"Here I Stand" is the fifth album by the R&B artist, Usher it follows the massive success of his 2004 album "Confessions" which when 9X Platinum. So it was huge, since then he has settled down and is married and he feels as though this has been a coming-of-age experience, and you can tell in comparison to "8701", two albums ago, he sounds much more mature and the nature of his songs is just like this too.
1. Intro
2. Love In This Club (feat. Young Jeezy)
It took a while for me to really feel this track, because on the first few listens, I didn't like it, but it suddenly hit me when I hear it at the most appropriate moment ever, and now it gives me a deja-vu every time I hear it. This may have brought a bias to my opinons on it though, but as I reached the top of the Billboards, I bet it truley is an amazing song.
I don't like Young Jeezy too much, but his aded lines did have a purpose, to bring out more of the story in the track which it would take too long to come out when sang. What he says is relevant to anyone who is going to the clubs to try and find a girl and he does highlight things which you may otherwise overlook.
**Five Stars**
3. This Ain't Sex
This track is one of prime examples of showing how the artist has grown up since the previous album as he claims that he doesn't have sex; he makes love.
The track is one for the clubs and leads on very well from the song which proceeeded it. I felt that it sounded like a Ne-Yo song, but I didn't dislike it because of this as it was a nice dance track which doesn't make much effort to get intiamte, its just done in a funky way to make you dance along to.
This track reminds me of J. Holiday's "Bed", probably becasue the same team who produced that hit, L.O.S. Da Maestro, did this one. It's almost too similar to it and I felt that the closeness will prevent it from being released as a single in the future.
I felt that the theme of this track was rather interesting as it goes into an area which doesn't seem to get attention a lot, the whole concept of being a gentleman. Basically Usher tells his girl that they are swithcing roles and it's time for the females
to take the man out on a date, holding out the doors and pay for everything.
**Three Stars**
5. Moving Mountains
The video of this track follows on from where the video of his first single from the album did as "Love In This Club" ended on a big cliffhanger, but i won't get into that, because this is about the music.
The hit-making producer who made the music for "Umbrella" appears behind the scenes in this track, Tricky Stewart knows what is required to make a song sell big so I cannot argue with his decision to slow everything here. It sounds like Justin Timberlake's "My Love" at times. However I didn't really like this song I only enjoyed listening to Usher's singing at the choruses, the rest was rather boring.
**Two Stars**
6. What's Your Name? (feat. will.i.am)
The Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am does production and some additional rapping during this track as he has done recently with many R&B acts, so this was expected for an album which is bound to sell big like this. I didn't really like his vocal input though as his style of rapping has become so mainstream that a Hip hop head, such as myself, cannot appreciate it.
The theme of this track can be liken to Jay-Z's "Excuse Me Miss", and its a subject which has been used on many occassions, using this title "What's Your Name?" too. i felt that as usher has settled down, it's not really needed, but I did enjoy listening to his falsetto on the choruses
**Three Stars**
7. Prayer For You (Interlude)
8. Something Special
This track begins with a good minute of acoustics alongside usher in a track "For the lovers, before JD (Jermaine Dupri) enter with a a soft beat to accompany the guitar an Usher with some excellent vocals (as always). Generally this is just a nice song for people in love as he just expresses the journey which he goes to go on with his girl in the long-term future.
**Three Stars**
9. Love You Gently
Dre & Vidal, the team behind "Caught Up" from his last album return for this one to do some production. As it is so long since the previous album, you cannot hear any clear likeness to that song, but I wouldn't say that this is a hinderence to it.
I have a suspision that whoever did the writing for this song took inspiration from The-Dream's way of composing songs, using repetiton to make it watered-down for a mainstream audience as J. Holiday's "Bed", Rihanna's "Umbrella" and The-Dream's own "Shawty Is A Ten" and this similarity is clear, but that is what makes it so nice to the ear.
**Four Stars**
10. Best Thing (feat. Jay-Z)
I can't think of a time in the past where thes two have come together, but the combination of two of the most successful artists from two genres is very successful as you would expect it to be. The inclusion of JD on production just adds to the star which has all the most important elements to make a hit.
The subject of the track is Usher explaining that when a girl left him, his very "Best Thing" wasn't taken away from him. However i don't think that the topic mttered too much because Usher was going to deliver regardless. Listen out for the way he uses his entire vocal range in this single track.
