REVIEW: USHER’S “HERE I STAND”

By Nick Kaoma

Usher has come a long way since he released his self-titled debut album at the tender age of 16. The set which was produced under the supervision of a young hotshot Uptown Records executive Sean “Puffy” Combs, failed to ignite any musical flames – I can bet you some 2 cents that even the staunchest of Usher fans would be hard-pressed to single out a good song from that album.

Looking back at those early days, one can’t blame the young Usher for failing to hit the right notes. Sending an upcoming teenage star to the fast-paced city of New York to learn under the tutelage of an incredibly successful producer, who was riding the crest of his wave to the fullest, meant boundless exposure to things that a young’un is not supposed to see till he has at least grown a manly beard. All-night orgies, hard-partying and exotic excursions were de rigueur in the surreal world of Puff Daddy, as he was still known.

The savvy folks of LA Face Records learned from their ways and decided to link up Usher, who had just graduated from high school, with fellow Atlantian Jermaine Dupri. This proved to be a sage move on their part, one need only look at the 30 million copies that the diminutive producer has helped Ush push.

Fast-forward to 2008: the fast-moving, womanising young stud with millions of screaming fans has evolved into a mature husband and father whose life priorities have changed. His new album in four years inevitably embodies and epitomises this growth. Usher’s A&R Director had initially named the album “The Measure of a Man”, after Sidney Poitier’s memoir of the same name. However, after finding out that another artist had already used that title, Usher came up with “Here I Stand”, a good-enough title that signifies his independence, growth and new-found level-headedness.

As per usual, Usher released his fifth album on the back of a scorching-hot single courtesy of on-form producer Polow Da Don (Rich Boy’s “Throw some D’s, Fergie’s “Glamorous” & Nas’ “Hero”). “Love in this Club” featuring Young Jeezy was leaked to the internet by the anxious producer and soon shot straight to the top of American charts. And as they say, when the US coughs the rest of the world catches the cold, so the joint quickly made it to the top of radio charts across the globe.

The question I kept asking myself prior to the official release of the album was, would Usher try take back the musical space that young’uns such as Chris Brown and Ne-Yo have been renting in his absence or would he simply carve new room for his own grown-up sound? After listening to the album for a lengthy period, it is suffice to say that he has wisely chosen the latter option. Everybody knows that you don’t pick fights with lil’ boys, they might just cause you some unwanted embarrassment!

Throughout the album, Usher has strung a golden thread of maturity and decisiveness. He is no longer a groupie-obsessed star; he is now a grown-ass man whose role in the world has been cast in stone.

On his latest single "Moving Mountains", Usher touches on break-ups and the emotional drama that they come with. This is definitely a track that many heart-broken souls, who despite continuous attempts can’t seem to bring the mojo back into their relationships, will relate to. "It's like moving mountains, hey. But I keep climbing and hoping things would change and the sky turns gray, and the water from the rain washes progress away", he sings on the track.

On “Prayer for You”, Usher has an intimate conversation with his new-born baby and promises to give him everything under the sun. This song will definitely resonate with new parents out there; the vulnerability on it is just so sincere.

He then proceeds to remind us of his freaky side on "Trading Places" where he performs all sorts of bedroom acrobatics with a young, wild thang. Good pal, Jay-Z, makes an appearance on "Best Thing" a sexy number produced by Jermaine Dupri that will definitely get booties shaking on dance floors.

"His Mistakes" addresses the thorny issue of the new boyfriend paying for the old boyfriend's mistakes. "Always guilty before the sin, I can't win", he sings. Usher deserves accolades for summing up this common problem that really irks the living hell out of fellas in a 5 minute song.

Overall, Mr Raymond IV has delivered a solid, enjoyable album that can stand head and shoulders above the rest, but nevertheless I can’t help thinking how he has failed to match the exquisite taste of “Confessions”. Oh well, I’m sure I'll be able to live with that!