Ok - I have to say I personally like this album a lot.
Some track are just ok - I also don't think we have a potential crossover hit there..
But generally I'm buying it It's definitely a step into the right direction if he wants to get his Urban fanbase back.
The obvoius standouts for me (without already released tracks) : Tell Me , Bump, FWM, Downtime
I think the album is excellent bar Champions. Mind of a Man could've been a full track if he had cut that garbage song. It's more thematic, lyrical and atmospheric than Looking 4 Myself or Raymond v Raymond. The vocals are on point, and while I'm not a huge fan of the lack of any up-tempo tracks, it's definitely the Usher I became a fan of in 2002.
Need U, Stronger, Make U A Believer, Tell Me and Down Time are the absolute standouts of the album imo. Which says a lot because I really like No Limit and Crash. Speaking of Crash, it sounds different from the single release. A bit more urban.
I'm looking forward to seeing how it ages for me. Looking 4 Myself had very little lasting appeal beyond Climax and a few other tracks. Also yes, Tell Me is FANTASTIC. I think if it does become a single, he will definitely make a shorter version, but I love how its a fully fleshed out track. The album flows excellently, something I feel Usher albums have lacked since Confessions and Here I Stand.
Besides Champions, Hard II Love and Missin U are probably my least favorite tracks of the album, and they aren't exactly bad either, just alright/good. Finally, I'm past the whole him charting/selling well. I'm just glad we finally got the album, and its of high quality. But if I had to pick a single, I'd say go with Stronger/Tell Me.
I actually think this album is more put together than L4M. While I liked L4M the theme was all over the place and it lacked structure. HIIL has structure and it seems a lot more personal than the past couple of albums he has released. Also he shouldn't have put Champions on the album. I think Clueless would have fit the theme really well.
There aren't any songs that truly standout like climax but the quality of the album is much higher than his last two LPs. Its truly a body of work instead unlike the many filler tracks of Raymond v Raymond or how every track in Looking 4 Myself was built with the intention of being potential singles.
It's definitely missing that one track that really identifies the album like climax did last time though. I don't think he will win any Grammy awards this time around as Frank Ocean and Beyonce released their albums but he definitely should get a few nominations.
Couldn't agree more This album is really cohesive. You can listen to it from the beginning to the end - it seems to have one concept. There is no song that is totally different from the rest of the album - like it happened on L4M and RvR.
He might not win a Grammy for the album this time - but I'm sure that if he handle vocally Tell Me live performance - he can easily get Grammy for Best Rnb record/ Best vocal performance.
And that would be great
I went in with low to moderate after the snippets and the album was a pleasant surprise. I'm very happy tbh and hope it grows on people after multiple listens.
It's definitely a step into the right direction if he wants to get his Urban fanbase back.
Maybe he releases next year another album.