[NEW RELEASE]Ne-Yo, and more

Last year’s hit single “So Sick” made Ne-Yo an instant celebrity. His album reached the top of the charts, and sold millions worldwide. Since his impressive debut, Ne-Yo has kept himself busy, writing and producing songs for artists like Beyonce', Mario, and Rihanna, starring in the film “Stomp the Yard” and now coming back with his sophomore album.
The title track and first single “Because of You” is an up-tempo ballad about a guy torn between two loves. The song is a collaboration with StarGate ― a formula which proved to be a success on “So Sick.” With a feature from Jay-Z, “Crazy” is one of the most danceable cuts. Soft drum beats and hand claps urge the listeners to sway. Ne-Yo’s seductive delivery make “Addicted” an irresistible track.
However, “Leaving Tonight” is a slight letdown. The anticipated duet with the heroine of “Dreamgirls,” Jennifer Hudson, reveals Ne-Yo’s vocal limitations.
Throughout this album, Ne-Yo also shows he has a talent for storytelling, making this an R&B discovery worth listening to. By Choi Hae-won

Ne-Yo
“Because of You”
Label: Universal Music
Genre:R & B

This album, released in 2006 to commemorate 25 years since the death of Glenn Gould, contains unique and surprising features. Despite the fact that Gould passed away in 1982, the two different recordings of 32 Bach variations were actually performed by him. This goes beyond merely remastering the previous albums. This is as if Gould was playing the piano in the recording studio.
How is this possible? The process of bringing Gould back to life involves Zenph, a software process. It extracts and encodes the details of how Gould played each note, including the nuances (volume, articulation, and pedal actions). Then, the encoding is performed on a special grand piano (Yamaha’s Disklavier Pro). In other words, the instruments memorize and automatically replay, without the artist actually being there.
It seems somewhat ghoulish to bring back the original performances of an artist who is dead. However, for those who have been craving Gould’s live performances of Bach, it’s a revival of hope. By Lee Eun-joo

Glenn Gould
Album: BACH: The Goldberg Variations, 1955 Performanc
Label: Sony BMG

Hilary Duff has released her fourth album, “Dignity.” It is clear that Duff is attempting to ditch her image as a perky teenage queen, so she can be seen as a mature, sexy icon. Duff has even changed the color of her blonde hair, which was a trademark. However, sad to say, Duff doesn’t succeed in her quest, even when singing about her break-up with Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, which influences most of the tracks.
The album is definitely mainstream pop for clubs with lots of electronic synthesizers.
What Duff needs in her albums is not a new hair color but a stronger edge and more power.
Her songs are easy on the ear, but when listening to her album one’s mind tends to drift away. Seductive attractiveness is absent from this Duff album and, most of all, “Dignity,” although it experiments with various types of pop music, sorely cries out for some of the style that made Duff famous in the first place. Duff needs to look for a more catchy tune with her own style. By Lee Ho-jeong

Dignity
“Hilary Duff”
Label: EMI
Genre: Brunette pop