Ne-Yo: Year Of The Gentleman

Ne-Yo is part of a new generation of R&B; stars

who came up through the songwriting ranks, scoring hit after hit for other

artists before recording their own material. Songwriters-turned-singers like

John Legend, Robin Thicke, and Ne-Yo are so slick, appealing, and photogenic

that it's hard to imagine why they weren't pushed into the spotlight in the

first place. Alas, Ne-Yo can be a little too slick, as the title of his third

album, Year Of The Gentleman, attests. Too much of the disc falls lazily into

the template that made Ne-Yo a star: yearning vocals, romantic lyrics, sleepy

tempos, tasteful acoustic guitar plucking or piano tinkling, and an aversion to

anything too rocking or quirky. Still, Ne-Yo manages a few inspired variations

on this formula: His ethereal falsetto channels Michael Jackson as he sings of

romantic rapture on "Stop This World," while "Nobody" suggests Pharrell's

periodic forays into disco. But with his latest, Ne-Yo's winning groove

devolves into a rut, and his quiet storm gets awfully sleepy.