Usher

8701

USHER'S BEST ALBUM

Review Score:

(10/10)
It is very rare for me to come across a true R&B CD I can listen to all the way through and not change a song on the first listen or on any listen afterwards. Usher's first hit CD, My Way, just displayed Usher's singing ability and also some of his writing skills while his latest effort, Confessions, is definately more adult oriented. However, Usher's 8701 ranks up there with Boyz II Men's II for the quality and smooth R&B it has from the beginning of the CD until the end.

The interludes and intro are well placed but not overdone like they are on other albums. I never was a huge fan of "U Remind Me" when it first came out but it does set the stage for "I Don't Know" and I actually appreciate it much more now. If anything, those two tracks are the weakest tracks on the whole album. "Twork It Out" is absolutely seductive and amazing along with the ballad "U Got It Bad" following in a wonderful R&B fashion that's so amazing and smooth. "If I Want To" and "I Can't Let U Go" are great songs with different beats but they stand out even more so because of their lyrics. "U Don't Have to Call" slows down the beats and the mood before the interlude "Without U". Combining "Without U" and "Can U Help Me" makes up the best set in the whole CD. "Can U Help Me" is one of the most tender and outstanding R&B ballads in a long time (think Boyz II Men in the mid-90s) lyrically, musically, and in every way. "How Do I Say" and "Hottest Thing" run on the same type of theme about praising and admiring a woman while "Good Ol' Ghetto" and "U-Turn" go back to a more party vibe and feel. "U R the One" ends of the CD in a club feel and paves the way to realizing that Usher will have club tracks on his next album too. However, this song has a good vibe and ends off the album strong. 8701 isn't one of those run of the mill R&B albums with a couple of songs that stand out. Rather, it's an album that flows like a story from beginning to end and the various forms R&B takes on the album makes 8701 one of the best R&B records penned in the new millenium so far.

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