Ne Yo's R.E.D. Is Incredibly H.O.T.

Ne Yo does an amazing job of stoking his growing reputation as his generation's consummate ladies' man. For his fifth album "R.E.D." he whisks us through a compelling assortment of gnawing romantic entanglements as well as snippets of proof that the mood is too right for the bedroom. I like to compare "Stress Reliever" to that increasingly content state of being one gets when easing into a bubbling hot tub. You have to adjust your though processes from the chilly surface air to the inviting whirl of escalating heat. Once you're there you know that's the seat of pleasure where you belong. Ne-Yo's lower register enhances the one of a kind joy of knowing you have a woman in your life who knows just how to ease your heavy head and heart. The bottomless spiral of divine melody epitomizes the vortex you don't want to escape from. Ne-Yo's choices of special guest contributors is nothing short of impeccable. Teaming up with the husky Tim McGraw, a reigning king of the country music realm prevents "She Is" from being confined to the stuffy label of "one more song where he's head over heels in love and it's all her fault". Ne-Yo's smooth and Tim's back of the flatbed truck conspire to lift this track to the level of easy-going strummer tailor made for reminiscing along the highway of unpredictable amour. Also worth making time for is "Unconditional" a sparkling keyboard-driven confection kept from assuming the role of free roaming set piece by the often reliable drum kit thumping. Ne-Yo wants his lady to know that his talk of emotional support isn't all blow and no show. He solidifies his case through rich choice of smartly controlled note choices. The twinkle in this song's eye speaks to the heart of a vulnerable woman's gut level insecurities. She wants to believe her man's not going to bolt when rough waters seem to be setting up. One track firmly grounded in the key of icy finality is "To Whom It May Concern". In this case Ne-Yo masterfully confronts the ebbing of what was once true romantic magic. You'll most likely need a heavy winter coat just to make it to the final notes. The sentiments send shivers along your deflated heart and are executed with wet Kleenex pathos. I had to relocated my displaced jaw after hearing "Should Be You", an R&B tour de force in which every instrument, every stanza of verse, every injection of depth is dropped in place at just the right location as if Ne-Yo and his homeys Fabolous and Diddy were coming together to solve a troublesome boy-girl jigsaw puzzle and intuitively knew where the pieces fit just right. A pox on the crib of the coulda, woulda, shoulda nigger who doesn't appreciate the value of a good woman. Trouble is the three guys are disturbed by the realization that the woman sleeping next to them is both there in body but troublingly absent in spirit. How chilling not to mention an unavoidable takedown for their tickers. Advanced word is encouraging. In a musical universe where style often trumps substance that's as it should be. Ne-Yo's bread and butter is navigating the slow jam R&B kingdom with a hypnotically gilded scepter. Although he does adapt nicely to more uptempo tracks as well as the occasional foray into club bangers such as "Don't Make Em Like You" featuring Wiz Khalifa, when he's in percolate mood trying to affirm to his ladies that he specializes in sincere romantic declarations, he is not only in a league of his own, one could be forgiven for thinking he founded the league rather than picking up a tip or three from past masters. "R.E.D." comes just in time for holiday gift giving. Trust me, Ne-Yo is for all the world a gift that will very likely keep on giving for years to come.