本帖最后由 Rachel0818 于 2013-5-10 10:21 编辑
Ne Yo--So Sick (MV) You may not have heard of the name Ne-Yo before, but you've more than likely heard some of his lyrics--specifically, on Mario's massive hit, "Let Me Love You." This talented musician wrote for a number of chart-toppers before the age of 22, penning songs for Mary J. Blige, B2K, and Faith Evans as well. After working for others, Ne-Yo--a.k.a. Shaffer Smith--decided to focus on his own career. Judging by the quality of songs on this debut, his creative well is not running dry anytime soon. The kick-off single, "So Sick" showcases the same tenderness evident in his Mario hit, as does much of this slow-jam heavy CD. Smith also shines on the Michael Jackson-esque "Sign Me Up," giving props to the icon in the chorus by singing "I just wanna rock with you" with beat-fueled bravado. Ne-Yo's songs come from a love of seventies and eighties soul; as a result, his music contains some unique samples, including an O'Jays lick (on the sexy "Get Down Like That," and a Switch snippet (on "It Just Ain’t Right"). Surprisingly, for such a hooked-up songwriter, he has limited the number of guest performers on the disc to just one--rapper Peedi Peedi performs on the disc opener, "Stay." The depth of the final track, "Time," clinches the hunch; In My Own Words is an impressive debut for a seasoned songwriter, likely to make memorable music for years to come.
歌手及歌曲介绍
Ne-Yo(原名Shaffer C. Smith)出生于美国Arkansas州一个音乐世家,自幼生活在一个单亲家庭,被母亲抚养长大。为了使Ne-Yo有更好的发展,母亲带着他移居拉斯维加斯。2004年,一直潜心创作的Ne-Yo一鸣惊人,他和马里奥(Mario)合作创作的单曲《Let Me Love You》不仅曾连续九周垄断Billboard Hot 100单曲榜,还以1亿8千9百50万次的收听次数创纪录的成为电台单周收听量最大的单曲。其中,由Ne-Yo创作的感人至深歌词更是给人留下了很深的印象。
尽管Ne-Yo很早就开始为Mary J. Blige,B2K和Faith Evans等著名歌手创作歌曲,但他的首支个人单曲《So Sick》直到去年年底才发行。随着这首《So Sick》得到了越来越多歌迷的喜爱,Ne-Yo在Def Jam发行的首张个人专辑《In My Own Words》一经发行就在Billboard 200专辑榜中成功登顶,而主打单曲《So Sick》随后也已经夺得了Billboard Hot 100单曲榜的冠军,刚刚发行首张个人专辑的Ne-Yo便已经成为美国榜的双冠王。
2006年2月,有“R&B神童”之称的美国创作型男歌手Ne-Yo发行了首张个人专辑《In My Own Words》。本张专辑在美国发行后的第一周共售出30万1千张,以领先第二名17万张的较大优势夺得了本周的Billboard 200专辑榜的冠军。而在专辑之前发行的首支单曲《So Sick》也成功升至本周的Billboard Hot 100单曲榜榜首。
在本张专辑之前,Ne-Yo的歌声还不为人所知,但作为一名出色的词曲创作人,Ne-Yo这个名字对于整个美国R&B音乐届来说并不陌生。从90年代末开始,原名叫Shaffer Smith的Ne-Yo就开始为多位一线歌手创作歌曲,这其中包括了玛丽·J·布里奇(Mary J. Blige),鲁本·斯图达德(Ruben Studdard),B2K,克里斯蒂娜·米兰(Christina Milian),吉米·福克斯(Jamie Foxx)和海瑟·海德丽(Heather Headley)等。而真正另Ne-Yo开始受到各方关注还是他2004年与马里奥(Mario)合作创作的畅销单曲《Let Me Love You》。
在这张《In My Own Words》当中,Ne-Yo并没有像当今很多R&B歌手那样在专辑中融入过多的流行舞曲元素,而是更多的保持了一种七,八十年代老R&B歌曲的感觉,这可能跟他受王子(Prince),马文·盖耶(Marvin Gaye)和史蒂夫·旺德(Stevie Wonder)影响较深有关。《Let me get this Right》,《When you're Mad》和《So Sick》都是这张专辑中非常出色的单曲。就像当年的《Let Me Love You》一样,Ne-Yo本张专辑的歌词的煽情功力也非同一般。
作为Ne-Yo的处女作,《In My Own Words》同时还被看作是2006年至今最出色的R&B专辑之一。如今,Ne-Yo已经被很多歌迷寄予了更高的希望,但对于年轻的Ne-Yo来说,一切才刚刚开始。