No, it's not a year from the Chinese Zodiac. The Year of the Salamander is Ne-Yo's new album!
Alright, I kid. Ne-Yo fancies himself a gentleman this go 'round and he's gone for the oh-so-unique idea of trying to bring the Rat Pack sense of style back with three-piece suits, fedora hats and dress shoes. Oh yeah, isn't that pretty much the look and style that Justin Timberlake did for "FutureSex/LoveSounds"?
His slow-growing, house-influenced single "Closer" has set Ne-Yo up for a successful debut with his new album's release last week. The numbers haven't come in yet but I'm betting he'll have a top 5 debut. The weird thing to me about Ne-Yo is that while he makes reasonable listenable music, I haven't been excited about any of his music since his debut. To date, "Sexy Love" is his best joint. It captured a good energy marrying it with a youthful sound and story.
But singing isn't the only thing keeping Ne-Yo busy. Ever since he wrote Beyonce's "To the left, to the left" jam "Irreplaceable," people have been lining up at Ne-Yo's door for some hits. Ne-Yo says that he's been working with the Pussycat Doll, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Usher and uh, Lindsay Lohan. Good luck with working with Lindsay Lohan, Ne-Yo. The only hit Lindsay's capable of producing....oh, you know where this is going.
Check out this video of Ne-Yo talking about his upcoming projects and who he would love to collaborate with in the future.
