Maps of Music

In My Own Words (2005)

Where the lyrics of In My Own Words take you, and where it was really made.

Ne-Yo's debut came after he had already written a worldwide number-one for another singer, Mario's "Let Me Love You".

Key places

Recorded at Westlake Recording Studios (2005)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles is listed as a recording location for this album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Sony Music Studios (2005)

Recording site Sony Music Studios — Sony Music Studios in New York City is listed as a recording location for this album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• In My Own Words: debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo
• Released 28 February 2006 by Compound Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings
• Ne-Yo co-wrote the lyrics for every song on the album
• Guest rappers: Peedi Peedi and Ghostface Killah
• Four singles: "Stay", "When You're Mad", "Sexy Love", and "So Sick"

Background

• Conceived after Ne-Yo's songwriting breakthrough with "Let Me Love You" for R&B singer Mario in 2004
• Born into a musical family; joined the R&B group Envy at the Las Vegas Academy under the stage name GoGo
• Envy disbanded in 2000, and he focused on songwriting for other artists
• Received the name Ne-Yo while collaborating with producer Big D Evans, and adopted it as his stage name
• Met Def Jam executive L.A. Reid; signed after performing for the label
• In August 2006 he toured with Chris Brown and Dem Franchize Boyz

Recording

• Worked with musicians Ron "Neff-U" Feemster, Brandon Howard, Shea Taylor, and Curtis "Sauce" Wilson
• Norwegian production duo Stargate worked on most of the album
• Some of these collaborators later became regular contributors on subsequent projects

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Shaffer Chimere Smith on October 18, 1979, in Camden, Arkansas; raised in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Joined R&B group Envy as a high-school student; the group disbanded in 2000.
• Stage name Ne-Yo was coined by producer Big D Evans, who said Ne-Yo sees music the way the character Neo sees the Matrix.

Career

• Breakthrough as a songwriter with Mario's "Let Me Love You", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Signed to Def Jam Recordings, then led by Jay-Z, after that success.
• Debut album In My Own Words (2006) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
• Because of You (2007) and Year of the Gentleman (2008) reached numbers one and two on the Billboard 200; Because of You won Best Contemporary R&B Album at the Grammys.
• Moved to Motown in 2012 and released R.E.D. (2012) and later albums through Motown.
• Won three Grammy Awards in total.
• Judged World of Dance (2017–2020); placed second on The Masked Singer UK and won The Masked Singer season ten as the Cow.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: average score 69 from 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews
• AllMusic editor Andy Kellman: 4.5 out of 5 stars
• Entertainment Weekly (Raymond Fiore): called it a "confident if slightly underwhelming debut"
• Blender: said the music stays vivacious even at its weepiest
• Billboard: found the lyrics sometimes too sentimental and the production spotty, but said listeners should cling to Ne-Yo's every word
• The New York Times (Kelefa Sanneh): complimented his smooth writing
• Slant Magazine (Sal Cinquemani): found it less impressive than John Legend's debut
• USA Today (Steve Jones): said Ne-Yo saved some of his best lyrical work for himself

Reappraisal

• Yardbarker listed the album among "The best R&B albums of the 2000s."

Records

• US Billboard 200: debuted at number one with 301,000 copies in its first week
• Second week: fell to number five with 113,000 copies, a 62 percent decline
• Third week: rose to number four with 77,000 copies
• Canadian Albums Chart: reached the top ten, peaking at number nine
• UK R&B Albums Chart: reached number one
• Entered the top 20 in France, Japan, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom
• RIAA platinum certification on 29 March 2006; 1.4 million US copies sold by March 2007
• BPI platinum (United Kingdom), RIAJ platinum (Japan), RMNZ platinum (New Zealand)
• Grammy Award nomination in the Best Contemporary R&B Album category

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Lead single "Stay" was chosen to introduce the singer, although L.A. Reid believed other songs on the album were stronger.
• "Mirror" was Ne-Yo's preferred follow-up to "So Sick", but Reid and A&R Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith judged it too sexual for his public image.
• "When You're Mad" was released as the third single to set him apart from other young male R&B singers.
• Before the album, he had joined the group Envy at the Las Vegas Academy under the name GoGo.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact