, but we have yet to see if it will end up being a single or not. "Can We Chill" is a tale where Ne-Yo is trying to get the attention of a particular young lady and is trying to say and do anything to sway her in his direction. "Do You" is Ne-Yo's sequel to "So Sick". It seems as if Ne-Yo is asking the same woman that he was talking about in "So Sick" does he ever cross her mind. He claims that he is not trying to invade her fiancee's territory but its clearly obvious that Ne-Yo is trying to intrude. The songwriting on this song is brilliant, some people will just wish that he hadn't used the same monotone sound throughout the entire track.

It seems as if Ne-Yo is either trying to recreate a Prince vibe or he is using songs on "Because Of You" to audition his writing talents to Prince. "Addicted", "Sex With My Ex" and "Say it" are all clearly songs that Prince would have had on CDs such as "For You", "Prince" or "Dirty Mind". "Addicted" talks about the way Ne-Yo feels about being portrayed as a sex fiend. At the same time, Ne-Yo doesn't really shy away from the actual thought and he lets every and any woman that wants to test him that she will be the one that will become the sex fiend after one night with him. "Sex With My Ex" is self explanatory. I will admit that when I first heard the track that I was very disinterested in it. However, after a couple of listens the track did grow on me. Ne-Yo even went as far as saying that the song could possibly be a 3rd single after "Do You", which is slated to be single #2. Ne-Yo basically is saying to his ex that I could care less what is going on in your current relationship, as long as you and I can do the do at anytime, that's all that I am worried about. The ladies will definitely enjoy "Say It" which pretty much covers similar surfaces that he covered with "Mirror" on "In My Own Words". However, "Say It" does it better and will definitely be in most people's Top 5 of favorite songs for this CD.

Jennifer Hudson gives a splendid performance on "Leaving Tonight". She clearly outperforms Ne-Yo but both artists have a nice duet. The song basically describes the way that a woman would feel if she had reason to suspect that her man was cheating on her. She even goes as far as counting the times that the supposed "other woman" had called and wondering how this woman who supposedly Ne-Yo has nothing to do with has her own ringtone. "Ain't Thinking About You" is a track where Ne-Yo is getting tired and worn down from the day to day stress and drama with being with this particular woman. He states that he has done what was requried from him out of the friendship/relationship but the woman in question still isn't satisfied. Any man should be able to relate to this track, as Ne-Yo also talks about how her friends also have their eye on him and he is getting blamed for it. The only drawback to this song, in my opinion, are the unnecessary Nooooooooooo!!!!!! Ooooohhhhh!!!!!(s) that are going on in the song. "Angel" has Ne-Yo talking about a woman that he is so called dealing with that has someone else so she can't dedicate her time to only him. Atleast that is what my interpretation of the track is. The song isn't anything special but it is still worth listening to, in my opinion. "Make It Work" has to do with a man and a woman coming to a common ground in a relationship and Ne-Yo feels because of that he is willing to do what he has to, to make things work. The song is pretty good, but once again, Ne-Yo should have left the A-YO!!!, A-YO!!!'s alone.

The only track that I can't bear to listen to is "Go On Girl". Ne-Yo co-wrote "Irreplacable" for Beyonce. I don't need to hear the male equivalent of "Irreplacable". The track was covered one time and trust me, once is enough in this situation.

Overall, I rate this CD 3 and a half stars. There are some hits on this CD: the title track, "Crazy", "Leaving Tonight", "Say It" and "Can We Chill". However, Ne-Yo cuts himself short in some instances because instead of making an all around original CD like his debut, it seems that he is auditioning his writing talents to other artists such as Prince, Michael Jackson and other big time artists that he wants to work with. If the CD is a Ne-Yo CD then that's what the songs should reflect. Even if they are experiences that he has gone through and he is writing the words, the songs should sound original not like something that I heard on Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall" or Prince's "Dirty Mind".

I still feel like if you liked Ne-Yo's debut CD then you should pick up "Because Of You". Listen to the CD a couple of times, 3 or 4 times even, because some of the tracks will have to grow on you. Overall, this is still a quality CD, although, I still like "In My Own Words" better.

James' Top 5

1) Because Of You
2) Crazy w/Jay-Z
3) Leaving Tonight w/Jennifer Hudson
4) Say It
5) Can We Chill

Honorable Mention:

Do You
Sex With My Ex
Addicted
Make It Work
Ain't Thinking About You

4 out of 5 stars

Ne-Yo Proves He's No Fluke May 1, 2007
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

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.

3 out of 5 stars

Just okay... May 3, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

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.

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