Friday 16 July 2010

2006 Ne-Yo: So Sick

"You'd think that people would have had enough of silly love songs" sang Paul McCartney in 1976. And while by no means an 'answer' song (not that a question was being asked anyway), American R&B artist Ne-Yo (aka Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr.) goes some way to addressing the point McCartney makes."Cause I'm so sick of love songs, so tired of tears. So done with wishing she was still here. Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow. So why can't I turn off the radio?"; love then, or else its fond remembrance and loss at its absence is what keeps them coming. And on that score, 'So Sick' elevates itself above its own generic slowjam by virtue of a lyric of observational everyman hurt ("Gotta fix that calendar I have that's marked July 15th, because since there's no more you there's no more anniversary") and a vocal of genuine dark night of the soul fragility that, in a genre usually marinated in testosterone and battered by bump and grind, for once shows some respect by keeping its pants buttoned. As McCartney went on to argue "Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs. And what's wrong with that?" - on the strength of 'So Sick', the answer Paul is 'nothing'. Absolutely nothing.


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