Product Description

Multi-million selling RnB superstar Usher returns with the follow up to 2004's 'Confessions'. 'Here I Stand' contains arange of diverse sounds, from club hits to slower paced love songs. Usher is certainly one of the brightest talents of his genre and is backed up here with production duties from the likes of Timbaland, Polow Da Don, Jermaine Dupri and T-Pain. Singles include 'Love In This Club'.

Track Listing

1. Forever Young
2. Love In This Club featuring Young Jeezy
3. This Ain't Sex
4. Trading Places
5. Moving Mountains
6. What's Your Name featuring will.i.am
7. Prayer For You Interlude
8. Something Special
9. Love You Gently
10. Best Thing featuring Jay-Z
11. Before I Met You
12. His Mistakes
13. Appetite
14. What's A Man To Do
15. Revolver
16. Lifetime
17. Love In This Club Part II featuring Beyoncé and Lil Wayne
18. Here I Stand
19. Will Work For Love

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #483 in Music
• Released on: 2008-05-26
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Stand for nothing, fall for anything
Usher becomes the victim of his own success on this album. If Jaheim or Raheem DeVaughn or Dwele had released the exact same album, it would have been a classic, but not for Usher. Instead, he comes off as a former superstar, trendsetter who's gone soft. This, for me, is not a bad thing because I can relate to this Usher better having been married 2yrs ago myself.

Songs like "Appetite", "Before I Met You" & "Here I Stand" are real/relevant to me and they stand out as my favourites. The 1st single "Love In This Club" and its remix are also brilliant but unfortunately also misleading as they do not define what the rest of the album is about. Other tracks that play on the sex theme like "Trading Places" & "This Ain't Sex" fall flat.

Unfortunately for Usher is the fact since he's been gone the R&B scene has evolved. An evolution lead by the European sounds of StarGate & the Jodeci'esque sounds of Tricky & The Dream. Acts like Ne-Yo, J-Holiday, Chris Brown etc. have had a few years doing it so it does not sound fresh when Usher tries it on. "What's You Name" with Will.I.Am for example is excellent but it sounds like every other song on Ne-Yo's last album. Similarly, the power ballad and 2nd single "Moving Mountains" may be on class of its own lyrically but the overall package sounds generic.

Usher does redeem himself on the all too short intro and interlude tracks. These are beautiful tracks that really put his pipes on display, the extra slow "Love you Gently" is another beautiful addition. But I suppose people aren't ready to hear Usher on slow jams and that explains the reception that this album has had.

I applaud Usher for taking a stand on this album, even if the rest of the world may choose not to stand with him

Intellegent art vs pap
This album consists mainly of slow tracks but not all are typical ballads. Some are soulful reflections on life and relationships. The music itself is a mix of neo classical soul and modern R n B. This combination may lead to audiences responding to the familiarity of the modern beat and then eschewing the other creative material.

Basically your ability to appreciate this music depends on your ablity to appreciate talent in song writing, vocal delivery and the arrangement of strong vocals with the right accompaniment. If you can appreciate these, this album wil inspire you and will call you back time and again, even in 5 or ten years. If you like to feel a beat and you 'know what you like' - and that is modern mass produced R n B - you may well be disappointed.

My assessment is that Usher has made an album that is interesting. If you read novels, it is like a combination of good character development and superb plot. If you watch films it is like fantastic dialogue, great character development and wonderful locations. If these references to the content of other art forms bewilder you, you probably will rate this album poorly.

Get yer own great album
I am huge fan of Usher, but was concerned after reading the many reviews this album has received. However those who slate the album are not themselves any favours.
I found the album to be a really good one, and one that takes Usher to a new level. It is true there is a slightly different feel to the music but is this not what we would want. Too many artists stick with music that bears little change from their last albums.
This new album is slightly different but not to his detriment. This style is not that different but just what allows his maturity to shine through.
I purchased the album and was not disappointed at all, if you are an usher fan then I feel you would live to regret not to get this album.