Usher

8701

GROWS ON U

Review Score:

(6/10)
GROWS ON YOU...That's exactly what Usher new album,8701,did to me."U Remind Me" was weak when I first heard it on the radio but
then a couple weeks went by and bam,it's stuck in my head.Even
the predictable Jermaine Dupri-produced ballad "U Got It Bad"
was one of my favorites on urban radio as time went by.
And guess what,that's exactly what 8701 did too:grow on me.
The Neptunes-produced "I Don't Know",featuring a unsuprisingly
weak P. Diddy,was sort of corny at first but the thumping
start-stop beat and "la la la la" refrain got me hooked.
Yet,that's not to say that 8701 doesn't have an instant
favorites.Among the best tracks is the breezy Neptunes confection
"U Don't Have To Call"-which also in it's vocal arragement pays
demure but pleasent tribute to Usher's hero Michal Jackson- and
the pretty Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis-helmed ballad "Can U Help Me"
(which ranks up high along with Force MD's "Tender Love" and
Janet's "Come Back To Me" among Jam & Lewis most acomplished
ballads).
So ultimatly,Usher's 8701 is a radio friendly yet satisfying
pop-R&B album,even if it's takes a couple of listens to figure
that out.

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