Usher - Raymond v. Raymond

Nothing is blowing up the pop charts right now faster than Usher's March release, Raymond v. Raymond. I've heard at least 3 singles off this on popular radio airwaves already. That's actually quite crazy for a record only out for a month now. Usually they try to leak singles very slowly so you can promote the record over the course of time. This typically means the artist has another follow up coming out soon, but that does not seem to be the case. Not sure what his label is thinking, but I'd seriously expect sales to diminish once the singles stop coming out. That's just the way the business works. So, I've never been a big Usher fan. Other than the song "Yeah" (which come on, doesn't everybody like that song???), I don't care for his singles. I can safely say I've never analyzed a full Usher record before - but part of that is his style. He tries to be an R&B guy with a little mix of pop and hip hop...and I guess it never really worked for me. I didn't really know, but it sounds like he went through some heavy personal stuff while writing and making this album. A messy divorce mainly, which certainly comes through on a couple tracks. I guess I've never been a big fan of airing your dirty laundry in your music, unless you're telling the story. And this just seems to be complaining or whining almost. If you're an Usher fan, check it out...although I think you'll be disappointed. It must be selling well based on a couple singles, so we'll see how it's received 5 years from now.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Monstar
2. Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)
3. There Goes My Baby
4. Lil Freak
5. She Don't Know
6. OMG
7. Mars vs Venus
8. Pro Lover
9. Foolin' Around
10. Papers
11. So Many Girls
12. Guilty
13. Okay
14. Making Love (Into The Night)

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Lil Freak
2. There Goes My Baby
3. Guilty

FINAL RATING:
1.5 out of 5 stars