Better late than never as I bring you the long awaited promise of the GWHH review of Year Of The Gentleman! The album has now had a couple weeks to set in with me and it is certainly up there with Usher’s Here I Stand as the R&B album of 2008, and so far Year Of The Gentleman earns my ultimate pick for that status. To me, it is at least on par with his last classic - Because Of You. The big similarity between the two is that both classic albums contain an overlying common theme, or themes, throughout the album. Because Of You actually tells a story from track 1 to track 12 of a guy’s trip through infatuation, love, breakup, and moving on with a girl (which perhaps makes Because Of You stand out as my favorite R&B album EVER… but I’m still undecided about that). Year Of The Gentleman expresses two themes that are evident throughout the album:

1. Adoration of the physical and non-physical characteristics of women (EX: “Closer”, “Nobody”, “Miss Independent”, “Part Of The List”)

2. Being the classy gentleman and putting the woman’s happiness first, even if it is with another guy (EX: “Fade Into The Background’, “So You Can Cry”, “Back To What You Know”)

It is no surprise to many that Ne-Yo, arguably (and to me, certainly) the best writer in R&B, conveys the above themes in creative ways that go beyond cliché. It is rare today to see an R&B artist examine why he loves an underlying quality of a woman (”Miss Independent”) and also explore the depth to a situation where his current love interest should go back with her ex (”Back To What You Know”). Not just in those two tracks, but throughout the entire album, Ne-Yo precisely portrays a picture of a relationship situation with his masterful lyrics. Coincidentally, my three favorite songs on the album are songs that combine the masterful lyrics with a masterful beat. These top three songs (in no order… “Closer”, “Miss Independent”, & “Back To What You Know”) all have one thing in common: a beat from my favorite R&B producers, the highly reputable duo - StarGate. Together, Ne-Yo and StarGate are the peanut butter & jelly of R&B - a perfect match who compliment each other’s strengths to create a beautiful song. Overall, Ne-Yo’s latest album, Year Of The Gentleman, sets the bar for all upcoming R&B albums to match. It is certainly a MUST-BUY for any R&B fan or if you are simply a fan of music and appreciate meaningful lyrics and creativity. I will end the review with a quote from “Back To What You Know” that personifies the gentleman Ne-Yo illustrates throughout the entire album. If you do not have Year Of The Gentleman already, do not waste your time and look no further than the iTunes BUY link below! (I am up early in 5 hrs or so to pick up T.I.’s Paper Trail, also in stores NOW!)

“And if that’s really what you want
I will not stand in your way,
You wanna be free
I will let you be,
I’d rather you’re happy
Then miserable with me
Back to what you know”

- Ne-Yo “Back To What You Know”

Top 5 *Tibs Favs (in no particular order)

01. Closer

05. Miss Independent

10. Back To What You Know

11. Lie To Me

12. Stop This World

Production: 8.5/10

Lyrics: 9.5/10

OVERALL (not an average): 9/10

BUY: Ne-Yo - Year Of The Gentleman (iTunes)

~ Sgt. Tibs