Ne-Yo, Keri Hilson and the style that lasts: R&B

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. 16. "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. "You can almost see it."

By Ann Powers

September 7, 2008