Maps of Music

R.E.D. (2012)

Where the lyrics of R.E.D. take you, and where it was really made.

The title was first planned as The Cracks in Mr Perfect, and the change drew comparisons to a rap album and to Taylor Swift's Red.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

R.E.D. (Realizing Every Dream): fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo
First released 31 October 2012 in Japan
Blends R&B, pop and dance-pop elements
First album on Motown Records, where Ne-Yo also serves as senior vice president of A&R

Follows Libra Scale (2010), which some viewed as a disappointing release
Title inspired by the singer's personal experiences and his sense of progress toward his goals
Originally titled The Cracks in Mr Perfect during 2011 press interviews
Release pushed back from 18 September 2012 to 31 October 2012
Reunited with StarGate, with new collaborators Harmony Samuels, No I.D. and The Underdogs
Ne-Yo said he wanted the album to be meaningful and lyrically honest

Songs include "Unconditional" and "Jealous", both produced by Phatboiz
"Alone with You" was produced by Salaam Remi and dedicated to Ne-Yo's daughter
"Should Be You" features Fabolous, and "All She Wants" features ReVaughn Brown and Young Jeezy

Title and artwork drew comparisons to Taylor Swift's Red, released earlier the same month

1	Cracks in Mr. Perfect	4:56
2	Lazy Love	3:16
3	Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)	4:12
4	Miss Right	3:50
5	Jealous	4:08
6	Don't Make Em Like You	4:10
7	Be the One	3:47
8	Stress Reliever	3:36
9	She Is	3:27
10	Carry On (Her Letter to Him)	3:57
11	Forever Now	3:41
12	Shut Me Down	3:41
13	Unconditional	4:38
14	Should Be You	4:16
15	My Other Gun	3:18
16	Alone With You (Maddies Song)	4:59
17	Let's Go	3:58
18	Let Me Love You (Until Your Learn to Love Yourself) (feat. Beni)	4:15

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.

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.

Boston Globe's Ken Capobianco praised the production, writing that Ne-Yo augments dance-oriented pop with love songs
Entertainment Weekly's Ray Rahman praised Ne-Yo's advancing maturity and the lyrics of the album
The New York Times' Nate Chinen praised "She Is" and several other tracks as stand-outs
The Washington Post's Sarah Godfrey called Ne-Yo an "extremely gifted and versatile songwriter" but found the album "disjointed"
Rolling Stone's Will Hermes gave two-and-a-half stars out of five
AllMusic's Andy Kellman showed ambivalence toward the pop material
The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan gave a mixed response to the pop songs
Los Angeles Times' Mikael Wood wrote the album aims to "get back to the basics"

Metacritic average score of 68 from eight critic reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews

The album was pushed back from 18 September 2012 to 31 October 2012.
"Lazy Love" reached number 29 on Billboard's US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)" was co-written with Sia.
"All She Wants" is exclusive to the Target Deluxe edition.
"My Other Gun" contains elements of "Long Red" by Mountain and "N.T." by Kool & The Gang.