| Product Summary | | Label: Bmg/arista | | UPC: 00078221471527 | | Release Date: 8/7/2001 | | Buy.com Sku: 60491268 | | Item#: MCLXM4 | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 25050 | Format:  CD |
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(C) (P) 2000, 2001 Arista Records, Inc.
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"A disc that flows with soulful vocals..." Billboard
"...[gives] Usher a grown-up R&B sound without reducing his boyish charm." Blender
"A strong, expressive singer, Usher is particularly adroit at seductive, late-night ballads." Sonicnet
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | This is an Enhanced CD which contains regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. | | Personnel includes: Usher, P. Diddy, Kelis (vocals); Jermaine Dupri (vocals, various instruments); Soulshock (various instruments, turntables); Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Jimmy Jam, Terry Louis, Babyface, Bryan-Michael Cox, Karlin (various instruments); Dave Barry (acoustic guitar); William "Billy" Odum, Juan "Johnny" Najera, LaMarquis Jefferson (guitar); Valdez Brantley (keyboards, programming); Arthur Strong, James "Big Jim" Wright (keyboards); Stokley (drums); Alex Richbourg (programming); Sheree Ford-Payne, Bria Fuentes, Raymond Ford, Tajuanna Ford (background vocals). | | Producers include: Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, The Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri. | | Engineers include: John Frye, Mark Rains, Bryan Garten. | | "U Remind Me" won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. | | "U Don't Have To Call" won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. | | This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. | | Personnel: Usher (vocals). | | Recording information: Brandon's Way Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Flyte Tyme studios, Edina, MN; Hitland Studios, Alpharetta, GA; Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA; SouthSide Studios, Atlanta, GA; Stankonia Recording Studios, Atlanta, GA; The Hit Factory, New York, NY; Tree Sound Studios, Norcross, GA. | | Usher has the reputation as a loverman, largely because he fits the bill so well. He looks good, his material is smooth and seductive, and he has a nice voice, even if he tends to favor melisma. This has been true throughout his career, and remains true on his third album, 8701, a classy, seductive affair masterminded by Usher, Jermaine Dupri, and Antonio "L.A." Reid. There's not much new here, but Usher does move further in both directions -- the ballads are lusher, the dance numbers hit a bit harder -- but not so much so that it's really noticeable. Overall, the record is probably his strongest yet, but he still suffers from a lack of really memorable material (the singles usually are pretty good, but the album tracks are filler) and a tendency to oversing. Because of these two things, 8701 is more mood music than anything else, and while it does work fairly well on that level, it's not memorable outside of that mood. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine | | R&B mack daddy Usher puts a lot of himself into 8701; that's apparent even from the title itself, which represents the year Usher began exploring the world of music ('87) and the place where music brought him by the time of this recording ('01). He starts thing out in grand style with the romantic "U Remind Me." "I Don't Know" takes a hip-hop turn with a contribution from P. Diddy (that's Puff Daddy for those of you arriving late), but Usher is quick to point out that he's strictly about partying and loving, not about thug life. While there are some amped-up, percolating tunes that make good use of Usher's high energy ("I Can't Let U Go"), he really hits his stride when he falls into the familiar position of heartthrob/crooner. His sensual cooing, breathy tone, and smooth-as-silk delivery on the likes of "Can U Help Me" (Usher seems to have graduated from the Prince school of song titles) and "How Do I Say" play to this charmer's strengths and are sure to keep the sizable female quotient of his audience sufficiently entranced. |
Musical Guests | | P. Diddy | | Babyface | | Jermaine Dupri | | Dave Barry | | Kelis | | Kevon Edmonds | | Jimmy Jam | | Terry Lewis |
| | Artist Overview | | Hailing from Chattanooga, TN, Usher Raymond (best known by his given name) emerged in the '90s as a young R&B singer full of promise. The stars must have been aligned correctly for him, as he snagged Puffy Combs as a producer for his eponymous 1994 debut album, which helped make him a household name in the world of contemporary soul. He would go on to work with everyone from Teddy Riley and Babyface to Jermaine Dupri and young R&B siren Monica, expanding his audience all the while, and quickly becoming one of the most recognizable faces in modern R&B. |
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| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 08/07/2001 | | Original Release Date : 2001 | | Catalog ID : 14715 | | Label : LaFace (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Runtime : 57m : 19s | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00078221471527 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Rolling Stone (8/30/01, p.125)
- 3 stars out of 5 - "...His velvety voice and sky-high tolerance for crooning about girls are on full display....Usher's vocals are impressively adaptable....8701's wispy slow jams and booming club cuts strike a sweet nerve."Vibe (9/01, pp.235-6)
- 3 discs out of 5 - "...A steady flow of bump'n'grind promises to the ladies....managing to bring some worthwhile dishes to the table....A consistent 3rd album that has a good chance amongst a marketplace overflowing with crooning R&B clones..." |
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| | Bio | | | Usher Beyond the 35 million albums he's sold worldwide since the release of his 1993 self-titled debut, the five Grammy Awards, NAACP Image Awards, the countless other accolades (from Billboard, MTV, Soul Train, BET, People's Choice, Vibe and ASCAP), box office records for his worldwide tours and on Broadway (during his 2006 performances as Billy Flynn in the hit musical Chicago), the cumulative 100 million dollar grosses for the films in which he's starred and his recognition as a bona fide global superstar (with gold and platinum albums in over fifteen countries), Usher Raymond has achieved what few other contemporary entertainers have ever accomplished: still under thirty years of age, he has created a network of thriving, successful enterprises that express his leadership in business and as a humanitarian. "It's been quite a journey," he says of the last three years since the release of his mega-platinum Confessions album. "I've been transforming my first passion -- music -- into the areas of business and community contribution and I'm committed to be successful in all that I put time and effort into..." From his all-important New Look Foundation (whose multi-faceted programs focus on empowering and motivating youth) to his own record label (US Records, a joint venture with Clive Davis' J Records), the creation of his own fragrances for men and women, his part-ownership of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team and involvement with a chain of Atlanta restaurants (known as The Grape), Usher's skills as a forward-thinking young entrepreneur reflect the same approach he has taken as an entertainer: for the Tennessee-born, Atlanta-raised performer, songwriter and producer, working on a sixth album for release in late 2007, it's about longevity and staying power.
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