East Carolinian

Issue date: 6/18/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: staff photo

There is a thin line between silky and safe, and Usher tried to find a happy medium throughout his new album, Here I Stand. It seems as though he was trying to merge his R&B "homegrown pimp" attitude with his recently married, grown-up lifestyle and it is an awkward fit.

The fifth album for the 29-year-old new dad seems a little less about sex and baby making and a little more about actually having a kid of his own-some of the time. The juxtaposition of meaningful and not so much is confusing for listeners, especially since the last four albums of the artists' career have been about, um… sex.

The dazzling single "Love in This Club," which appears twice; in a pop version with Young Jeezy and an old-school remix featuring Beyoncé, is Usher's link to his clubbing past and the most successful song on the album.

The song "Moving Mountains" is a bid for another hit, but even "Best Thing," which has a promising opening with a fresh beat and a strong verse from Jay-Z, eventually falls dreary with corny lyrics and an uninspiring delivery.

Aside from these songs and the conflicted "This Ain't Sex," where Usher croons "This ain't sex/this is a symbol of the true makings of love," the song turns into a mix of a Michael Jackson groove, and an R. Kelly-styled soul soup.

"Trading Places," is a ridiculous song about switching gender roles (Usher's version of Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" series); however; this song too falls flat.

Instead of being the soundtrack for the clubs, Usher turns much of Here I Stand into the soundtrack for Lifetime original made-for-TV movies.

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.

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