- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Jan 3, 2011Versatility is the key here: staccato beats with mellifluous melody, rich slow-jams and edgy harmonies - but woven through with Usher's own perspective. A winner.
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A strong, expressive singer, Usher is particularly adroit at seductive, late-night ballads.
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BlenderIt does what it's supposed to, giving Usher a grown-up R&B sound without reducing his boyish charm. [Aug/Sep 2001, p.131]
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A disc that flows with soulful vocals showcased in clean, back-to-the-real production settings
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But even a busload of heavyweight producers and guests (P. Diddy, Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the Neptunes and more) can't help this Babyface prodigy from playing it too same-y here.
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Entertainment WeeklyUsher has settled into his voice nicely, but there's little beyond the buttery "U Remind Me" to inspire a listener chant of "four more years." [10 Aug 2001, p.74]
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VibeFeb 4, 2011Usher's back at ya with a consistent third album that has a good chance of staying afloat in a marketplace overflowing with crooning R&B clones. [Sep 2001, p.235]
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Jan 7, 2011Acoustic guitar work, live drums by Stokley of Mint Condition (remember them?), and a cameo by the law-brushing P. Diddy ("If making hits is a crime, I plead guilty") also lend a surprising amount of variety to what could have been an otherwise homogenized set.
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Jan 3, 20118701 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.
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Jan 3, 2011If the album has a fault, it's that Usher never surrenders his meticulously groomed veneer - don't hold your breath for a genuine rawboned holler or hint of reckless spontaneity among these calculated compositions. Still, despite Usher's radio-safe reserve, 8701's wispy slow jams and booming club cuts strike a sweet nerve.
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Q MagazineNot quite the step forward he needed. [Sep 2001, p.122]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 23 out of 32
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Mixed: 1 out of 32
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Negative: 8 out of 32
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May 12, 2013
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gabiyFeb 19, 2007beautiful
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markeshiakNov 22, 2006i lovve usher very much