Usher – Here I Stand
After releasing the album that finally took him into super stardom while experiencing the golden touch with every single post-“Yeah!”, many wondered what moves would Usher make next. A cologne? Sure. TV commercials with Martha Stewart? Obviously. Getting married to a woman who’s as old as (and looks like) his Mom? Even for Usher, that was a stretch.
I couldn’t have cared less until I threw his CD in today. Usher’s signature CD of yesterday, filled with passion, intensity and the confessions of a man growing up are now gone. What’s left is a much more mild and channeled R&B Usher. He’s in love and got married. It’s just that exciting.
His first single, “Love in this Club”, is an ominous first song on the disc as I never quite figured out if I liked it or not. It’s definitely catchy and Jeezy’s verse grew on me but it’s kind of out there and Usher’s lyrics aren’t great. The remix with Beyonce, featured later on the disc is much better and even though Lil Wayne’s delivery is worse than a “Through the Wire” Kanye West, his rap is as tight as I’ve ever heard:
Shawty want a thug, it started with a hug
And the rest went like this
I gave her neck a kissy kiss
She gave my neck a kiss back
I said we could do it like a stack
I mean we could do it like a G
On the couch in V.I.P
Shawty we can get it on
Im like shout out to the D.J for playin’ this song
Girl, we could act like two damn fools
Have everybody think we doin a dance move
Call me, so I can make it juicy for ya
Meet me in the bathroom and you could be my secret lover girl
And it started with a hug but now we makin’ love in this club
And we not gonna stop just because
The people in the crowd are watching us
Cause we dont give a damn what they say,
this is th-the remix baby!
A bright spot in the disc is “Trading Places”, an abstract song that will certainly entice R&B fans. I really like it and consider it a must hear. Unfortunately, the rest of the album didn’t bode as well for me. I was disappointed with “Moving Mountains” given that I heard it as Usher’s version of Omarion’s “Ice Box.”
The disc’s second single, “What’s Your Name?” featuring will.i.am, has a super hot hook and a great verse by Usher:
Until we solar skating babe
Don’t want to float away
Cause we got the light, you be the ball, and Imma be the chain babe
…Illuminate and create a new thing
Let ‘em papparazzi this you and me thing
But we can’t do a thing ‘til I know your name
Beyond these two singles, I can’t see this disc having the longevity of his previous releases. Usher still sings well but clearly his love theme is a major detour for fans expecting him to build on his success. It wouldn’t bother me so much if I heard some of the greatest love songs ever on this CD but instead Usher sings “I used to be a hustler and player before I met you.” Really Usher? You and Ray J both. Another track, “His Mistakes”, is the male version of the same sad trust song we’ve heard before and really epitomizes the lack of creativity Usher put into this album.
Overall, Usher was at a point where he could carry himself as a superstar. A disc with features such as Jay Z, Beyonce, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy and a who’s who of producers really manufactured a third-rate product. While some of the songs aren’t bad, the album comes no where near the lofty expectations he set for himself after Confessions. Had I known, I wouldn’t have wasted my time. Had he known, maybe he wouldn’t have wasted his either.
Favorite Songs: “Intro”, “Love in this Club Pt. 2”, “Trading Places”, “What’s Your Name?” and “Something Special”.
Final Review: Mostly forgettable. It’s a disappointment you can surely download.
