| Product Summary | | Label: Zyx Music | | UPC: 00886972338828 | | Release Date: 5/27/2008 | | Buy.com Sku: 207989566 | | Item#: M45F5W | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 25050 | Format:  CD |
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| Song Listing |  |
Disc 1
| | Song Title | Sample | | 1. Intro ~ Usher |  | | 2. Love In This Club - (featuring Young Jeezy) ~ Usher | | | 3. This Ain't Sex ~ Usher | | | 4. Trading Places ~ Usher | | | 5. Moving Mountains ~ Usher | | | 6. What's Your Name - (featuring Will.i.am) ~ Usher | | | 7. Prayer For You (Interlude) ~ Usher | | | 8. Something Special ~ Usher | | | 9. Love You Gently ~ Usher | | | 10. Best Thing - (featuring Jay-Z) ~ Usher | | | 11. Before I Met You ~ Usher | | | 12. His Mistakes ~ Usher | | | 13. Appetite ~ Usher | | | 14. What's A Man To Do ~ Usher | | | 15. Lifetime ~ Usher | | | 16. Love In This Club Part II - (featuring Lil Wayne/Beyonce) ~ Usher | | | 17. Here I Stand ~ Usher | | | 18. Will Work For Love ~ Usher | |
| "I want to turn in the kind of album people expect from me," Usher says. "Each record has been like a living autobiography of my life, reflecting everything I'm going through at the time, the realities of my life. I think that many of the great R&B albums of the '60s and '70s were like that -- autobiographical experiences for the artists who made them and who understood the integrity in music. I find I'm a lot more careful and honest with my music, that I'm giving people a true perspective on my life and the choices I've made as an individual. I'm involved almost entirely in writing the songs for this next album and people who hear it will be able to relate to what I'm talking about in the material."
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Following the nine-times platinum CONFESSIONS, Usher had a tall order to fulfill with 2008's HERE I STAND. To his credit, the R&B sensation didn't merely replicate CONFESSIONS, but instead moved into new thematic territory while still remaining true to his now-patented silky-smooth urban contemporary sound. Lyrically, HERE I STAND reflects Usher's commitments as a husband and father, with songs like "Before I Met You" and "Lifetime" replacing the wild narratives of his bachelor days. R&B's premiere player seems to have grown up. | | But even given Usher's maturity on this set, there's plenty to please the legions of fans used to his sensual, stylish music. Opener "Love in This Club" is a soaring, thumping anthem featuring a spot by Young Jeezy, while "Part II" boasts appearances by Beyonce and Lil Wayne. "Best Thing," featuring Jay Z, blends hip-hop with Usher's sweet soul. But the album's real highlights--moments like "Trading Places" and the old-school-sounding "Something Special"-- feature Usher's sexy, elastic voice unleashed to full effect, reminding listeners that just because Usher is settling down doesn't mean that he's getting stale. | | After the release of 2004's Confessions, an album that transformed Usher from an R&B star into a pop superstar, the singer became a husband and father. That grants Here I Stand more lyrical depth than the four previous Usher albums, but we're not talking fathoms. There's a two-minute lullaby for his son, and the noticeably increased talk of settling down and turning in his player card ("My search ends here," "This time love won't let me leave") now holds more weight since he has actually done it through the eyes of the law; he certainly never would have thought to use "Your mama and my mama want some grandbabies tonight" at any earlier point in his life. More seriously, and less noxiously, the changes in his life are most evident throughout "Before I Met You," a song that is more direct, sincere, and ultimately believable than "Confessions, Pt. 2.": "You got my life together and I thank you forever." Otherwise, Here I Stand is almost exactly the kind of release you'd expect a 29-year-old Usher to deliver in 2008, and while it is seriously doubtful the album will move more copies than the nearly diamond platinum Confessions, there is plenty to like about it. Beyond some tepid material that can only be expected with a 74-minute album, its biggest weakness is in what it does not contain, like the leaked "Play Me" and the briefly charting "Dat Girl Right There," both of which would have been major highlights. Perhaps these songs would have tipped the scale too far in favor of Usher's wild bachelor past, covered effectively enough through "Love in This Club" (present in its bleary original and sugary sequel forms), the thoroughly synth-lasered "What's Your Name" (the closest in make-up to "Yeah!," if not nearly as revelrous), and the dramatic whirlwind "Appetite" (a Danja-produced Clutch collaboration, the best narrative R. Kelly did not write). Out of the small handful of brow-raising moments, "Trading Places" takes the cake. Put together with Tricky Stewart and the-Dream, it's nearly surreal, with Usher putting equal fervor into several visions of role reversals, whether they are romantic ("You get on top/Tonight I'm on the bottom") or menial ("Wash the car/I'm gonna walk the dog"). Questionable omissions and a little oddness aside, the album leaves no doubt that the R&B male crown (30 and under division) should not change hands. ~ Andy Kellman |
Musical Guests | | Young Jeezy | | Will.I.Am | | Jay-Z | | Lil Wayne | | Beyonce |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Associated Artists and Works |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 05/27/2008 | | Original Release Date : 2008 | | Catalog ID : 88697233882 | | Label : LaFace (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00886972338828 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Entertainment Weekly (p.120)
- "[A] good portion of STAND's tunes deserve a place in the dance-floor pantheon..." -- Grade: BBlender (Magazine)
(p.72)
- 3 stars out of 5 -- "The production is cocktail-lounge crunk, full of splashy cymbals, jazzy electric guitar and tinkly pianos." |
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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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