Ethan Miller, Getty Images
Ne-Yo started his career as a ladies man looking to add a gentleman's mystique to the R&B world. Instead of jeans, a T-shirt, and showing off his abs, the Las Vegas native opted to push tailored suits and exquisite fedoras. With four albums under his belt, a fifth LP, 'The Cracks in Mr. Perfect,' due out this summer, and two young children, the 33-year-old has understandably changed his musical perspective.
Yes, his new album will contain the love songs that he's become known for, but being a father has effected his creativity -- in a good way. "[I'm] being a little more conscious of the songs that I write," he tells The BoomBox. "I do music that adults can enjoy, I do music that kids can enjoy. I try to see myself comfortably in the middle of all that."
The project comes more than a year after his ill-received 2010 effort 'Libra Scale,' which he publicly stated was unsuccessful due to a lack of promotion. This time around, he's teamed up once more with the people that helped him construct his biggest hits.
"There [are] the usual suspects," Ne-Yo reveals. "Definitely in [the studio] with Stargate. If the world feels the way we feel about [this album], it's gonna blow people's mind. [I'm working with] this cat named Harmony, from the U.K. He produced what's gonna be my first single 'Don't Make 'Em Like You No More.' Dude is incredible."
Aside from the records that fall between the lines of R&B, pop and dance, Ne-Yo is also going hip-hop. He's worked with plenty of MCs in the past, but for this album, he's tapping some of the game's most revered producers.
"I did a record with No I.D.," he
