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Non-Fiction (2015)

Where the lyrics of Non-Fiction take you, and where it was really made.

Ne-Yo's sixth album reached number five on the Billboard 200, yet critics split over it, and one argued it fell short of the straightforward R&B record first promised.

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Album story

Overview

• Non-Fiction: sixth studio album by American recording artist Ne-Yo
• Released January 27, 2015 by Compound Entertainment and Motown Records
• Follow-up to the fifth album R.E.D. (2012)
• Preceded by two singles: "Money Can't Buy" featuring Jeezy and "She Knows" featuring Juicy J
• Japanese edition page lists Non-Fiction as a 22-track release that includes bonus tracks

Background

• "Money Can't Buy" released via digital download on May 29, 2014, as the first single from the album in North America
• "She Knows" released via digital download on September 16, 2014, as the lead single (second overall) in North America
• "Time of Our Lives" with Pitbull released November 17, 2014, from Pitbull's album Globalization, and also appears on Non-Fiction
• "Coming with You" released as the first promotional single on January 5, 2015, via the iTunes Store
• "Religious" and "Who's Taking You Home" followed as promotional singles on January 13, 2015
• Sent to US mainstream radio on April 14, 2015, as the fourth official single after being issued as the first international single in February

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.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

• Mixed reviews from music critics on release
• Metacritic: average score of 60 from 12 reviews, which indicates mixed or average reviews
• AllMusic's Andy Kellman praised "She Knows" and "One More" as slow jams and called "Coming with You" a dazzling Stargate production with a hip-house influence
• Kellman said the album had more standouts than any Ne-Yo album since Because of You
• The Observer's Killian Fox called the album a smooth operator and praised Ne-Yo's nuanced approach to R&B storytelling
• Exclaim!'s Del F. Cowie described the album as an uneven synthesis of sounds Ne-Yo had explored before
• Cowie argued the album reflected a need to placate his various audiences rather than delivering the straightforward R&B record initially promised
• Pitchfork's Evan Rytlewski said Ne-Yo embraced more contemporary sounds and darker themes
• Rytlewski said the album balanced R&B and pop better than R.E.D., though it fell short of the songwriting standards of Year of the Gentleman
• Rolling Stone's Chuck Arnold criticized the inconsistent execution of the concept and said Ne-Yo was strongest on tracks influenced by Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye, such as "Coming with You" and "Integrity"
• Renowned for Sound's Andrew Le called the album uneven, yet still entertaining
• Complex editor Justin Charity gave a more negative assessment, calling it a fire sale of songs no one else bought
• The Guardian's Tshepo Mokoena called the album flatly uninventive while praising Ne-Yo's flexible falsetto

Records

• Debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, selling 59,000 copies in its first week
• Opened at the top spot of the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart
• Third album to miss the top of the Billboard 200 since Libra Scale (2010)
• Second male R&B artist with six consecutive top 10 albums, after Chris Brown in 2014
• As of March 2015, sold over 108,000 copies in the US
• Ranked 140th most popular album of 2015 on the Billboard 200

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

Trivia

• The album was preceded by two singles, and its lead single "She Knows" reached number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
• "Time of Our Lives" with Pitbull became the best-performing release from Non-Fiction, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.
• The album opened at the top spot of the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, even though it debuted at number five on the Billboard 200.
• Ne-Yo became only the second male R&B artist to have six consecutive top 10 albums, following Chris Brown in 2014.
• The album's lead single "She Knows" was released in North America as the second overall single from the album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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