DJAlexxander's DJ BOOTH PROFILE

“Still listening in 2012.”

“Stargate and Ne-yo go really well together. Ne-yo is the one who's really burnin up right now, but as I have said before, he's just not catching on right now. As much as I enjoy Stargate there is something missing on the production. Either the lead just isn't powerful enough, or Ne-yo should have filled more of the gaps with his harmonies. I noticed he was cutting them short when he could have extended the vocal harmonies for a little longer. Otherwise, the track is certainly smooth, and the overall production value is still solid.”

“Still bumping this track. Strong performances by all artists. Hopefully it catches on more once the album drops. It seems like Ne-yo's tracks are falling off the radar, and for no apparently reason too.”

“Production on the chorus is either too repetitive or just too low key. Something on the song is missing, but the performance is tremendous.”

“For a mixtape cut this was very impressive. Can't wait to hear the next album. This song is definitely rich with intensity. It may not have a completely smooth vocal track, but the raw vocals make this effort exceptional.”

“Let's be clear, this is not the album that Nelly needed to make a real come back. One song doesn't really pull a person back into the limelight for long enough to make a real difference. Hopefully Nelly hits the recording studio with ferver to get the next album out quick. That being said the album is overall very well constructed. Some of the songs did blow me away to the point where I wondered why they never hit the radio. 1000 Stacks, Long Gone, and She's So Fly hold this album together and make this my favorite overall efforts by Nelly to date. If it had just one more serious hit song that got everyone in the club singing it would be five star quality.”

“Keep in mind that this review is for the deluxe version of the album. I was ready to give this a four star rating, but the fact that Lloyd was able to go so hard on so many songs blew me away. The album's transitions still feel a bit choppy, but each song holds its own. If one song needed to be removed from the album, I'd probably say Bang just because the production isn't up to the caliber of the other tracks. I do disagree with You II being a mixtape ready track. Mainstream pop radio would eat that song up if it actually got released as a single.”

“Libra Scale did not do quite as well as fans would have hoped for several reasons. It had many delays to its release. It was originally scheduled to come out before Libra's month of october, and it didn't hit shelves until Novemeber. Even though I was highly anticipating this album, I was unaware it was actually out until a few weeks after it was released. The lack of a supporting movie to go along with Ne-yo's original idea also did help the album. Ne-yo then planned to make six connected music videos, but only three were actualized. The main issue with these cuts was funding. Ne-yo had to continuously scale back the Scales. A comic book of the story was eventually published, which is definitely a unique route. Why this album failed to chart a top twenty single is far beyond me. The singles received decent radio play shortly after their release. I have bumped Champagne Life and Beautiful Monster at dozens of parties and events, and both go over well with the crowd. If just a tenth of the people who watched the One in a Million music video actually bought the album, it would have gone four times platinum already. I agree with what some of the other reviewers are saying about the album. It is a bit too complex for the average listener, but that is the album's primary strength. Ne-yo had an opportunity to show the full extent of his musical genius, and in that regard this album is a success. The music throughout is just so diverse, and Ne-yo is able to handle the diversity with incredible versatility. I kind of agree that one or two more Stargate tracks would have helped the album, but Ne-yo was going for something different. Artists can't repeat the same procedure every time unless they want their music to sound carbon-copied, and popular music styles rarely stay the same for 3-4 years without making a major shift in sound. It seems like Ne-yo didn't want to have an album with a couple hits and a bunch of filler songs. Every track is deliberate, and none of the songs feel like filler. Also, people are complaining that the album is too slow... It's an R&B album. Nuff Said. Definitely one meant to be bumped for its slow jams late at night.”