MANILA, Philippines - It?s not clear to us why Shaffer Smith adapted a stage name like Ne-Yo. Aside from sounding catchy and easy to remember, could the monicker also herald the arrival of a great new (?neo,? note) talent?the kind that would place him in the ranks of Michael Jackson?

Jackson fans may find the comparison premature, since Ne-Yo has been on the scene for less than two years. But his popularity as a singer is enormous, and his influence as a songwriter so pervasive, that he?s reportedly been hired to work on material for, guess what??a new Jackson album.

Flashes

A few minutes into Ne-Yo?s concert on Friday at the Araneta Coliseum, there were flashes of Jackson?s image?circa mid-1980s, at the height of his powers as King of Pop, before the troubles began. This was because Ne-Yo, wearing a fedora over a black suit, started complementing his high tenor vocals with quick, snappy moves around the mic stand, recalling Jackson?s celebrated performances following the release of ?Thriller.?

And, for a split-second, Ne-Yo was caught doing the moonwalk.

But whatever similarities or homage were apparent, we could not overlook the fact that Ne-Yo was his own man. He excelled in giving life to brooding R&B songs that explored the complications of love and relationships. A prime example was ?So Sick,? his first big hit, which also opened the Araneta show.

Full blast

R&B is black music that young fans enjoy because of the dance beat, which is a constant in many of Ne-Yo?s songs. And almost throughout the show, this beat was in full, nerve-shaking blast courtesy of three keyboardists (one of whom also manned the turntables), plus a live drummer. With this kind of backup, the bombastic groove in ?Addicted? was deeply felt.

That number, which played around notions of sex as a dangerous habit, was followed by a track with a more explicit display of pleasure?Ne-Yo surrounded by scantily clad black female dancers carrying whips. Like in a porno movie.

In a separate segment, Ne-Yo gave one of the ladies a spank on the butt, and proceeded to snap out the brassiere of another?not exactly a pleasant sight, we would imagine, for families in the audience that included little children.

Of course it was all for show, and really commonplace act for most black artists, much like the ?make-some-noise, throw-your-hands-in-the-air? DJ routine which the crowd loved just as well.

The full-packed Big Dome couldn?t have possibly contained non-fans, but to make sure everybody was reprised of his achievements, Ne-Yo had the DJ play some of the other hits he co-wrote with the likes of Rihanna (?Unfaithful?) and Beyonce (?Irreplaceable?).

A good old fashioned value that Ne-Yo, as a hip celeb adored by millions of impressionable teeners, thankfully endorsed was, ?Relationship is work, it?s not always easy, make it work ? ?

Moments later, everybody went wild as he introduced the title track of his Grammy-winning latest album, ?Because of You.?