**Four Stars**
11. Before I Met You
The producer who did one of the most successful tracks, "Confessions (Part II) from the previous albums appears on here providing the beats. After what he came with in 2004, you would expect something just as big, and I think this just may be it.
The set up for this track is simialr for that which was used in Jaheim's "Just In Case", but in this situation he isn't just declaring love, he's confessing to elements of his past which he has kept secret, but at this time growing up he is forced to say what he was like prior to releasing he wanted to settle down.
**Four Stars**
12. His Mistakes
The R&B star Ne-Yo is on production for this one and it really does sound like the song was mad efor him rather than Ush, but this didn't prevent the Atlanta native from taking what was given to him to make it work for himself.
This is a a soft and slow song and it had to be a part of the album, because it's an R&B Lp, but, it's just not the type of R&B I'm into, so I couldn't get into it at all, but I expect others to.
**Two Stars**
13. Appetite
The producer had a lot of input into this track and his work with Dirty South artists such Lil' Wayne and T.I. has come through here in a Crunk & B form as this is clearly a combination of Crunk and R&B, but it takes a good minute to get into because it starts off slow, but then explodes into a hardcore tune.
The theme of "Before I Met You" kind of follows through into this track as he says this is a true story of attemping to settle his appetite for other women, but is forced not to do so, because he has grown to see that he is aware of what could come from his actions.
**Five Stars**
14. What's a Man to Do
A Stargate takes over contro of production, Usher comes with a soundtrack-sounding song which seem to work well at summing up the album and the direction that Ush was going with it. I felt that the beat for this was amongst the best that I had heard in the whole of the album and it should be well-received by fans.
**Four Stars**
15. Lifetime
I felt that the song before this stared the wind down to the end of the album, and the is just another stage of brignign the album to a close softly without much of an imapct, bu the track which follows this may excite a few.
The production here is done by JLack and it appears to take on lots of elements which are seen as popular today, showing that he knows what people want to hear,and I feel that it's a shame that it was put so far back in the listings as it's as if you too tired to get into this by this stage, so you would have to listen to it separately when you are fresh.
**Three Stars**
16. Love In This Club (Part II) (feat. Beyoncé and Lil' Wayne)
This is a follow up from the success of the lead song from the album which stormed the charts all over the world. I felt that this was nowhere as good as the original as the beat was completely revamped and slowed down and a couple of guests were introduced. I hav nothing against the king of collabs (Lil Wayne), because he was bound to be on a remix with an artist as popular as this as he hypes up his upcoming "Tha Carter III" and Beyoncé, but they didn't really bring anything new to the track.
**Two Stars**
17. Here I Stand
I felt that some of the bes tmaterial made for the album was missed out as about ten songs which made it onto the internet and ssome radio stations didn't make the album including "Dat Girl Right There", which I had to comment on. As well as another track which had Pharrell appear on in vocals and for productions with The Neptunes called "Flash"
"Dat Girl Right There" (feat. Ludacris)
The production for this song is very strange, like nothing you will have hear before in any musical genre and the first time I listened to it I really coldn't undrestand therreason for using the synthesizer in such a way to make a wierd rhythm, but now I can feel it more. Don't rule it out after one listen.
It's good to see Luda backing up Ush once again, after the success of "Yeah", and I felt that their chemistry allowed the pair to work together well to create a nice sound, which isn't club-orientated as their last collaborated, it's more of a warm-up to go out.
**Four Stars**
So it would have been nice to have these as extras, perhaps as bonus track, of which there is one on here, or on some international releases, but this wasn't to be the case.
On the whoile thiis is a good album by Usher, but as I said some of the best tracks weren't included andbecause of this it will probably be the first hit album which T-Pain doesn't have a part in, but at least the other big collaborator, Lil' Wayne had a part in it to make up for this. There are a few weak tracks, which I don't think are acceptable beasue we have waited a long time for this return so everything should be of the highest quality, but there's something for everyone. I don't think this is nearly as good as any of his other album, apart from his debut (but who remembers that one), but I still think you should buy it because there are a few bangers which may not get heard in the future.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Forever Young Love In This Club featuring Young Jeezy This Ain't Sex Trading Places ... more
Moving Mountains What's Your Name featuring will.i.am Prayer For You Interlude Something Special Love You Gently Best Thing featuring Jay-Z Before I Met You ...
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May 27th, 2008
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