Ne-Yo is already considered to be one of this generation's most revered and talented singer/songwriters. Known for lending his pen skills to the likes of Beyonce' to Rihanna . Ne-Yo is indeed a master in the art of R&B in the conventional and traditional sense of the word. Ne-Yo returns with Libra Scale, a concept album that pays homage to Japanese culture, comic books , Sci-fi flicks and the late , great Michael Jackson. The ghost of the King of Pop can be heard throughout Libra Scale, as Ne-Yo channels the iconic ,deceased star as he takes you on a ride through the paranormal."Champagne Life" invokes MJ circa 1979 with its upbeat , and smooth vibes. Ne-Yo set out to make a movie on wax , making his production just as grand and larger than life as the lyrics that back them up. On the appropriately titled "Making A Movie" , Ne-Yo plays director as he searches for his leading-lady, singing, " Come here girl/ we making a movie/ And the director is me/ So when I yell 'cut' / We gon' leave" Ne-Yo then slows down for the chilled out , sweet horns of "Know Your Name" where we find the Ne-Yo in full gentleman mode trying to sweep a woman he discovers off her feet, "Looking at you girl, I see so much/ Like me and you/ Becoming us/ But in your eyes/ I can see why / People write love songs/ And if God allows/ I can see how / I could love you for so long". Ne-Yo then captivates on the bedroom starter "Telekinesis" as he asks a certain lady , well in this case ALL women "Have you ever had someone take the time/ To sex your body/ But also sex your mind?" As he offers the chance to touch you without touching you. On the Ryan Leslie-score and Fabolous-guest featured "Crazy Love", Ne-Yo sings about reckless love with his significant other , while Fabolous raps, "You wanna start it first / And get the last word/ You wanna lock me down / And get the password...in the bedroom I gotta few screws loose/ The head's Coo-Coo/ Backshots psycho / Hit it from the back hard/ Hope you got Geico". Other standout tracks is "One In A Million" and the album closer "What Have I Done" , both sound like tracks that Michael Jackson would have made if he was still here. The latter finds Ne-Yo telling the tale of a relationship gone wrong because of his irresponsiblity, and the aftermath it caused. He remorsefully sings, " Time on my hands/ To sit and think about what I did wrong/ ...There's blood on my hands/ Guilty party/ Aint no secret I'm the one/ I'm responsible for this/ Sure as the moon shines / Because I'm the sun/ What have I done?" Closing the song with these sentiments, " I'm to blame/ Love is privilege/ And not a game". While the album is indeed one of Ne-Yo's best work, songs like the techno- inspired "Beautiful Monster" fails, and falls in the same vain of previous records from his catalog (i.e. 2008's "Closer") While the mishaps come few and far in between, (it had to, since the album is comprised of only 10 songs) the rest of the album is about as complete as any R&B album your going to get and quite frankly speaking , one of the best R&B albums of the year.
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