Ne-yo is back after a solid outing. Some didn’t
like R.E.D., but this album is an improvement, albeit a small one. Ne-Yo does
well here lyrically, but that’s like standard Ne-Yo. I really liked most of the
songs, even if some didn’t really stand out that much. The album is really
smooth, but sometimes it doesn’t flow all that well. The Schoolboy Q featured,
Run, is a good example of that. That song is still good though. The lead
singles are great with Jeezy on Money Can’t Buy, and Juicy J on She Knows. The
latter is arguably the best song here, however, the Pitbull assisted Time of
Our Life is dope. The beats are varied here as well. The bonus tracks are also
really good. I like the fact that Ne-Yo tells a story here throughout the
album. That focus was missing on R.E.D. Like rapper Jeezy, Ne-Yo makes hits
easily, but going forward, the albums may not be as interesting as earlier
bodies of work.
The verdict: 9/10