Kanye's hilarious verse on "Because of You"'s bootlegged remix aside, Ne-Yo didn't completely rock the house on his last single. Something about it's glittery homage to Off The Wall's R&B/ disco thump and that lame love-as-drug metaphor made it sound way too easy for the noteworthy singer-songwriter. Thankfully, follow-up release "Do You" rights those wrongs, wooing you in with another dose of his tender melodicism and original twisting of staid R&B themes.

Over a striking soundbed of swift drums and sparkly piano notes punctuated by wah-wah guitar effects, "Do You" finds production team The Heavyweights courting the same winning Stargate sounds that pillowed previous Ne-Yo projects "So Sick" and "Sexy Love". The way the singer adhered to their child-like melodies felt magical and it always seemed to bring out some of his best pen work.

The single revolves around Ne-Yo nursing the idea of getting back in contact with an ex. It's a risky move, she's since moved on and gotten engaged to another man, but the "Irreplaceable" writer can't deal with the way things were left off and is looking for some closure, most importantly finding out if she still thinks of him the same way he can't shake her from his head. Ne-Yo's words drip with a certain sincerity and hold an attention to emotional details glazed over in most R&B tunes. He always finds a personal way to dictate these tough relationship situations, making his writing feel like thoughts pouring straight from his heart. It's so touching the way he casually compliments her daughter whom he hasn't yet seen ("If she looks anything like her mother/ She's the prettiest thing in the world") or makes sure to make her understand that he doesn't mean to start any trouble ("Tell your fiancee he can relax"). Even with the way he elongates and stresses certain words on the chorus ("I just wo-ooonder/ Do you e-eeever/ Think of me/ Any-more/ Doooo yoooou?"), you can tell that this has been continuously brewing in his soul for a long time.

"Because of You" saw Ne-Yo trying to challenge himself as a performer with lackluster results; on "Do You", he's back to where he shows his most strength: sculpting moving love songs ripped straight from his private diary.



For the even-more-breathtaking remix, Ne-Yo hires Mary J Blige to take on the role of his ex. Sounding as regal as always, the fine-voiced Mary J retains the same sense of wonderment as on the original, hiding her own inner feelings for Ne-Yo from her new man. Though she tears up a letter from Ne-Yo before her suspecting fiancee can see it, it's clear that she's also tied up in knots over the former coupling's unresolved breaking up.

If "Do You (Part One)" got you all creamy inside, this solid sequel is sure to turn you into a puddle.

Download: "Do You (Remix)"