Usher - Raymond V Raymond

Don't let us waste your time with random information you could harvest yourself from the likes of Wikipedia. 'Cause you already know this guy is up to his sixth studio album, but what you didn't know is that after delivering two solid albums (8701, Confessions) and a lesser one (Here I Stand), Mr. Raymond dropped the ball on his newest body of work: "Raymond V Raymond".

Usher's "Raymond V Raymond" takes the route that other artists pioneered these past 2, 3 years with an overwhelming "disco" or "club" -vibe.

We're talking about R&B drowning in the sounds of electric, a style previously defined by artists like Taio Cruz and Ne-Yo. You could call this a positive or negative move on Usher's part, but what we do know is that in Usher's case less = more and because of this we're positive he'll lose some fans with "Raymond V Raymond".

Between the many souped-up tracks you'll find a (shining) beacon of hope in tracks like 'There Goes My Baby', a ballad with an addictive hook. It's a shame that Usher failed to include some of his previously leaked material -- 'Rockband' (prod. by RedOne) for instance, because the current tracklist could have used some extra magic.

The formula is simple, Usher gets involved with a woman, dumps/marries/impregnates her (or whatever) and uses that relationship as inspiration for an album. It worked for "Confessions" and "8701" but not for "Raymond V Raymond". Perhaps Mr. Raymond should have spent a little more time on his new album instead of Justin Bieber's. Now why don't you go and check out this little gem instead, it's free, we promise!

Usher's "Raymond V Raymond" in stores March 30

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