Ne-Yo reteamed with many previous collaborators to work on the follow-up to his debut album In My Own Words (2006), involving Ron "Neff-U" Feemster, StarGate, and Shea Taylor, as well as new and upcoming musicians such as The Heavyweights, Eric Hudson, Timothy Bloom, Knobody, and Syience.

"[7] Similarly, AllMusic editor Andy Kellman noted that "the key to the album's potency and freshness is its differences from In My Own Words [...] Making it to number one on your own, writing a major hit for one of the planet's most popular entertainers, and qualifying as the heir to R. Kelly can have that effect.

Club, Nathan Rabin wrote that the album "is a real sleeper that reveals considerable strengths upon repeat listens [...] Best of all, with a running time of just over 59 minutes, Because of You is largely devoid of filler, and it never threatens to wear out its welcome.

"[4] Simon Vozick-Levinson from Entertainment Weekly noted that "indeed, the album is an unmistakable attempt to channel Michael Jackson's early work such as Off the Wall [...] and the effort often pays off beautifully [...] Ne-Yo's lithe falsetto puts the many others who've been labeled Jackson-esque to shame.

[10] Kelefa Sanneh, writer for The New York Times, found that Ne-Yo "got a silky voice and a clear knack for chronicling obsessive love and lust; maybe one day he’ll create a half-crazed R&B masterpiece.