Because of You (Ne-Yo album)

Because of You
Studio album by Ne-Yo
Released April 25, 2007
Recorded 2006–07
Genre
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)
Because of You
(2007)
Year of the Gentleman
(2008)
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
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The A.V. ClubB[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
PopMatters[5]
Robert Christgau[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Slant Magazine[8]
Stylus MagazineC+[9]
Yahoo! Music UK[10]

Because of You is the second studio album by American recording artist Ne-Yo, released on April 25, 2007 by 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 and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, which makes this Ne-Yo's second number one album, second platinum-selling album, and second top ten album in the United States following In My Own Words in 2006. 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. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Because of You"  Shaffer Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Storleer EriksenStarGate, Ne-Yo[a] 4:26
2. "Crazy" (featuring Jay-Z)Smith, Ron Feemster, Shawn CarterRon "Neff-U" Feemster 4:21
3. "Can We Chill"  Smith, Eric HudsonEric Hudson, Ne-Yo[a] 4:24
4. "Do You"  Smith, Melvin Sparkman, Marcus AllenThe Heavyweights, Ne-Yo[a] 3:48
5. "Addicted"  Smith, Shea TaylorShea Taylor, Ne-Yo[a] 3:46
6. "Leaving Tonight" (featuring Jennifer Hudson)Smith, Jerome Foster, Joe Davi, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin, Pamela Moffett-YoungKnobody, Ne-Yo[a] 5:15
7. "Ain't Thinking About You"  Smith, HudsonEric Hudson, Ne-Yo[a] 3:41
8. "Sex With My Ex"  Smith, TaylorShea Taylor, Ne-Yo[a] 3:39
9. "Angel"  Smith, Reggie PerrySyience, Ne-Yo[a] 3:28
10. "Make It Work"  Smith, TaylorShea Taylor, Ne-Yo[a] 4:09
11. "Say It"  Smith, Timothy BloomTimothy Bloom, Ne-Yo[a] 4:41
12. "Go On Girl"  Smith, Hermansen, Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund BjørklundStarGate, 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 Certified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[19] Platinum 1,000,000^

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

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 April 25, 2007
Canada May 26, 2007
Sweden

References

  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.
  6. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Ne-Yo". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  7. Sheffield, Rob (2007-05-14). "Ne-Yo: Because Of You : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-05-26. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  8. Cinquemani, Sal (2007-04-29). "Ne-Yo: Because Of You". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  9. Soto, Alfred (2007-05-09). "Ne-Yo - Because of You - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  10. Britten, Anna (2007-04-30). "Ne-Yo - 'Because Of You'". Yahoo! Music UK. Archived from the original on 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  11. "Critic Reviews for Because Of You". Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-11-18.
  12. PopMatters Music Review
  13. Cinquemani, Sal (2007-04-29). "Ne-Yo - Because Of You - Music Review - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  14. HITS Daily Double
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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.
  18. "British album certifications – Ne-Yo – Because of You". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Because of You in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  19. "American album certifications – Ne-Yo – Because of You". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

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