Because of You (Ne-Yo album)

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Because of You
File:Ne-yobecauseofyou.jpg
Studio album by Ne-Yo
Released May 1, 2007
Recorded 2006–07
Genre R&B, pop, hip hop soul
Length 49:57
Label Def Jam, Compound
Producer Ron "Neff-U" Feemster, The Heavyweights, Eric Hudson, Jay-Z (exec.), Timothy Bloom, Knobody, Ne-Yo, StarGate, Syience, Shea Taylor
Ne-Yo chronology
In My Own Words
(2006)In My Own Words2006
Because of You
(2007)
Year of the Gentleman
(2008)Year of the Gentleman2008
Singles from Because of You
  1. "Because of You"
    Released: March 27, 2007
  2. "Do You"
    Released: September 22, 2007
  3. "Can We Chill"
    Released: September 29, 2007
  4. "Go On Girl"
    Released: December 4, 2007
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars[1]
The A.V. Club B[2]
Entertainment Weekly B+[3]
Los Angeles Times 2.5/4 stars[4]
PopMatters 9/10 stars[5]
Robert Christgau (dud)[6]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[7]
Slant Magazine 2/5 stars[8]
Stylus Magazine C+[9]
Yahoo! Music UK 6/10 stars[10]

Because of You is the second studio album by American R&B and pop singer-songwriter Ne-Yo, released May 1, 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.

Critical reception

The album has 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".[12] Slant Magazine also compared the album's sensual ballads to Janet Jackson.[13]

Commercial performance

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.[14] 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". "Leaving Tonight" was released as a radio single.

The album won Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards.

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Because of You"   Shaffer Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen StarGate, Ne-Yo[a] 4:26
2. "Crazy" (featuring Jay-Z) Smith, Ron Feemster, Shawn Carter Ron "Neff-U" Feemster 4:21
3. "Can We Chill"   Smith, Eric Hudson Eric Hudson, Ne-Yo[a] 4:24
4. "Do You"   Smith, Melvin Sparkman, Marcus Allen The Heavyweights, Ne-Yo[a] 3:48
5. "Addicted"   Smith, Shea Taylor Shea Taylor, Ne-Yo[a] 3:46
6. "Leaving Tonight" (featuring Jennifer Hudson) Smith, Jerome Foster, Joe Davi, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin, Pamela Moffett-Young Knobody, Ne-Yo[a] 5:15
7. "Ain't Thinking About You"   Smith, Hudson Eric Hudson, Ne-Yo[a] 3:41
8. "Sex With My Ex"   Smith, Taylor Shea Taylor, Ne-Yo[a] 3:39
9. "Angel"   Smith, Reggie Perry Syience, Ne-Yo[a] 3:28
10. "Make It Work"   Smith, Taylor Shea Taylor, Ne-Yo[a] 4:09
11. "Say It"   Smith, Timothy Bloom Timothy Bloom, Ne-Yo[a] 4:41
12. "Go On Girl"   Smith, Hermansen, Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund StarGate, Ne-Yo[a] 4:21
Notes

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Urban Albums Chart[15] 39
Dutch Albums Chart[15] 30
Irish Albums Chart[15] 34
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart[15] 34
Swiss Music Charts[15] 49
UK Albums Chart[15] 6
US Billboard 200[16] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Belgium (BEA)[18] Gold 15,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[19] Platinum 15,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Gold 100,000
United States (RIAA)[21] Platinum 1,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Chart procession and succession
Preceded by 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

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External links

  1. Kellman, Andy. "Because of You - Ne-Yo". AllMusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  2. Rabin, Nathan (2007-05-22). "Ne-Yo: Because of You". The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  3. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2007-04-22). "Because of You Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  4. Kim, Serena (2007-04-29). "Tori's torn in pieces". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  5. McGuire, Colin (2007-06-07). "Ne-Yo: Because of You". PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
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  9. Soto, Alfred (2007-05-09). "Ne-Yo - Because of You - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
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  11. "Critic Reviews for Because Of You". Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  12. PopMatters Music Review
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  14. HITS Daily Double
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 Ne-Yo - Because of You - Music Charts αCharts. Accessed September 20, 2008.
  16. The Billboard 200 - Because of You - Ne-Yo Billboard. Accessed September 20, 2008.
  17. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Because of You - Ne-Yo Billboard. Accessed September 20, 2008.
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