Libra Scale | ||||
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Studio album by Ne-Yo | ||||
Released | November 22, 2010 (see release history) |
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Recorded | 2009–10 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:24 | |||
Label | Def Jam, Compound | |||
Producer | D. DoRohn Gough, Chuck Harmony, Rochad Holiday, Jackpot, Sixx Johnson, Ryan Leslie, Ne-Yo (exec.), Antonio "L.A." Reid, Sandy Vee, Stargate, Syience, Derrick White, Curtis Wilson Jesse "Corparal" Wilson | |||
Ne-Yo chronology | ||||
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Singles from Libra Scale | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
The A.V. Club | B+ |
BBC Music | (favorable) |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
The Guardian | |
HipHopDX | |
Los Angeles Times | |
PopMatters | (7/10) |
Rolling Stone | |
Slant |
Libra Scale is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. It was released on October 27, 2010 in Japan, followed by a release in the United Kingdom on October 29, as well as a release in the United States on November 22, 2010 by Def Jam Recordings and Compound Entertainment. The album is preceded by three singles: its lead Europop-oriented single, and the UK number-one hit "Beautiful Monster", as well the R&B singles "Champagne Life" and "One in a Million".
Upon release, Libra Scale received favorable reviews from most music critics. The album opened at number 9 on the US Billboard 200, selling 112,000 copies in its first week sales, becoming his fourth consecutive top-ten album in the United States following Year of the Gentleman in 2008. It currently holds a 73 out of 100 on Metacritic, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on fourteen reviews, and has attained three singles that have achieved moderate Billboard chart success.
According to Ne-Yo, the idea for the album emerged from three influences: his desire to do something different instead of a standard compilation; his interest in science fiction, comic books and Japanese animation; and inspiration from the works of Michael Jackson, particularly Thriller, Moonwalker, and Bad. Originally a short movie was to accompany the album, but such proved not to be viable given time and monetary constraints, so Ne-Yo chose to develop a series of six extended music videos instead. Nevertheless, the film concept continues to influence the work, as he has stated the songs on the album are inspired by the script of the film that he wrote. The album features a number of songs which follow the story of Jerome and Pretti Sinclair.