This is Usher Raymond’s second attempt at a mainstream introspective beats orientated r ‘n’ b album despite 2 other low profile albums. Usher over the years has undergone a great transformation not just the way that he has matured but also the fashion that he has evolved as an artist. When he first released My Way, his debut album into the mainstream and an album that he is well acknowledged for, Usher was known as a teenage heartthrob and that was his target audience. Although the album contained top hits like U Make Me Wanna, Usher as an r ‘n’ b artist was not well respected for it because of his immature approach to his music. This has all changed in 8701 and it is clear that Usher has become a well-rounded musician.

8701 has a wide range of musical vibes for a range of tastes and peoples. For instance tunes such as Hottest thin’ brings a Latin party feel to the album where as Can U Help Me ballad brings a slow and soothing essence to 8701. This is all respective of the fact that Usher has developed from a teenage target audience to a more adult and intelligent audience. The subject matter that is based around the foundation of 8701 also implies this fact. The tracks are more concentrated on life as a hole and love whereas My Way was more about teenage girls and immature relationships.

The production on the album is second to none and it is clear that a great deal of care has gone into the fine toning and perfection of several tunes on the album. The Neptunes, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and other hit makers such as Edmund Clement who was responsible for the first track released for airplay off the album, U Remind Me. Jermaine Dupri has also nurtured the talents of the young R ‘n’ B singer. In a track called If I Want, J.D’s stylish and careful manipulation of samples and computerized instrumentals really shine and bring out the various vocal ranges in the album. It is disappointing to see though that like he did with Nate Dogg’s single Your Woman Has Been Sighted, JD has implemented various annoying sound bites within the track that after a few listens become very frustrating. This almost ruins an otherwise very nice track.

There are various features within the album. Artists such as P.Diddy and Daz Dillinger accompany Usher in 8701. P.Diddy in a track called I Don’t Know is very disappointing and although the song itself is not brilliant and is probably one of the worst on the album P.Diddy does nothing to rectify the situation and his jittery style of rap further deteriorates the song. The song is based around the saying, “I don’t know, what you came to do girl, what you came to do tonight” and consequently fails to raise any eyebrows as Usher sticks to a very mainstream uncreative style of r ‘n’ b. U Turn is the opposite to this and the various background beats and near silent backing vocals simply finish an amazing song. The song starts with jazzy instrumentals and moves on to a more rap centred around single. Although the track is on 8701, the approach that Usher has decided to adopt of trying to implement a range of musical tastes into one album, sees the song becoming less and less r ‘n’ b and more rap. In fact Usher himself is a rare occurrence and although his soothing voice and mellow charismatic vocals form a well structured hook, it is the stylish and new skool rap of Daz Dillinger and his accomplice Immature that really make the song a hit. I would really recommend this song to any hip-hop fan. But it is well known that this trend is not unusually amongst mainstream hip hop artists as we can see in Fat Joe’s and R.Kelly’s collaboration – We Thuggin’. It appears that unlike Ja Rule’s approach of using light female vocals against deep scratchy voices, the ideal now is to use soothing r ‘n’ b artists to finish the hook on a single. This is a great approach and it really works as a harmony between Daz Dillinger and Usher is clearly formed.

6. 6. If I Want To (10/10 – Great, despite JD’s sound bites, Usher’s brilliance shines through to create an up-beat track that can be listened to over and over again)

8. 8. U Don't Have To Call (8/10 – Average beats but not creative enough of the artist)