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Ne-Yo VibeZ

Fifty-four tracks from a songwriter who wrote enormous hits for other people before anyone let him sing, and then turned out to be a better singer than most of them.

So Sick Paroles – NE-YO – GreatSong

Ne-Yo

Shaffer Smith spent years in Las Vegas and Los Angeles as a writer for hire, and the record that changed things was Mario's "Let Me Love You" — a number one he wrote and did not sing. Def Jam then signed him as an artist, and "So Sick" went to number one too.

His significance is as a craftsman. At a moment when R&B was fragmenting into producer-led atmospherics, Ne-Yo wrote songs in the old sense: verse, chorus, bridge, a clear idea stated and developed, melodies that a person could sing back after one hearing.

He has said repeatedly that Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder are his models, and the writing bears it out — he is one of very few artists of his generation who thinks in terms of the standard rather than the moment.

What to listen for

"So Sick" is the one everyone knows and a model of construction — the whole song turns on a single conceit about a radio, and it never over-explains it.

"Because Of You" is the best-produced record here, and "Miss Independent" is the most joyful.

"Sexy Love" and "Do You" are the other early singles, and the second is one of the most underrated things in his catalogue.

"Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself)" is the later record that most clearly shows the songwriting hand.

"Hate That I Love You" with Rihanna is the duet, and "Let's Go" with Calvin Harris is the EDM crossover that made him a global chart presence all over again.

"A House Is Not A Home" with Dionne Warwick is the standards reading and the most exposed vocal here.

"Fade Into The Background", "Religious" and "So You Can Cry" are the album cuts where the writing is strongest.

Go deeper

In My Own Words (2006) and Because of You (2007) are the two albums that made him; Year of the Gentleman (2008) is the most complete.

Then look up his writing credits — Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable", Rihanna's "Take a Bow", Mario's "Let Me Love You". The songwriter's catalogue is arguably the bigger achievement.

Why the craft stands out: at a moment when R&B was fragmenting into producer-led atmosphere, he kept writing songs in the old sense — verse, chorus, bridge, one clear idea developed and not over-explained. That is why these melodies survive one hearing, and why so many of them ended up being hits for other people.

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