I try to tap into how I felt as a kid listening to music. “I hear synths, and it takes me back to Babyface and Quincy Jones, even George Michael. “When Tim or another producer gives me a really futuristic sound, I go retro,” she said. On songs such as “Where Did He Go?” and “Intuition,” Hilson’s tough-but-tender singing warmed up the expertly built tracks. She busted dance moves in her chair, absorbed in the sleek beats crafted by producers Polow da Don, Cory Bold and her mentor Timbaland. The 26-year-old studio rat turned ingénue - her credits include co-writing Britney Spears’ “Gimme More” and singing on “Hero” by rapper Nas - projected contemporary chic from her angular bob to her multicolored sneakers. “Nowadays, it’s either ‘I can dance to it’ or ‘I can’t.’ What happened to the songs that made you cry? Or reminded you of that ex-boyfriend that you can’t stand now, but you remember that stint of months where it was just heaven on earth? That’s what we try to do.”Ī few days later, on the other side of Hollywood, Keri Hilson sat in a similar studio, previewing music from her upcoming solo debut, “In a Perfect World,” scheduled for release Oct. “This reaches back to when music made you feel something,” said Ne-Yo, who’s co-written smashes for the likes of Beyoncé (“Irreplaceable”) and Rihanna (“Take a Bow”), as well as for himself. Listening, Ne-Yo drifted into a daydream, marking each crescendo with an imaginary conductor’s baton. “You can almost see it.”Ī Laserium-style synth effect meshed with the swells of a string section. “The thing that sticks out on this record is the drama,” said the 25-year-old singer-songwriter and soul ace as he pushed a button and the swirling ballad “Lie to Me” blasted out of the room’s stereo system.
LOOKING classic-casual in a summer blazer, gray fedora and matching silk scarf, Ne-Yo leaned over his laptop in a West Hollywood recording studio one mid- August afternoon, playing selections from “Year of the Gentleman,” his third solo album, out Sept.