Ne-Yo isn't smooth. The R&B star -- soon to be superstar -- is suave. Smooth implies that there's some sort of front, a bit of deception to the persona. That wasn't the case at all with the singer at a near-packed DAR Constitution Hall on Wednesday night.
Whether the 29-year-old Grammy album-of-the-year nominee was moving his feet with the speed and grace of an NFL running back, down on his knees serenading a female fan or simply standing stage center in his sharp three-piece suit and fedora, Ne-Yo made it work. With ease. He can sing, he can dance, he can write a good song -- if less frequently a truly great one -- and he can sure make the ladies squeal. This was his first stop in D.C. as a headliner; there will be plenty more to follow.
"A Ne-Yo show is all about the music," he told the audience early on in his tidy 75-minute set, but that wasn't quite accurate. A Ne-Yo show is all about Ne-Yo. But not in a self-aggrandizing way; he's just that magnetic. The music is certainly one aspect of it, but given the apparent assistance of piped-in backing vocals and recorded tracks, it would have been a disappointment if that were all there was to offer. His eight-piece backing band, including a three-piece horn section, added a few throwback funky flourishes, but his synth-heavy tunes weren't all that heavy on hooks.
As a singer, though, Ne-Yo was more memorable, particularly on such slower, less intrusive songs as "Mad" and "Make It Work." Scantily clad backup dancers joined him for some choreographed moves on a few occasions, but it's certainly not a crutch he has to rely on.
Because when you're as suave as Ne-Yo, even the little things can elicit shrieks. A simple moment such as taking off his fedora to wipe some sweat from his forehead came off as impossibly cool, prompting (at least) one audience member to shout: "Ooh, Ne-Yo, I'll cool you down! Ahhhh!!!" Such outbursts were the norm throughout the evening and represent one possible roadblock keeping Ne-Yo from achieving the next level of stardom. The crowd was dominated by females, no doubt thanks to his obvious sex appeal and his uniquely chivalrous lyrics. (His Grammy-nominated album was titled "Year of the Gentleman," after all.) Recent hit "Miss Independent" is the best example of this phenomenon, and prompted a roar of approval when he introduced it with a shout-out of "Ladies, if you pay your own bills, make some noise!"

But "Closer," the show's finale, proved that his appeal isn't limited to the fairer sex. Its insistent, catchy, club-pop beat had everyone out of their seats -- ladies and gentlemen -- and even with a more conventional sound, it was still singularly Ne-Yo. Plenty of performers can do a modified moonwalk while cooing "Come closer, come closer." But none of them can do it as suavely.

;) - Ne-Yo

YEAR OF THE GENTLEMAN IN STORES NOW!