'Usher X2' is an album which compiles two of usher's best albums up until the release of this double LP. Out of the threee studio albums the team had to choose out of I feel that it was correct to opt for these and leave out "Usher", his debut album. I feel this way because no songs stood out in that like in these do.
"My Way" came as Usher's second album, the preceeding one came without many successful hits. It was released by LaFace records in 1997.
"My Way" came as Usher's second album, the one prior to it came without many successful songs. It was released by LaFace records in 1997. Its quite a short album from the artist, and was the first I had heard from him. The singles from the album had been my favourite Usher songs for a long time, lasting until the release of "8701".
1. "You Make Me Wanna"
This is one of my favourite songs by Usher and it seems as though lots of others feel the same wayas it was the first Usher song to go to the top of this country's singles charts an two in the States. I feel that it's a great way to kick the album off, becasue most will know it, so they will be able to get into the album early on into it.
I feel that this album shows just where Usher came from and what he has become now. Back then he was so fresh-faced and he came out with such an original R&B style, and he has gone on so far since this time with Jermaine Dupri as his mentor.
**Five Stars**
2. "Just Like Me" (feat. Lil' Kim)
I didn't expect to here something as hard as Lil' Kim's style of rapping on an album with such a sfot R&B singer in Usher from this early time in his career, but I felt that it was simply shaping him for the rest of what awaited him, so without it he may not have had crossover hits such as "Yeah" and "Love In This Club" from more recent times.
Usher takes on the harder input by Lil' Kim in the opening to this tune by forming a swing R&B tune around it. You can hear a very strong range of his vocals in this, and it's acts as a positive start to this album after such a big opener in "You Make Me Wanna".
This track followed on from the success of "You Make Me Wanna" an din America in transferred into having him getting another Number-one single. It showed a differnt side to the artist, from the writing of another Atlanta native, Brian Casey of Jagged Edge.
This is a very slow and sensual track, and even though it ddn't receive too much airplay over here in the UK, the production is something which sticks in your mind through this long period sicne it's release as a single in 1997.
**Five Stars**
4. "Slow Jam" (feat. Monica)
This is a debut from Usher and one of the best female R&B sensations of this decade in Monica. I felt that her way of singing really complemented Usher's, and so it made for a really strong tune. I can't say that this one was that original as it is sang just as any gentle soulful tune, but regardless of it, they made a very good attempt at brining all that they could offer for the listener.
**Three Stars**
5. "My Way"
This is the title track from the album, and the first I had ever heard from the artist, and I feel that
it was the video for this which initially attracted me to him, as I was only 5 at the time, so the music won't be much of a factr at that age. However when I heard this for the first time in about ten years, I imidiately remembered this great song.
When you look through Usher's careeer, discounting his unsuccessful debut album, this particular song hints on the direction which he was going to go on following this album as "8701" went on a full pop R&B style, and this is waht you get here. Although usually I don't like it when it is made to be directed towards the mainstream, it's only because this usually leads to it being over-played, but this one wasn't so it remains a track that I always enjoy listening to.
**Five Stars**
6. "Come Back"
The title alone should be all you need in order to work out what theme this track goes on, and it is very straight-forward because of this. I felt that Usher made a very good song for this type of subject as he went on an original angle as it was quite hard, and not all soppy, as it could easily have been.
Jermaine Dupri, who produces this track does a rap verseat the beginning of this track, and alothough he's not much of a rapper, it was a good way to start off the track, and he took influence from the sample, which was used in 2Pac's "California Love", as he says a couple of 'Pac's famous hits discretely during his section
**Four Stars**
7. "I Will"
Although there is quite a bit of swing in this album, Usher keeps the up-tempo tunes in check by equaling the frequency of those to the slower tunes. I prefer it when he brings up the beat as it is a lot more enjoyable from a male stand-point, but he's never weak when he calms things down either.
I felt that the singer performed extremely well in this particular tune, and to be honest, I think that he is a lot stronger at this stage of his career when he went for the more sensual tracks than today. He may sound more soulful now, but here it's clearly much more pure as the beat seems to match it well without having some superstar production team.
