R.E.D. (Ne-Yo album)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

R.E.D.
A near-closeup of Ne-Yo in profile looking to the right with a fedora. Half of the image shows the back of his head behind a red background with little to no lighting while the other half shows him behind a white background with light. The left half shows the artist name, "NE-YO", in white text while the other half shows the album's title, "R.E.D." in red text.
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 31, 2012
Recorded2011–12
Genre
Length51:10
Label
  • Compound
  • Motown
Producer
Ne-Yo chronology
Libra Scale
(2010)
R.E.D.
(2012)
Non-Fiction
(2015)
Singles from R.E.D.
  1. "Lazy Love"
    Released: June 12, 2012
  2. "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)"
    Released: July 10, 2012
  3. "Don't Make Em Like You"
    Released: October 22, 2012
  4. "Forever Now"
    Released: November 23, 2012

R.E.D. (an

studio album by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo, first released on October 31, 2012, in Japan. The album follows the disappointing commercial performance to 2010's Libra Scale and is Ne-Yo's first album with new label Motown Records after being appointed as the label's senior vice president for A&R. The album contains songs that crossover different genres of music, combining elements of R&B, pop and dance-pop
.

On R.E.D., Ne-Yo has re-united with frequent partners

". Upon its release, R.E.D. has received generally favorable reviews from most music critics.

Background and conception

R.E.D. is Ne-Yo's fifth album and follow up to 2010's

Island Def Jam to Motown Records, where he also serves as senior vice president for the label's A&R division.[2]
Ironically, the album’s title and artwork did draw comparison’s to Taylor Swift’s Red which release earlier the same month.

Ne-Yo reunited with long-term collaborators such as Norwegian songwriting/production duo

StarGate, as well as UK producer Harmony, No I.D. and David Banner.[5] Speaking of his studio sessions on the album, Ne-Yo told his producers that he wanted the album – which he described to Blues & Soul as "lyrically honest to a fault" – to be meaningful.[6] "One thing that I told everybody going into this is, 'I don't want you making a track like you're making a track for Ne-Yo. Just do what you do and let the fact that I'm on it be the Ne-Yo element. There is no way to expand and grow if everybody you're working with wants to keep you in a box."[5] Some critics responded to the comments made by Ne-Yo and came to the conclusion that the singer had "lost touch" with his R&B roots. During a visit to Angie Martinez' Hot 97 radio show, Ne-Yo addressed his critics saying "I know where I came from. I know that R&B is where it started at for me... When this new album comes out, it will shut the mouths of everybody who feels like I have 'crossed over'."[7] The album was pushed back from its original release date of September 18, 2012 to October 31, 2012.[8][9]

Music and composition

The album was previously titled The Cracks in Mr Perfect, which was based on a song of the same name which would still appear on the album.

Young Jeezy.[10]

sonorous base" line and "slow-drip synths" with lyrics that centre on the "languid desire that pins a couple to their sheets way past morning".[1]

The

Young Jeezy. It features exclusively on the Target Deluxe edition of the album. "Slow Down" continues those sentiments with Ne-Yo singing in his falsetto.[1] Continuing the more adult content, the song "Stress Reliever" centers around the singer's favorite sex position. The song draws inspiration from fellow R&B singer R. Kelly and rapper Lil Wayne.[1]

Singles

"

indie/pop singer-songwriter Sia.[2] A day later it was released for digital download in Australia,[16] mainland Europe[17][18] and the UK.[19] "Let Me Love You" was serviced to US rhythmic/crossover radio stations on July 31, 2012 and a week later on August 7, 2012 to pop/mainstream stations.[20][21] It was released in the US on July 31, 2012.[22]

During an interview with DJ Whoo Kid on Shade 45 radio, Ne-Yo said that the album's third single would probably be a song called "Should Be You" featuring rappers Fabolous and Diddy.[23] However, on October 4, 2012, Ne-Yo confirmed that "Don't Make Em Like You" featuring rapper Wiz Khalifa had been selected as the album's third single instead.[24] It was released for digital download on October 22, 2012 in the United States.[25] "Forever Now" will serve as the second international single and fourth overall single from the album.[26] It will be released on November 23, 2012, in Germany[27] and December 2, 2012 in the United Kingdom.[28]

