Ne-Yo - "Year of the Gentleman"

Ne-Yo's third studio album, Year of the Gentleman, released Sept. 16, 2008 in the U.S., will probably be remembered most for the singles "Closer" and "Miss Independent," but its legacy will probably be about much more than hit songs. Because this is the album where Ne-Yo makes two significant career moves: No. 1 he starts to create some separation between his vocal style and that of Michael Jackson, whom he's been accused of imitating throughout his career; and No. 2, he firmly establishes himself more on the pop side of the pop-R&B label that's been hung on him by music critics and fans since ever his debut album.

Breaking away from Michael Jackson's vocal style is great - there should be only one Michael Jackson (and for many reasons, too). But heading in an even more pop - some might say watered down - direction and away from traditional R&B is something that might not sit well with some fans. But what Ne-Yo is actually doing is showing how versatile he is as an artist and how he can cross several different music genres and make them all work for him.

The first example is the album's opening track, the aforementioned "Closer." The pop-dance track is quite different from most things Ne-Yo's recorded in the past, and it takes a little time to adjust the ear to hearing him sing over the techno-light backing music, but his voice manages to ride the track effortlessly. Likewise for the snap music ballad "Single," in which he romantically croons about being a girl's replacement boyfriend - but only for a short while. And on the soaring, almost Gospel-like "Stop This World," which is arguably the album's best song, his vocals expertly straddle the line between strong and tender as he sings about being giddy in love, singing: "Okay, I woke up in heaven today, She kissed me, I floated away ... never felt anything so great." On the song he wants to freeze time because he knows that as great as love is, there's always two sides to it: "Alright, now I brace myself for the fights, somethin' must go wrong 'cause it's way too right," he muses. Honest, insightful, lyrics like these add to Ne-Yo's reputation as one of the best songwriters in all of music.

Regarding his vocals, as mentioned above, he's toned down the Michael Jackson-isms, except on "Closer" and a couple of other songs. This is a good thing, but at the same time, in stepping outside the box, he reveals himself as a merely ordinary singer. A singer with a lot of passion and incredible lyrics, but still pretty ordinary when it comes to vocals. Which is another reason why his shift toward pop is easy to understand: pop music is filled with singers with mediocre voices, but great style and song production.

And style and good production are two things this album has in abundance. The aforementioned "Miss Independent," an ode to women who've achieved career success on their own, is maybe the album's most instantly catchy song; it's smart, sexy and stylish. "Ooh, there's somethin' about a young woman that can do for herself, I look at her and it makes me proud - there's somethin' about her," Ne-Yo coos on the song. "There's somethin' oh so sexy about a young woman who don't even need my help." And although traditional R&B may have taken a backseat on the album, it's not completely absent. A prime example is "Fade Into the Background," a slightly funky number about getting funny feelings while attending his ex's wedding. It's one of the few tracks on the album with live instrumentation, and it sounds great.

Overall, this is a very solid album. Despite is almost complete emphasis on worshiping women, he never completely comes across as pandering - or worse, as a wimp. Instead the album lives up to its title and Ne-Yo comes across like a complete gentleman.