Self Explanatory (Ne-Yo album)

Self Explanatory
Studio album by
Ne-Yo
ReleasedJuly 15, 2022 (2022-07-15)
GenreR&B
Length41:24
Label
Producer
  • The Aristocrats
  • Cardiak
  • DeCarlo
  • Digi
  • Don Mills
  • Drew Banga
  • Ebenezer
  • FrankieOnTheGuitar
  • Hitmaka
  • Julia Lewis
  • Magnus Klausen
  • Mally Mall
  • Paul Cabbin
  • Remo
  • Retro Future
  • RoccStar
Ne-Yo chronology
Another Kind of Christmas
(2019) 		Self Explanatory
(2022)
Singles from Self Explanatory
  1. "U 2 Luv"
    Released: May 29, 2020
  2. "What If"
    Released: September 24, 2021
  3. "Stay Down"
    Released: December 17, 2021
  4. "Don't Love Me"
    Released: April 14, 2022
  5. "You Got the Body"
    Released: June 17, 2022

Self Explanatory is the eighth studio album by American singer Ne-Yo. It was released by Compound Entertainment and Motown on July 15, 2022.[1]

Self Explanatory debuted at number 184 on the US Billboard 200, marking his lowest charting album in the country.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Guardian[4]

Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave Self Explanatory three and a half stars out of five and called it Ne-Yo's "most biographical album yet."[3] Ammar Kalia from The Guardian 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 [the] highlights 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."[4]

Chart performance

Self Explanatory debuted at number 184 on the US Billboard 200 in the week ending July 30, 2022.[2] This marks Ne-Yo's lowest-charting album; his 2019 Christmas album Another Kind of Christmas failed to chart.[2] On Billboard's component charts, the album also entered the Current Album Sales at number 59.[5]

Track listing

Self Explanatory track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Layin' Low" (featuring Zae France)
  • Shaffer Smith
  • Aquil Jackson
  • Avery Segers
  • Calvin Hay
  • Remo Green
  • Xavier France
  • Anthony Nixon
Remo3:01
2."You Got the Body"
2:56
3."After Party"
3:15
4."Handle Me Gently"
  • Smith
  • Crowe
  • Jamil George Chammas
  • John Perkins
Digi3:01
5."Don't Love Me"
  • Smith
  • Jamal Rashid
Mally Mall2:47
6."U 2 Luv" (featuring Jeremih)
 3:28
7."Push Up" (featuring Trippie Redd)
FrankieOnTheGuitar2:29
8."Proud of You"
Remo3:31
9."Call Me Up"
  • Smith
  • Hay
  • Ebenezer Fabiyi
  • Magnus Klausen
  • Ebenezer
  • Klausen
3:17
10."What If"
  • Ebenezer
  • Klausen
3:43
11."Want It All or Nothing"
3:23
12."No Loot"
  • Smith
  • Green
  • Crowe
  • Hay
  • Jackson
  • Segers
  • Nixon
Remo2:43
13."Stay Down" (featuring Yung Bleu)
  • Smith
  • Rashid
  • Andrew Laquan Arnett
  • Benjamin Falik
  • Drew Banga
  • Julia Lewis
  • Mally Mall
3:50
Total length:41:24

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)
  • Jeremih – 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 – mastering, mixing (3)
  • Curtis "Sauce" Wilson – engineering, vocal production
  • DJ Riggins – mixing assistance (3)
  • Jacob Richards – mixing assistance (3)
  • Mike Seaberg – mixing assistance (3)

Charts

Chart performance for Self Explanatory
Chart (2022) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[2] 184

Release history

Self Explanatory release history
Region Date Format Label Ref(s)
Various July 22, 2022
  • Compound
  • Motown
 [6]

References

  1. ^ "Self Explanatory". Apple Music. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Ne-Yo Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Self Explanatory - Ne-Yo - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Kalia, Ammar (17 July 2022). "Ne-Yo: Self Explanatory review – nostalgic mid-tempo fillers". The Guardian. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  5. ^ "Ne-Yo Chart History: Top Current Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "Self Explanatory – Apple Music". Apple Music (in German). Retrieved August 8, 2022.