Here I Stand

So here we are, six days before the official release of the new Usher CD, titled "Here I Stand". Luckily for you, All Around Critic has been fortunate enough to hear an early sampling of all the new tracks and is here to give you the heads up and let you know what to do with your hard-earned money!

Let me start things off with saying that this is a good CD. It is produced well and features some of the hottest artists out there including Jay-Z, Beyonce and Lil Wayne. That being said, I will be honest and say I don't think the CD will outdo "Confessions", Usher's 2004 nine-time platinum-selling release.

There are certainly some highlights on "Here I Stand", but it seems to me that the majority of the tracks will slip away into that nexus of forgotten music tunes. There is of course the first single on the CD, "Love in This Club" featuring Young Jeezy. This song is definitely reminiscent of the 2004-2005 version of Usher, making huge party/club hits. The title track, "Here I Stand" is definitely a slow and building melodic song which does a good job of encapsulating accurately Usher's current stage in musical development. This CD is a lyrical masterpiece, but may not be exactly what his devout fans are expecting. One of my personal favorites is the track, "What's a Man to Do", which definitely has potential for radio play in the future, once the hype surrounding "Love in This Club" settles down a little bit.

All in all, it is definitely a must-have for hardcore Usher fans, and is a great addition to any R&B collection, but may catch people offguard a little bit. The popularity of 2004's "Confessions" will be hard to top, but we will find out in 6 days when "Here I Stand" hits the shelves on May 27, 2008!

P.s. Congratulations to David Cook, the newest American Idol, I knew it was going to be you, best of luck to you and hopefully I will be reviewing a DC album soon!