**Four Stars**
8. "Bedtime"
As soon as you here the production for this one, you can tell that we are going into a ballard, and as he doesn't do it too often anymore, I feel that it was nice to hear him go for something liike this in the album. For me, it's not really my thing, but it definately showed a lot of potential, and stayed in line with how the soul R&Bers used to go about these ones in the nineties.
**Five Stars**
9. "One Day You'll Be Mine"
As soon as I heard the production in this track, I decided that I loved it, and any Hip Hop fan should feel the same too as it takes on the Isley Brothers' "Footsteps in the Dark", which most most famously used in Ice Cube's "It Was A Good Day", and there's no way that I could dislike anything which tool elements from that classic single.
I think that it suits the thme of the original sample than it does Ice Cube's interpretation, but it does have that chilled-out style which fits in with with the West Coast anthem of the early '90s, that echos earlier on in the decade which this was recorded. He also goes into some melodic raps halfway through to show that he's taken this on board.
**Five Stars**
In my opinion, this album is a forgotten classic by Usher, and it seemed to be ignored, along with his self-entitled debut album as all the records which followed on from this, "8701", "Confessions", and "Here I Stand" did so much better in comparison. Regardless of this, it should not be forgotten, you must pursue this if you liked "You Make Me Wanna", because I know that you've heard it, as the rest of the album is pretty much all like that, but obviously varied enough to include all the type of tunes which you expect more an R&B album.
"8701" is the third studio album from the R&B superstar Usher. The name of this comes from the the years which Usher's career had been entertaining, from 1987-2001, at that time. This album managed to achieve a #1 in this country as well as five singles of which none did worse than a top-twenty. I believe that this album was the peak of this performers career however, many would say that the LP following this, "Confessions" was greater due to its awards and sales.
Usher's style was a lot different from what was seen later on in the 2004 album as it contained many less slow songs, all about relationships and such, this does have a similar theme but, he sings about it differently here as the music is funkier, something good to dance to.
1. "Intro-Lude 8701" (intro)
2. "U Remind Me"
This is an example of a track which would have been done to a slow tempo in his newer albums, this was however a great song with a lot of appeal. It has a strong beat ans Usher's vocals are perfect as he sings to a woman about wanting to get with a woman, but cannot due to he similarity to an ex of his. Usher managed to secure the first of his five Grammy Awards, this for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2002.
**Five Stars**
3. "I Don't Know" (feat. P. Diddy)
This is nice song with a good beat to it and it sounds quite a lot like songs made by P. Diddy around this time as it is a goof track which I can imagine hearing in a club in the late nineties and early 00s. Although it isn't too strong and its beat isn't that memorable, I does stick in your head, because it reminds me of other tracks of the period and I think of that era to be my 'golden age' of R&B.
**Three Stars**
4. "Twork It Out"
This is a slow and sensual song which we know Usher for as he masters this type of love song by going on a different angle of creating a sexual mood.
The song took a while to grow on me as the first couple of times it as just another song about sex, but you start to discover more as you listen to it at a more relevant time.
**Four Stars**
5. "U Got It Bad"
I can't say that I liked this too much until a 2-Step remix was made for this track. However afer hearing that it was made to be one of my favourite Usher songs. This managed to reach number 1 in America and so it was obviuosly successful.
This is a pure love song by Usher, telling us what it really feels like to be in such a state hen your entire life revoles around the person in your life who you adore so much.
**Five Stars**
6. "Pop Ya Collar"
This is a banger of a track by usher and it gets you up on your feet as soon as it comes on because it has the qualities of a great R&B track with a little added 'thug' just so that the listener range is increased and provides him with added appeal.
It is the ultimate in feel-good track as he teaches you to just relax and brush off any worries in life and carry on, because you can stay down forever. This record saw great success in the UK and managed to climb all the way to number 2, which I felt was massive for him at the time.
**Five Stars**
7. "If I Want To"
This Jermaine Dupri produced song samples Notorious B.I.G.'s "Going Back To Cali", and you hear it clearly as his deep voice greets you as the track i9s just unfolding. Here he is performing the chorus of the rap and it seems to fit in well with with Usher tune despite the fact that the topic of the records completely contrast.
