Veteran singer Ne-Yo is hard at work on his new album, Good Man, due June 8 from Motown Records and his own Compound Entertainment, and so far, his singles have displayed a return to hitmaking form for the singer/songwriter. The latest, “Push Back,” finds him exploring new musical territory with longtime collaborators Stargate as he delves into the tropical sounds of dancehall and reggae alongside pop disruptor Bebe Rexha and UK deejay Stefflon Don.
At it’s core, “Push Back” is a classic dancehall wining anthem. Its riddim and lyrics are designed to do one thing and one thing only: Inspire the people to hit the dancefloor and twist their hips to the music. Stefflon once again turns in a stellar verse, as she’s been doing on tracks with Halsey, Big Sean, and Lil Yachty lately. If she keeps it up, her stateside crossover is sure to follow in no time at all.
Good Man will be Ne-Yo’s seventh album and while he’s clearly branching out with tracks like “Push Back,” the previous single, title track “Good Man,” shows he’s not quite ready to leave behind the classic R&B sound that made him a star. He intends to combine the two elements to illustrate his growth, both personally and musically, saying, “There’s no such thing as a perfect man, there’s no such thing as a person who has never made a mistake, before but you are not defined by your mistakes…What it is to be a good man is to own those mistakes, and figure out the best way to move forward.”
