Because of You is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Ne-Yo. It was released by Compound Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings on April 25, 2007 in the United States. Ne-Yo reteamed with many previous collaborators to work on the follow-up to his debut album In My Own Words (2006), involving Ron "Neff-U" Feemster, StarGate, and Shea Taylor, as well as new and upcoming musicians such as The Heavyweights, Eric Hudson, Timothy Bloom, Knobody, and Syience. Next to them, Because of You features guest vocal contributions from rapper Jay-Z on "Crazy" and fellow R&B singer Jennifer Hudson on "Leaving Tonight".
Because of You debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling over 250,000 copies in its first week, and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also reached the top ten in Canada and the United Kingdom but was commercially less successful than In My Own Words elsewhere. Released to generally positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented the album for the advancement over its predecessor,[2] it won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2008.
Background
After years of songwriting, Ne-Yo had his major breakthrough when Mario's hit single "Let Me Love You," which he co-wrote, became a worldwide number-one hit in 2004. The success of the song led to a meeting with Def Jam executive L.A. Reid, and although not actively seeking a deal,[3] Ne-Yo was signed by then-CEO Jay-Z after performing for the label.[3]In My Own Words, his debut album with Def Jam, was released in February 2006 and earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album. A commercial success, it debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 1.4 million copies domestcially,[4] while also producing four singles, including the number-one hit "So Sick."[3]
For his next album with the label, the singer reteamed with many previous collaborators from his debut album to work on new material, including Ron "Neff-U" Feemster, StarGate, and Shea Taylor.[4] Ne-Yo also consulted new and upcoming musicians such as Eric Hudson, Timothy Bloom, Knobody, and Syience.[4] Planned additional studio sessions with producer Timbaland failed to materialize due to their scheduling.[4] Initially titled Know Me,[4] the project was re-titled Because of You a month before its release,[5] which he felt "makes the most sense. It's because of the people that inspire me to make music. Because of the love of the music. Because of the fans. Because of you, that I do what I do."[5]
Promotion
Because of You was preceded by its same-titled lead single. Issued to radios on February 13, 2007, it emerged as Ne-Yo's highest-charting single since "So Sick" (2006), becoming his first number-one hit in New Zealand, while also reaching the fop five in the United Kingdom and the United States.[6] The up-tempo track also earned him his second consecutive Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.[7] While Ne-Yo had initially hoped that "Crazy" featuring Jay Z – then titled "Call Me Crazy" – would be released as the album's second single,[4]Def Jam decided to release the downtempo song "Do You", produced by The Heavyweights, as the follow-up to "Because of You" in September 2007. The song peaked at number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[6] "Can We Chill", and "Go On Girl" were as the album's third and fourth singles, respectively, while "Leaving Tonight" was issued as a radio single only.
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 74, which indicates "generally favorable" reviews, based on 14 critics.[2]PopMatters's Colin McGuire found that with Because of You Ne-Yo "relishes in his disgust for a sophomore slump by fighting back with an album that leaves his first solo effort so far in the dust." He felt that the album "might end up being the best R&B album of the year."[12] Similarly, AllMusic editor Andy Kellman noted that "the key to the album's potency and freshness is its differences from In My Own Words [...] Making it to number one on your own, writing a major hit for one of the planet's most popular entertainers, and qualifying as the heir to R. Kelly can have that effect."[8] Simon Vozick-Levinson from Entertainment Weekly noted that "indeed, the album is an unmistakable attempt to channel Michael Jackson's early work such as Off the Wall [...] and the effort often pays off beautifully [...] Ne-Yo's lithe falsetto puts the many others who've been labeled Jackson-esque to shame."[10]
In his review for The A.V. Club, Nathan Rabin wrote that the album "is a real sleeper that reveals considerable strengths upon repeat listens [...] Best of all, with a running time of just over 59 minutes, Because of You is largely devoid of filler, and it never threatens to wear out its welcome."[9]Slant Magazine also compared the album's sensual ballads to Janet Jackson.[15]Kelefa Sanneh, writer for The New York Times, found that Ne-Yo "got a silky voice and a clear knack for chronicling obsessive love and lust; maybe one day he’ll create a half-crazed R&B masterpiece. But in the meantime, Because of You is a likable little album: 12 girl-crazy songs from a boy who can stop anytime he wants. Honest."[18] Sarah Rodman from The Boston Globe called the album a "sexy and sweet sophomore release"." She found tht "although several different hands are employed, the album flows as if from one mind, with an emphasis on crafty vocal arrangements, crisp snap-and-clap percussion, and breezy keyboard work" and noted that Because of You "mostly avoids the filler problem that plagues many contemporary R&B albums. And what filler there is [...} is arranged so lusciously that it does not offend."[19]
Commercial performance
Because of You became Ne-Yo's second number-one album in the United States. It debuted atop both the US Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the week ending May 19, 2007, selling 251,000 copies.[20] It was certified Gold and Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 12, 2007.[21]Billboard ranked the album 13th on its Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end listing.[22] By March 2008, Because of You has sold over 931,000 copies domestically, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[23]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Release history
Table of release dates, formats, editions and record labels
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
