The Arkansas R&B star subtly embraces his rustic roots. In the lead-up to his 10th studio album, Ne-Yo noted that fans should not expect a country record, exactly, but a country-inspired record. That turns out to be an accurate statement: On Highway 79, the R&B star subtly embraces all things rustic and twangy without sacrificing the sound that made him famous 21 years before. Recorded (where else?) in Nashville, Highway 79 draws its name not only from Ne-Yo’s birth year, but also the interstate that runs through his home state of Arkansas. Acoustic guitar strum-alongs lend a touch of Americana to the singer’s traditional concerns—namely, matters of the heart—on tracks like “Thinking What I’m Thinking,” where a weekend of candlelight and whiskey reignites an old flame. And though finger-snap percussion remains a constant, he shifts his focus on “Up Out & Gone,” an ode to drinking ice-cold beers and two-stepping in the moonlight. He ventures furthest into line-dance territory with “Ms. Tundra,” a cheeky call-and-response number about a country girl with curves like a backroad.