Reception

Critics reviews

R.E.D. has received favorable reviews from most music critics. At

Boston Globe lauded the album's production, writing that Ne-Yo successfully augments dance-oriented pop with love songs. Capobianco went on to further praise R.E.D. for being "smart, sophisticated, and built around songs."[30] Ray Rahman of Entertainment Weekly praised Ne-Yo's advancing maturity, the album's lyrics and the track "She Is", which he described as a "country-tinged", "smooth and casual" record."[31] Nate Chinen of The New York Times also praised the latter track, noting several other songs as stand-outs, including "Carry On (Her Letter to Him)", "Shut Me Down", "Cracks in Mr. Perfect", "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)" and "Don't Make 'Em Like You", despite being ambivalent towards Wiz Khalifa's appearance. Chinen also depicted Ne-Yo's "fondness for harmonic twists" which "reframe his melodies as he’s singing them", and his stylistic departure from his previous albums.[32] The Washington Post's Sarah Godfrey recognized Ne-Yo as an "extremely gifted and versatile songwriter", noting R.E.D. to contain some "great music", but showing a "clumsy attempt to cram all of Ne-Yo's gifts into one package", making the album "disjointed" as a whole.[33]

Will Hermes of

Mario's "Let Me Love You", which Ne-Yo himself wrote.[37] Wood goes on to note the follow-up tracks to be of lesser quality, giving the album two-and-a-half stars out of four.[37]

Commercial performance

On the week ending of November 17, 2012, R.E.D. debuted at number seventeen on the

UK Digital Chart.[41] On the week ending November 17, 2012 R.E.D. entered the US Billboard 200 chart at number four, selling 66,000 copies in its first week.[42] This marks his third consecutive top-ten album in the United States, and charted five places higher and sold 46,000 copies less than his last album, Libra Scale which debuted at number nine on the chart, and sold 112,000 copies in its first week. The album opened at the top spot of the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, his third album to do so. As of January 2015, the album has sold 264,000 copies in the US.[43]

In 2013, R.E.D. was ranked as the 165th most popular album of the year on the Billboard 200.[44]

Track listing

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Cracks in Mr. Perfect"
  • Stargate
  • Reeva & Black
4:11
4."Miss Right"
  • Smith
  • Eriksen
  • Hermansen
Stargate3:49
5."Jealous"
Smith
Phatboiz4:07
6."Don't Make Em Like You" (featuring Wiz Khalifa)Samuels4:09
7."Be the One"
  • Smith
  • Eriksen
  • Hermansen
Stargate3:47
8."Stress Reliever"
  • Smith
  • Taylor
Taylor3:35
9."She Is" (featuring Tim McGraw)
Smith
  • Laird
  • Byron Gallimore[a]
3:26
10."Carry On (Her Letter to Him)"
  • Smith
  • Jesse "Corporal" Wilson
  • Wilson
  • Reginald Smith
3:56
11."Forever Now"
3:41
12."Shut Me Down"
  • Kiriakou
  • Goldstein
3:41
13."Unconditional"
  • Smith
  • Arthur
  • Reilly
  • Justice
Phatboiz4:38
Total length:51:10
Japan standard edition bonus tracks
No I.D.3:18
16."Alone with You (Maddies Song)"
  • Smith
  • Remi
Remi4:58
17."Let's Go" (featuring Calvin Harris)
  • Harris
  • Smith
Calvin Harris3:53
18."Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)" (featuring Beni)
  • Smith
  • Furler
  • Eriksen
  • Hermansen
  • Hadfield
  • Scala
  • Stargate
  • Reeva & Black
4:11
Deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Should Be You" (featuring Fabolous and Diddy)
  • Smith
  • Remi
  • Jackson
  • Coleman
Remi4:15
15."My Other Gun"
  • Smith
  • E. Wilson
  • Wyreman
  • Randolph
  • Landsberg
  • Pappalardi
  • Ventura
  • Weinstein
  • Redd
  • Redd Jr.
  • Handy
  • Horne
  • Rob. Bell
  • Ron. Bell
  • Mickens
  • Thomas
  • Westfield
No I.D.3:18
16."Alone with You (Maddies Song)"
  • Smith
  • Remi
Remi4:58
17."Let's Go" (featuring Calvin Harris)
  • Harris
  • Smith
Harris3:53
iTunes bonus track[46]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
18."Burning Up"
3:33
Target bonus tracks
Jay Jenkins
Da Internz4:44
19."To Whom It May Concern"Chuck Harmony4:20
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies Tim McGraw vocal producer
  • ^[b] signifies a co-producer
  • "My Other Gun" contains elements of "Long Red", as performed by
    Kool and the Gang
    .

Personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes.[48]

  • Stephen Allbritten — vocal engineer (track 9)
  • Mike Anderson — engineer (tracks 3, 7)
  • Paul Bäumer — producer and instrumentation (track 11)
  • Jose Cardoza — assistant engineer (track 6)
  • Kevin "KD" Davis — mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 8–10, 12–16)
  • Mike Di Scala — producer and instrumentation (track 3)
  • Gleyder "Gee" Disla — engineer (tracks 14, 16)
  • Mikkel S. Eriksen
    – producer, engineer, and instrumentation (tracks 3, 4, 7, 11)
  • Moses "Mellomo" Gallart — engineer (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12–15, 17)
  • Byron Gallimore — vocal producer (track 9)
  • Andrew Goldstein — producer, keyboards, guitars, and programming (track 12)
  • Ryan Gore — engineer (track 9)
  • Mark Hadfield — producer and instrumentation (track 3)
  • Jaymz Hardy-Martin III — engineer (track 9)
  • Calvin Harris — producer, arrangements, and instrumentation (track 17)
  • Vincent Henry — guitars (track 16)
  • Tor Erik Hermansen
    – producer and instrumentation (tracks 3, 4, 7, 11)
  • Maarten Hoogstraten — producer and instrumentation (track 11)
  • Carlos King — engineer (track 6)
  • Emanuel Kiriakou — producer, keyboards, guitars, and programming (track 12)
  • Wiz Khalifa — rap (track 6)
  • Jens Koerkemeier — engineer and editing (track 12)
  • Luke Laird — producer, guitars, and drum programming (track 9)
  • Jerel Lake — assistant mix engineer (track 4)
  • Tim McGraw — vocals (track 9)
  • Ne-Yo — vocals (all tracks), producer (track 12), executive producer
  • No I.D. — producer (track 15)
  • Phatboiz — producers (tracks 5, 13), co-producers (track 11)
  • Kevin Randolph — keyboards (track 15)
  • Salaam Remi — producer, arrangements, bass, keyboards, and drums (tracks 14, 16)
  • Ramon Rivas — assistant engineer (tracks 1, 2, 8)
  • Daniel Rivera — additional/assistant mixing (tracks 3, 7, 11)
  • Jeff Roach — string programming (track 9)
  • Harmony "H-Money" Samuels — producer (track 6)
  • Reginald Smith — producer (track 10)
  • Phil Tan — mixing (tracks 3, 7, 11)
  • Shea Taylor — producer, guitar, and instrumentation (tracks 1, 2, 8)
  • Patt Thrall — engineer and editing (track 12)
  • Miles Walker — engineer (tracks 3, 7, 11)
  • Curtis "Sauce" Wilson — engineer (tracks 10, 11)
  • Jesse "Corparal" Wilson — producer (track 10)
  • Kenneth Wright — bass (track 13)
  • Steve Wyreman — guitar and bass (track 15)

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[68] Silver 60,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

List of release dates, showing country, record label, and catalog number
Region Date Format Label Catalog
Japan October 31, 2012 Standard edition[9] Universal Music Japan UICT9017
Deluxe edition[69] UICT1066
Germany November 2, 2012 Standard edition[70] Universal Music Group
Deluxe edition[71]
United Kingdom November 5, 2012 Standard edition[72] Mercury Records
Deluxe edition[73]
United States November 6, 2012 Standard edition[74] Motown Records
Deluxe edition[74]

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