Billboard Review...
After four wildly successful studio albums with sales totaling 20 million, Usher took a couple years off to regroup. He returns with the promise of an evolved sound, evident enough in first single "Love in This Club," which opens with a dedication to the ladies while vowing to keep it hood. Slow ballad tempo and smooth vocals transition to an upbeat hip-hop twist, adding a choppy synthesizer to fulfill the club vibe. A short verse from guest Young Jeezy doesn't add a lot to the overall impact, but at least scores on the hood quotient. "Love" is a catchy tune with enough fuel to return Usher to the top of R&B. Already, it's proved its mettle with consumers: brand-new and already No. 1 at iTunes.—Sophia Baratta
About.com Review...
The Bottom Line
It has been 4 long years since the release of Usher's 4th studio album Confessions. Leading into that collection, with a huge boost from Lil' Jon, Usher electrified pop, r&B, and rap audiences with the anthemic "Yeah!" blending the world of crunk with contemporary r&b. This time he settles for a retread of territory familiar to fans of Akon and T-Pain. Millions of fans expected much more.
Pros
Atmospheric synths
Solid grit from Young Jeezy
Cons
Induces boredom
Shameless effort to jump on the styles of others
Guide Review - Usher featuring Young Jeezy - Love In This Club
If you close your eyes and listen to "Love In This Club" you might guess that you're listening to a close cousin to Akon. However, the vocals are lacking the sheer beauty of Akon's best vocals or any particular soulfulness. Lyrics generate some of the requisite sexual heat, but this musical ground has been covered many times before in more arresting fashion.
Producer Polow da Don provides a nicely atmospheric synth groove and Young Jeezy's featured raps are reliably gritty. However, for an artist of the stature of Usher (his last album Confessions sold over 9 million copies), it's reasonable to expect something more after a 4 year wait.
Usher has lined up an all-star set of producers to work on the upcoming new collection, so it is far too early to give up hope on a strong album. Perhaps Usher's concentration on film acting and Broadway stage performances has distracted him from his bedrock singing talent. Meanwhile, I'll cue up "Burn" and hope for better in the future.
lol but really, Crying Out For Me might not have been a flop i bet if Usher came with that instead it would be #1.
I want the album nao.
