In an era which sees artists needing to evolve or evaporate, Ne-Yo has emerged as one of the prime acts embracing a multitude of sounds. Indeed, from R&B to EDM, the Motown hitmaker has quite the varied catalogue.
However, experimentation doesn’t come without it’s drawbacks. For, with each recent release, the singer-songwriter has received ample backlash from those claiming he’s “abandoned his soulful roots”. Despite being an ironic stance, as his latest LP ‘R.E.D’ was very much an Urban affair (lead single aside), it’s one that doesn’t seem to be going away for the masses.
Currently in the studio, Mr Smith told Good Day Atlanta that he’s readying the remedy.
Details after the jump…
In town to spotlight on a charitable cause, the chart-topper offered the following about his sixth studio effort:
“Sixth album is in the works as we speak. I’m in the studio putting that together right now. I’m very excited about it. (It’s) predominately (an) R&B album. I like to call it masses friendly R&B. It’s music that’s for everybody. Be looking out for that toward the middle of next year.”
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When Ne-Yo’s “on”, he’s “on”, so we can’t wait to hear what he’s been cooking up.
While it’s important to stress that he never actually left R&B, one glance at the singles he’s chosen to release (and push hardest) recently and it quickly becomes easy to see where the perception stems from.
So, here’s to the return of that Urban-Pop sound he oh-so-skillfully cultivated; a sound that was able to appease both his R&B and Pop bases.