My Way [PA] - Usher

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	A few hits
Disadvantages:	Very short

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

"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".

**Three Stars**

3. "Nice and Slow"

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, an das 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.

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**

10. "You Make Me Wanna" (Extended Version)

This is simply a bonus track from the album and is exactly the same as the orignal version, the only thing which seperates this from it is that there are extended instrumental sections to the track.

**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 follwed 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.