After months of delay, Usher’s sixth and newest album Raymond vs. Raymond was finally released yesterday.
The 14-track album features Usher’s signature R&B singing style, sprinkled with modern beats to update the 31-year-old’s sound.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing spectacular about the album to outdo his Confessions and 8701 days. Tracks in Raymond vs. Raymond talk about the usual booty calls (“Fooling Around”), hunk swagger (“There Goes My Baby”), and clubbing friskiness (“OMG”).
What would probably make the album more interesting is Usher’s emotional turmoil, which you will feel in his songs. The album was originally titled Monster vs. Raymond, but was later changed to Raymond vs. Raymond as inspired by the divorce movie Kramer vs. Kramer. Usher’s marriage to Tameka Foster recently collapsed, and he has been struggling to do better in his career, especially after his last album, Here I Stand, did not sell as expected.
I guess it’s that time in a legendary singer’s life where he/she launches a new album to update, and not to upgrade.
At least the fans had something to look forward to. The singer performed the track “Hey Daddy” in ABC’s Good Morning America at the Nokia Theatre on March 30 in New York City. Check out his performance here:
Does he still have the “Yeah” swagger?
