''Self Explanatory'' is the ninth
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American singer
Ne-Yo. It was released by Compound Entertainment and
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
on July 15, 2022.
Critical reception
Andy Kellman of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
gave ''Self Explanatory'' three and a half stars out of five and called it Ne-Yo's "most biographical album yet."
Ammar Kalia from ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' remarked that "strong vocals and head-nodding moments aside, the R&B singer-songwriter's latest record falls short of his career highs." He found that "the pleasant nostalgia of
hehighlights isn't enough to carry the record as a whole: tracks such as "Proud of You," "Call Me Up" and "No Loot" play as mid-tempo filler."
Chart performance
''Self Explanatory'' debuted at number 184 on the US
''Billboard'' 200 in the week ending July 30, 2022.
This marked Ne-Yo's lowest-charting debut since his 2019
Christmas album ''Another Kind of Christmas'' failed to chart.
On ''Billboard''s component charts, the album also entered the
Current Album Sales at number 59.
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
*
Ne-Yo – vocals
* Zae France – vocals (track 1)
*
RoccStar –
programming (2)
* Cardiak – programming (2)
*
Hitmaka – programming (2)
* Paul Cabbin – programming (2)
* Retro Future – programming (6)
*
Jeremiah
Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish ...
– vocals (6)
*
Trippie Redd – rap vocals (7)
* Ebenezer – programming (9, 10)
* Magnus Klausen – programming (9, 10)
* Curtis "Sauce" Wilson – vocal programming (9, 10)
*
Yung Bleu – rap vocals (13)
Technical
* Gene Grimaldi –
mastering (1, 2, 4–13)
* Kevin "KD" Davis –
mixing (1, 2, 4–13)
*
Jaycen Joshua
Jaycen Joshua is a mix engineer and music producer who owns the revered Canton House Studios in Studio City, California. Joshua started his mix career in 2005 when he became partners with his mentor Dave Pensado and formed The Penua Project. Joshu ...
– mastering, mixing (3)
* Curtis "Sauce" Wilson –
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
, vocal production
* DJ Riggins – mixing assistance (3)
* Jacob Richards – mixing assistance (3)
* Mike Seaberg – mixing assistance (3)
Charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2022 albums
Ne-Yo albums
Motown albums