Album review: Usher, 'Raymond v. Raymond'
Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 4)
When Usher Raymond began his career in the mid-‘90s, he was still a teenager celebrated as much for his athletic dance moves as the pick-up lines in his frisky R&B; songs. He sold millions of records by passing himself off as a less-threatening R. Kelly, a coltish crooner with a humming libido and A-list producers. His biggest hit, the 2004 Lil’ Jon crunk-pop confection “Yeah,” firmed up Usher’s club-trolling persona.
On the 2008 release, “Here I Stand,” he shifted gears, with an emphasis on ballads reflecting his newfound status as a husband and father. The album flopped, at least by his multimillion-selling standards, and his marriage collapsed. Two years later he’s back with his sixth album, “Raymond v Raymond” (LaFace), and it’s back to business as usual: More songs about “So Many Girls” and the burden of being a “Pro Lover” on the prowl.
“Daddy’s home,” Usher announces, as if returning from the exile of domesticity. But the songs brimming with booty calls (“ain’t nobody do your body like this”) are starting to sound a bit stale on the 31-year-old singer. Similarly, the production choices fall short: will.i.am offers another formulaic chant (“OMG”) tricked out with Auto-Tune. Sean Garrett’s “She Don’t Know” recycles “Yeah,” and then compounds Usher’s problems when Ludacris’ cameo rap upstages the star. Similarly, T.I. hi-jacks “Guilty” with a rapid-fire guest spot.
The boilerplate swagger is balanced by the falsetto sweetness of “There Goes My Baby.” And a couple of songs actually live up to the promise of the album title and its suggestion of a more emotionally complex Usher. “Foolin’ Around” delivers a straying husband’s mea culpa, only to see his marriage end in tears and “Papers.” It’s the kind of lacerating perspective that adulthood brings, but Usher’s too busy chasing his past to fully embrace it.
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When Usher Raymond began his career in the mid-‘90s, he was still a teenager celebrated as much for his athletic dance moves as the pick-up lines in his frisky R&B; songs. He sold millions of records by passing himself off as a less-threatening R. Kelly, a coltish crooner with a humming libido and A-list producers. His biggest hit, the 2004 Lil’ Jon crunk-pop confection “Yeah,” firmed up Usher’s club-trolling persona.
On the 2008 release, “Here I Stand,” he shifted gears, with an emphasis on ballads reflecting his newfound status as a husband and father. The album flopped, at least by his multimillion-selling standards, and his marriage collapsed. Two years later he’s back with his sixth album, “Raymond v Raymond” (LaFace), and it’s back to business as usual: More songs about “So Many Girls” and the burden of being a “Pro Lover” on the prowl.
“Daddy’s home,” Usher announces, as if returning from the exile of domesticity. But the songs brimming with booty calls (“ain’t nobody do your body like this”) are starting to sound a bit stale on the 31-year-old singer. Similarly, the production choices fall short: will.i.am offers another formulaic chant (“OMG”) tricked out with Auto-Tune. Sean Garrett’s “She Don’t Know” recycles “Yeah,” and then compounds Usher’s problems when Ludacris’ cameo rap upstages the star. Similarly, T.I. hi-jacks “Guilty” with a rapid-fire guest spot.
The boilerplate swagger is balanced by the falsetto sweetness of “There Goes My Baby.” And a couple of songs actually live up to the promise of the album title and its suggestion of a more emotionally complex Usher. “Foolin’ Around” delivers a straying husband’s mea culpa, only to see his marriage end in tears and “Papers.” It’s the kind of lacerating perspective that adulthood brings, but Usher’s too busy chasing his past to fully embrace it.
greg@gregkot.com