Ne-Yo
Libra Scale

Among the emulators and pseudo-emulators of the late Michael Jackson, Ne-Yo (born Shaffer Chimere Smith) holds his own. Not only because he rarely falls into the trash of the pathetic and ridiculous impersonator of the "King Of Pop," but also because this gentleman of half African-American and half Chinese-American descent alternates his studio releases with producing and writing for other esteemed and relevant artists, from the vibrant Rihanna and Beyoncé to the seasoned (or almost) Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. In short, a decidedly eclectic and enterprising character.

Mr. Ne-Yo had even meticulously planned Michael Jackson's return to the scene after legal scandals, earning the honored and challenging task of reintegrating him into the current music biz. We all know the reason for his "failure." Yet the work with Jackson, the collaboration not (at least officially) realized, was by no means in vain for Shaffer's artistic and creative purposes, as he conceived Libra Scale inspired by Thriller, Bad, and Moonwalker. Intending therefore to be the first to claim Michael's musical and charismatic legacy, albeit aware of the near impossibility and improbability of any success in the mission set for himself.

Libra Scale follows, in terms of sound and musical inspiration, the line traced by the previous Year Of The Gentleman, through a homogeneous - or almost - mix of R&B, Hip-Hop, alternating with notes of Soul, Urban, and Funk. Black sounds compacted together with a glossy and "refined" image, almost as proof, through an astute and studied Gentleman look, of intending to represent the quintessence of Rhythm & Soul. He succeeds fairly well in his aims, although at times the atmosphere of the artist always dressed chic, surrounded by beautiful ladies, in luxury locations, can become almost monotonous, as if flaunting the parallel and golden reality of show business.

The analysis of the work starts with the first official release, Beautiful Monster, a track that deviates significantly from the typical R&B performed by the singer, veering towards an electronic Euro-Pop/EuroDance style like Guetta, rather chaotic and dancey. A hit made for club dancing, which, however, did not take off in the States (unlike previous releases), perhaps due to the overly trendy dance sounds. Conversely, it received good response in the Old Continent, especially in the Bel Paese where it ended up becoming one of the alternative summer hits to Waka Waka. Note the short film that accompanies the track: here the imitation of Jackson is so evident, both in clothing and movements, that it almost feels like a lack of originality, although the whole may seem engaging and dynamic in its entirety.

The first single is merely a mild exception compared to the rest of the album's component, which re-embraces the more mature Rhythm & Blues: a pleasant and valid example is Makin' a Movie, sympathetic towards danceable Soul, simultaneously with the soft lounge/chill-out inspirations of Champagne Life and Telekinesis, simple and catchy.

The soft and light sounds of Genuine Only are oriented towards a calm and frivolous Folk/Blues, while One In A Million strikes with its immediacy, tinged with a very simple Pop/R&B devoid of frills. In conclusion, Dance/Urban inspirations are necessary to consider for 'Cause I Said So and What Have I Done?

A simple Pop/R&B album, which intends to offer nothing more than light melodies, without the aid of further experimentation and sound exploration; consequently, there is no particular interest, except on very few occasions, in offering the listener more than the usual glossy R&B: this strategy might be a great idea, given that the music market is saturated with too many, far too many pseudo-experimental musical noises, yet the repetition of the usual sounds would occasionally scream boredom to the listener. Overall, the work shows homogeneity and absolute simplicity.

Ne-Yo, Libra Scale

Champagne Life

Makin' A Movie

Know Your Name

Telekinesis

Crazy Love, featuring Fabolous

One In A Million

Genuine Only

'Cause I Said So

Beautiful Monster

What Have I Done?