Ne-Yo and Nelly :: CD Reviews


Hip hop superstar Nelly releases his first album in four years, while R&B royalty Ne-Yo drops his third disc. But is it the Year of the Gentleman, or time for some Brass Knuckles? Kidzworld investigates.
Hip hop superstar Nelly releases his first album in four years, while R&B royalty Ne-Yo drops his third disc. But is it the Year of the Gentleman, or time for some Brass Knuckles? Kidzworld investigates.
Ne-Yo :: Year of the Gentleman
Ne-Yo’s a busy guy—since debuting with In My Own Words in 2006, he’s released an album every year. On Year of the Gentleman, he returns to similar songs as on previous albums, but he’s using less of his soul side and more more of his pop sensibility to channel people like Michael Jackson and even Justin Timberlake on many tracks. Maybe Ne-Yo’s been too busy, because Year of the Gentleman is lacking the strength of his previous albums. This is especially true when it comes to the lyrics, something Ne-Yo usually excels at—he’s written hit songs not only for himself, but people like Rihanna. This Year, it sounds like Ne-Yo should have spent more time on his own songs.Fun Facts
Hot Tracks
Miss Independent, Closer, Nobody
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Nelly :: Brass Knuckles
How many guests can you fit on your album? Nelly tries at least two per track on Brass Knuckles, his fifth disc. With help from people like Fergie, Snoop Dogg, T.I. and LL Cool J, Nelly’s new album has got a good groove going, but most songs don’t step up the way his previous hits did (Ride Wit Me and Hot in Herre being the big ones). Ironically, even though he has help from all of these famous friends, he does his best work solo, on the slowed-down One and Only—a love song for a high school sweetheart that he’s lost touch with over the years.
Fun Facts
Hot Tracks
LA (feat. Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg), Let it Go (feat. Lil’ Mama and Pharrell), One and Only
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