Here I Stand

Usher's fans will not be disappointed

In the mid 90's already quite well-known but still very young performer Usher Raymond IV made friends with producer Jermaine Dupri with whom he later released his sophomore effort My Way and single You Make Me Wanna... that remained the R&B chart number one for 71 weeks. In 2004 Usher's fourth album Confessions was released to make him a pop star of really a world level getting a diamond status in the USA and becoming the year's most successful year. After that staggering success changes started to happen in Usher's life, the most significant being the growth of his acting career, namely a role in Broadway musical Chicago and a peaceful personal life. Today Usher is a happy husband a father of a son, and these are the events that have inspired him to make a new record Here I Stand which is practically fully devoted to what it means to grow up and be an adult. Although according to certain opinions the new album will hardly be able to outshine the success of its predecessor it will surely find itself among the year's best R&B works and the talented artist's fans will definitely not be disappointed.

A mixture of old and new on Here I Stand

Again produced by Jermaine Dupri, and also Dre & Vidal and Polow da Don Here I Stand has become a mixture of the good old danceable songs and the new serious and deep thoughts we have never heard from Usher before. The record opens with a traditional promising Intro on which the singer tells us how bad it feels to be alone and how important it is to be with someone who can understand you. The first three full compositions are a tribute to the past achievements: single Love In This Club featuring Young Jeezy depicts a night full of love adventures, a sensual song This Ain't Sex will be great at any party and a frank Trading Places most suits for a romantic time passing all being reminiscent of the previous club material Usher is best at. The first song that makes the direction change a bit is Moving Mountains on which the singer is almost crying in an attempt to preserve a relationship. Will.I.Am joins Usher on another easy-going danceable track What's Your Name but the things get again less playful when it comes about the artist's son on Prayer For You (Interlude) on which we can actually hear the baby's crying. Composition devoted to his wife Something Special pleases with a most beautiful tune as well as a very touching piece Love You Gently. Collaboration with Jay Z Best Thing is surely going to be a single for its catchy melody and contagious beat really are something while another honest confession Before I Met You repeats the main idea of the introduction. A very mature song His Mistakes is an example of Usher's great work as a lyricist while the second single Love In This Club, Pt. 2 is refined with the participation of Beyonce and Lil Wayne. The album closes with the title song, once again stating that a family is the most important value for the artist no matter what.

A perfect instrument for singing about new life aspects

Usher's fifth album finds the artist in a very interesting moment of his life. On the one hand the success of Confessions might have well prompted him what direction he should take in order to get the maximum commercial success. On the other his life has changed and the commercial success in no more an end in itself. These excellent vocals and a faultless sense of rhythm now serve a perfect instrument for singing about new life aspects such as love and respect for one woman who is the mother of his child. Then again Here I Stand is only a turn-over phase. It is hardly possible to say that Usher has easily thrown away everything he did before, and out of the album's 17 tracks at least a half pleases with the same old sexy danceable mood thus some of the new tracks are definitely destined to become club hits. Nevertheless the performer turns thirty this year and another half of the record makes it clear that he is not the bold lady's man that always used to be in the centre of attention. Standing with one leg still at the party and with another at home with his family Usher does make a choice for the latter which is why his next creation will most probably be a lot of surprises.