Surprisingly when I listen to this track after a while with R&B having moved on quite a bit from the early 00s, the first lyrics by Usher remind me of Justin Timberlake, but at this time he will be at the end of his run with N*Sync.
**Four Stars**
8. "I Can't Let U Go"
I can't quite identify the song, but this reminds of a collaboration between Ush and Diddy around this period of time as it has a similar sound to it, and it has a lot of appeal to it as it is suited to party people, which usually includes everyone.
**Four Stars**
9. "U Don't Have To Call"
This track won Usher's second Grammy and is another big song from him. This is a party song and the artist sings to his girlfriend that he dosen't need her to have to call him, because he's going to go out and party instead of say in and talk to her on the phone.
The remix of this features a single verse from Ludacris, this completes the track as he gives an added bit of help to get you into the partying mood.
**Five Stars**
10. "Without U (Interlude)" (skit)
11. "How Do I Say"
At some point there was bound to be a weak link in the album and this is definately it. It is an incredibly boring song with influence from Hispanic recording arts which I am not a fan of, so it made the track go on forever (the near-six-minute span doesn't help), and so now I have to skip straight past it.
**Two Stars**
12. "Hottest Thing"
This song tells a the story of a night where Ush is in the club watching (obviously) the most attractive woman in the place. It is a great way of presenting a tale in the form of a track as it goes through all the emotions of seeing rejection and finally getting accepted. I felt that although it wasn't of the highest quality, it is quite memorable as a slow seducing record which many may enjoy and want to listen to.
**Three Stars**
13. "Good Ol' Ghetto"
Usher takes time to take a look at what he has become and decides to show that he knows that no girl is as good as one from the "Good Ol' Ghetto". His overwhelming popularity is shunned in this one as he goes back to his roots in Atlanta to notice that none of the up-market as as good as the ones which he grew up with.
I really like that he takes time to sing a record like this, because it is a topic which doesn't tend to get spoken about too often (but I have heard a brand new Sisqó track called "Champagine & Hennessey" along similar lines as this).
**Four Stars**
14. "U-Turn"
This is probably my favourite Usher song ever. It a great dance track produced by JD (Jermaine Dupri). The song had a dance to go along with it, which Usher hoped would be as successful as Michael Jackson's Moonwalk, it failed to do so, however the song was still a hit.
Usher goes through many stages of his life in this song explaining what the style of dance was at the time and the "U-turn" was meant to continue this. This fad of creating dance moves for songs didn't really work at this time, it wasn't until Jamaican artists such as Elephant Man and Sean Paul started doing this before it translated onto US soil especially Usher's hometown of Atlanta with people like Lil' Jon and the Ying Yang Twins started doing this well, making it all come out into the clubs around the world.
**Five Stars**
15. "T.T.P."
If the artist was looking for another single to get out of this LP, I'm sure that he would have chosen this one, because it is brilliant. The song is of the time and I really liked the composition which added more to what we here from JD's production as he chose to do a little beatbox along with the dance-inducing beat.
As I know you were wondering I will tell you that the 'T.T.P.' in the title refers to "The Total Package", which he believes that he deserves in the next girl that he gets with. This song is very exciting and it gave me a similar feeling which I felt when I heard "U Remind Me" for the first time.
**Five Stars**
16. "Separated"
The album rose all the way up to a massive anticlimax as we end on a very boring track as he explain why he has to end the relationship with his girlfriend, because it's just not working out.
I absolutely hate songs like this as I have no reason to listen to them and I can't see a reason why I would in the future. I do admire his great vocal talent, but this one just wasn't for me.
**Two Stars**
In conclusion, this is one of the best ever R&B album which I have ever listened to, the LP includes all of my favourite songs by this artist so there's no way that I can complain, apart from this, there are also a few more big songs which bring out your emotions in a big way.
Now, if you were unaware of the material which Usher came out with, prior to blowing up with the release of "Confessions", then I advise that you purchase this as it has all of the best tracks which he came out with before those days. To be honest, these are my two favourite CDs which Ush came out with, so I see it as an amazing compilation product which any true Usher fan (or R&B follower) should have.
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