Here I Stand - Usher
  • Band Name: Usher
  • Record Label: Jive
  • Release Date: May 27, 2008
Here I Stand Image
  • Summary: The fifth album for the R&B singer features Young Jeezy, will.i.am, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Beyoncé, and Lil Wayne.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 15
  2. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. At nearly 70 minutes, the disc could certainly have used a stronger editing hand, and even in his newly revelatory state, Usher remains more a smooth entertainer than an astute lyricist. Still, a good portion of Stand's tunes deserve a place in the dance-floor pantheon--and, yes, in the bedroom, too.
  2. 60
    Usher has called Here I Stand his "grown and sexy" album, and he's half right. Apart from a couple of A­up-tempo tracks by Danjahandz ("Appetite") and Scandinavians-of-the-moment Stargate ("What's a Man to Do"), the production is cocktail-lounge crunk, full of splashy cymbals, jazzy electric guitar and tinkly pianos.
  3. Last year he made the magnificent 'Dat Girl Right There', only to omit it in favour of the gloop he wades through on this.

See all 15 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Negative: 3 out of 9
  1. ifaishiaw.
    10
    I Love Usher.... His Album was so HOtT??? i have to one for the house and one for my car.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. DavidS.
    4
    R&B artist Usher dropped his first release since his son’s birth, but nothing has changed. Sure, there’s the two minute interlude “Prayer for You” dedicated to “my baby,” but cut the first five seconds of a child’s moaning sound bite ¬¬and it’s any other Usher love song. What qualifies as an Usher love song? Well, with hit singles from his catalog to include “My Boo” and “Pop Ya Collar,” the names alone should give context to the depth of his lyrics. The first words sang on “Love in This Club,” an obvious single and summer club anthem, lays the premise of the album: “Do it for the ladies, gotta keep hood.” While the track blatantly rips off every German synth techno artist, the real offender is Usher’s game. No normal guy can ask a girl, “What’s your name, what’s your number?” and follow that bullet-proof pickup line with “on the couch, on the bar, on the table?” We all get it Usher – you’re young, famous, and on Forbes wealthiest list. For normal guys though, we actually need to put some thought into picking up girls, something Usher’s album seems to be lacking. The album is titled Here I Stand, but there’s an irking feeling that Usher has been lying or kneeling in bed rather than ever standing. Every song, even “This Ain’t Sex,” is, get this, all about sex. “I can’t wait to get you in my room, let me set up the moon,” sounds like a cheesy one liner taken from a Google query for “Worst Dating Lines Ever.” Couple that with the same porno-funk beat heard throughout the Superbad soundtrack and you’ve got yourself the most ironically titled track ever. With a CD this simplistic and generic, it’s a mystery how Usher can convince big-name stars to feature on such mundane songs. Somehow though, they’re there: Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Young Jeezy, and Will.I.Am (okay, no one really cares about the latter) all take their guest seats as Usher rides on their success. For Usher though, ‘featuring artist’ means “take over the track while I sit back and occasionally harmonize.” Maybe the guy rushed the album; maybe he’s too busy actually caring for his child. Perhaps someday, Usher will put out an album dealing with love beyond one-night flings and superficial hook-ups. But judging from his past career and Here I Stand, it’s nothing to be expected. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. latriceh.
    3
    I am a big usher fan and this album compared to the past ones is horrible....Trading places is a good song...moving mountains is good too(althought the video is horrible) I love Usher truly but I am very disappointed in the quality of music that was released after a 4 year break. I hope the next one is better because I expect more of him and I know he can do better. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 9 User Reviews

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