TWO ADVANCE SINGLES FROM NE-YO’s UPCOMING 4th ALBUM, LIBRA SCALE, CINEMATIC NARRATIVE STORY SET FOR SEPTEMBER 21st RELEASE ON DEF JAM RECORDINGS
Follows-up 2008 RIAA platinum #1 U.S./#1 UK Year Of The Gentleman – with platinum hits “Closer,” two-time Grammy winner “Miss Independent,” and “Mad”
3-time Grammy Award-winning superstar Ne-Yo’s movie career over the past five years has had a profound effect on his work as a composer – revealed in the cinematic story-line of his fourth album, LIBRA SCALE.
LIBRA SCALE, scheduled for September 21st release, is the follow-up to Ne-Yo’s RIAA platinum Year Of The Gentleman, which debuted at #1 on the Soundscan and UK national charts in September 2008. That album spun off a triumvirate of consecutive RIAA platinum hits: “Closer” (#1 U.S. Dance, #1 UK), “Miss Independent” (#1 U.S. R&B, #1 UK R&B), and “Mad” (#5 U.S. R&B, #3 UK R&B).
After a sizzling performance of “Beautiful Monster” on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance on July 1st, Ne-Yo traveled to London to preview tracks from LIBRA SCALE at the swanky Hospital venue one week later. Tastemakers had a chance to sample the album’s narrative, threading through each of the songs, as explained by Ne-Yo.
The story centers on the misadventures of ‘The Gentlemen,’ the trio of Jerome (played by Ne-Yo), Clyde and Leroy. After encountering a mysterious figure, the three are granted everything they could ever want – money, fame, cars, girls…and superpowers; the only catch being that they cannot fall in love. For Clyde and Leroy, the pre-condition is easy. Not so for Jerome (Ne-Yo), who falls for Pretty Sinclair, a vivacious no-nonsense stunner. He captures her heart and they begin a relationship – which is when she contracts a strain of his super-powers and suffers an adverse reaction that effectively drives her crazy.
The plot thickens as she is transformed into ‘Diamond Eye,’ a monster who sets about destroying the Gotham-like city. At this point, the mysterious figure re-appears. Disappointed in Jerome, he offers him an ultimatum: allow Diamond Eye and Pretty Sinclair both to die, and the city is saved – or allow Pretty Sinclair to live and reverse all the damage Diamond Eye has done, but Jerome must die. Will he choose “the love of his life” or his own “love of life?” We are left with Jerome weighing up the decision on a ‘Libra Scale’…hence the album’s title.