Ne-Yo

Ne-Yo, honey, why so sad? OK, he's has always been a bit of a sad sack. And on four of the first five tracks here, the baby-voiced singer works a few other moods: "Single" is sweet (well, sweet-talking), "Miss Independent" is playful and "Nobody" gets some Michael-esque funk going. While lead single "Closer" might sound a little wistful, its lyrics are sexy as hell. But starting with "Mad," things get downright melancholy, which, granted, is a mood that plaintive croon of Ne-Yo's evokes well.