Because of You (Ne-Yo album)

Because of You
Studio album by Ne-Yo
Released April 25, 2007 (2007-04-25)
(See release history)
Recorded 2006–2007
Genre R&B, pop, dance-pop
Length 49:57
Label Def Jam
Producer Ne-Yo, Stargate, Knobody, Neff-U, The Heavyweights, Shea Taylor, Eric Hudson
Ne-Yo chronology
In My Own Words
(2006)		 Because of You
(2007)		 Year of the Gentleman
(2008)
Singles from Because of You
  1. "Because of You"
    Released: February 4, 2007
  2. "Do You"
    Released: June 12, 2007
  3. "Can We Chill"
    Released: September 29, 2007
  4. "Go On Girl"
    Released: December 4, 2007
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
The A.V. Club (B)[2]
Entertainment Weekly (B+)[3]
IGN (7.6/10)[4]
Los Angeles Times [5]
The New York Times (favorable)[6]
PopMatters (9/10)[7]
Rolling Stone [8]
Stylus Magazine (C+)[9]
The Washington Post (favorable)[10]

Because of You is the second studio album by American R&B and pop singer-songwriter Ne-Yo, released May 8, 2007 on Def Jam Recordings in the United States. It features guest contributions from rapper Jay-Z on "Crazy" and singer Jennifer Hudson on "Leaving Tonight". Because of You debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling over 250,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 74/100 from Metacritic.[11] It won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards.

Contents

Reception

According to Nielsen SoundScan, Because of You debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 251,000 copies on its first week of release.[12] Because of You is Ne-Yo's second number-one album. The album has shipped one million units in the US. It has sold over 1,630,000 copies in the United States alone. It spawned four singles: "Because Of You", "Do You", "Can We Chill", and "Go On Girl".

The album has also drawn mainly positive reviews, with Entertainment Weekly magazine noting, "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." PopMatters.com called the album "a masterpiece of a record" and praised the title track's blend of "upbeat modern-day funk tempo, beautifully melodic backdrop and love-sick (in a good way) vocals...[it's] the perfect lead single off an album that is filled with number-one hits".[13] The album won Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards.

Track listing

No. Title Producer(s) Length
1. "Because of You"   StarGate, Ne-Yo* 3:46
2. "Crazy" (featuring Jay-Z) Ron "Neff-U" Feemster 4:21
3. "Can We Chill"   Eric Hudson, Ne-Yo* 4:24
4. "Do You"   The Heavyweights, Ne-Yo* 3:48
5. "Addicted"   Shea Taylor, Ne-Yo* 3:46
6. "Leaving Tonight" (featuring Jennifer Hudson) Knobody, Ne-Yo* 5:15
7. "Ain't Think About You"   Eric Hudson, Ne-Yo* 3:41
8. "Sex With My Ex"   Shea Taylor, Ne-Yo* 3:39
9. "Angel"   Syience, Ne-Yo* 3:28
10. "Make It Work"   Shea Taylor, Ne-Yo* 4:09
11. "Say It"   Keys, Ne-Yo* 4:41
12. "Go On Girl"   StarGate 4:21

Chart history

Album
Chart (2007) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Urban Albums Chart[14] 39
Dutch Albums Chart[14] 30
Irish Albums Chart[14] 34
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart[14] 34
Swiss Music Charts[14] 49
UK Albums Chart[14] 6
U.S. Billboard 200[15] 1
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[16] 1
Chart procession and succession
Preceded by
The Best Damn Thing by Avril Lavigne		 Billboard 200 number-one album
May 13, 2007 - May 19, 2007		 Succeeded by
Call Me Irresponsible by Michael Bublè

Release history

Region Date
Japan April 25, 2007
Australia April 27, 2007
Europe
United Kingdom April 30, 2007
United States May 1, 2007
Canada May 26, 2007
Sweden

References

  1. ^ Kellman, Andy. Review: Because of You. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  2. ^ Rabin, Nathan. Review: Because of You. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  3. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon. Review: Because of You. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  4. ^ D., Spence. Review: Because of You. IGN. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  5. ^ Kim, Serena. Review: Because of You. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  6. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa. Review: Because of You. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  7. ^ McGuire, Colin. Review: Because of You. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  8. ^ Sheffield, Rob. Review: Because of You. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  9. ^ Soto, Alfred. Review: Because of You. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  10. ^ Charnas, Dan. Review: Because of You. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  11. ^ Because of You (2007): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  12. ^ HITS Daily Double
  13. ^ PopMatters Music Review
  14. ^ a b c d e f Ne-Yo - Because of You - Music Charts αCharts. Accessed September 20, 2008.
  15. ^ The Billboard 200 - Because of You - Ne-Yo Billboard. Accessed September 20, 2008.
  16. ^ Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Because of You - Ne-Yo Billboard. Accessed September 20, 2008.

External links

Ne-Yo
Studio albums
In My Own Words · Because of You · Year of the Gentleman · Libra Scale · The Cracks In Mr. Perfect
Compilation albums
Singles
Featured singles