BUCK C. COOKE
| 6.4.2008
with the Southern-based brand of R&B and soul coming out of Atlanta as the dreamy Usher. Four years and a marriage-and-baby after his hit album “Confessions,” the sexy singer releases “Here I Stand,” a declaration of his evolution as an artist and as a man.
As he nears 30 and begins going through some rites of adulthood, Usher’s perspective shifts, but he still likes to have a good time. As an example, the album's lead single, “Love in This Club,” bounces for partying, but with a heavy dose of romance — or maybe lust.
“Love in This Club” has already reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, along with three other charts. As Usher matures as an artist, he becomes more and more commercially savvy, so it is no surprise that dance remixes of the track are already out, the standout among them the Stonebridge Club Mix.
crooner now delves deeper into more grown-up themes on this album, like the dark “His Mistakes.” The track explores the dynamic between a woman still healing from the wounds of her last relationship and her current boyfriend, and is punctuated by impeccable piano accompaniment and Usher’s emotional vocals.
In a time when relationship violence and just plain heartbreak are ever more common, lyrics like “Is it because he treated you badly/ I always stand accused/ Protecting yourself from somebody else/ I’m not who’s hurting you, girl” are sure to make “His Mistakes” resonate with women and men.
Other tracks that explore heavy topics include “Appetite,” which finds a man lusting for a woman despite his having a wife at home, and “Before I Met You,” in which a man turns his back on his playa past.
Despite his fondness for hip-hop, Usher packs plenty of soul into the album, most notably on the title song, a hidden track called “Will Work for Love,” the album introduction, and the bluesy “Something Special,” one of the album's shining moments. Producer and co-writer Jermaine Dupri worked his magic on “Something Special,” blending Usher’s smoky vocals with sexy licks on an electric guitar.
some of the best musicians to join him on "Here I Stand." The ubiquitous will.i.am co-wrote “What’s Your Name” and takes a turn at the mic, while Jay-Z helps out on the lackluster “Best Thing,” and Beyonce and Lil’ Wayne join Usher for “Love in This Club – Part II,” a slowed down (and anticlimactic) sequel to the lead single.
For this, his fifth studio album, Usher assembled a whopping roster of 16 producers, including big guns like will.i.am, Dupri, Polow Da Don (Jamie Foxx, Kelly Rowland, Ciara), Tricky Stewart and The Dream (Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Mary J. Blige), Nate “Danjahandz” Hills (Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Nelly Furtado), and StarGate (Beyonce, Rihanna, Blige).
Not one to let others do all of the heavy lifting, Usher himself is listed as a co-writer for every track. There are some gems among them, but a big club-thumping hit like “Yeah!” is absent, maybe appropriately so, given Usher’s more mature mood. There are also some good slow jams, but most of them cannot hold a candle to “Burn.”
When compared to its predecessor, “Here I Stand” falls short a bit despite being a good body of work by a major talent, but the overall quality and Usher’s reputation will ensure a strong debut on the charts.
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