Libra Scale

アーバン・シーンのトップランナー、天才Ne-Yoの通算4枚目のオリジナル・アルバム。「富、権力、名声」か、それとも「愛」か…。ヒーローが運命の女性と出会って、愛を選んで力を失うのか、それとも愛を捨ててヒーローであることを選ぶのかという究極の二者択一を迫るストーリー・アルバム。スターゲイトとの鉄板コンビによるファースト・シングル「Beautiful Monster」しかり、これまで以上にドラマチックでエモーショナルなNe-Yoワールドを展開。
ユニバーサル

Going by this high-concept return, it’s apparent that Ne-Yo was not strictly invested in the output of others -- Rihanna, Raheem DeVaughn, Monica, Rick Ross, and Fantasia, to name a few -- after the release of Year of the Gentleman. Although Libra Scale sounds like a natural extension of the singer/songwriter’s three-album 2006-2008 run, its germination started with a short story, which inspired the ten songs. Some of the details were revealed in the videos for the singles, as well as the album’s booklet, containing a comic put together with living legend Stan Lee. Disregard the dressing, and Libra Scale can be heard as a standard Ne-Yo album. It does not sound like a soundtrack for a story about three garbage men who must protect their city -- there are no character themes, likely for the better -- but one can hear most of the material being expressed by the protagonist as he lives it up, develops a relationship, and deals with the consequences. Most of Libra Scale consists of Ne-Yo's typical modern uptown R&B, with the relaxed, upscale party anthem “Champagne Life,” the sweet devotional “One in a Million,” and the private-reflecting-pond ballad “What Have I Done?” the standouts. “Beautiful Monster,” a Euro-flavored dance-pop single full of drama, is the only song that sounds out of place (and it stalled in the 60s of the Billboard R&B chart). The level of sophistication -- arrangements with subtle details, the frequency of slow tempos, a couple well-trodden motifs -- lends itself to a couple tepid tunes, but Ne-Yo remains a premier source of R&B that is both traditional and contemporary. ~ Andy Kellman

スーパースターとなったニーヨの最新アルバムはストーリーを重視したエンターテイメント作に。3人の人物を巡って＜愛＞と＜富、権力、名声＞のどちらを選択するのか……という映画仕立ての仕上がりにハラハラドキドキ。前作からのヒット“Closer”をパワーアップしたようなダンス・チューン“Beautiful Monster”、ゴージャスなメロウ・ミッド“Champagne Life”など、お馴染みのニーヨ節が全開な美メロ・チューンが山盛り！！
bounce (C)池田貴洋