Originally due in fall 2009, “Raymond Vs. trade bragging rights as Usher lets it be known in his own sing-song rap that he’s “single and ready to mingle.” Also making guest appearances are fellow Atlantans Ludacris (“She Don’t Know”) and T.I. It was an outlet for stories I’d heard.”The new album’s 14 tracks include heartfelt ballads (“There Goes My Baby,” “Foolin’ Around”) reminiscent of such earlier smashes as “Burn” and “Confessions,” intermingled with edgy, sexy party jams like the fantasy romp “Lil Freak” featuring Young Money upstart Nicki Minaj (and sampling Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City”) and a pumping anthem to hot females titled “OMG,” featuring the song’s writer/producer Will.i.am. A lot of the things I spoke about on ‘Confessions’ weren’t my own experiences. “But it would be too shortsighted to just talk about my relationship. “People immediately thought, ‘Oh, damn, he’s about to talk about what happened in his marriage,’ ” Usher recalls. Then it was back to Las Vegas, joining forces in a self-styled Rat Pack collective that included songwriter/producers Johntá Austin, Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox.ĭuring the course of additional songwriter and producer collaborations with Sean Garrett, the Runners, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love, Ester Dean and Jive labelmate Miguel, Usher keyed in on the “Raymond Vs.
In Los Angeles, he also began working with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Polow Da Don. Usher, who first landed on the R&B singles chart in 1993 with “Call Me a Mack,” began collaborating on songs with producers Dre & Vidal and Pharrell Williams. “Vegas is an eclectic melting pot that gave me the freedom to be more creative.” “I didn’t want my music to be biased by what I was going through in my personal life or corner myself with a specific sound from there or New York,” says Usher, who eventually settled in Las Vegas. “We said, ‘We’ve got to get the guys wanting to be him and the girls wanting to do him.’ That was our approach.”Īfter meeting just before Christmas 2008 to begin laying the groundwork for the album, the next thing Pitts and a still-married Usher did was get out of his hometown of Atlanta.
Raymond” was never envisioned as a contemporary take on Marvin Gaye’s 1979 marriage-rending epic, “Here My Dear.” It was more about “we’ve got to get this old-man shit off you you’ve got to have some fun,” says Mark Pitts, who A&R’d the project and is president of black music for Jive Label Group. “Now you hear him boldly breaking out on the singles ‘Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home)’ and ‘Lil Freak.’ There’s an in-your-face cockiness, but in an ‘I’m free’ kind of way.”ĭespite a title that echoes the confrontational heading of a divorce filing, “Raymond Vs. ” ‘Here’ was a transitional album that got him from the Usher we knew through his tumultuous marriage and divorce,” Williams says. With three tracks simultaneously climbing the R&B and pop charts and the recent hire of a new manager, industry veteran and AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips, can the 31-year-old divorced father of two recapture his swagger? Lamonda Williams, director of video on demand for Music Choice, believes that Usher is primed to capture the base he lost. While “Here” eventually became a platinum seller (1.2 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan), fans’ response to its more serious, mature tone paled in comparison to Usher’s previous multiplatinum hallmarks, “8701” (4.7 million) and “Confessions” (9.7 million). Raymond.” It’s the often-delayed follow-up to his 2007 album, “Here I Stand”-and the first since his much-publicized marriage to Tameka Foster ended in divorce. Now all eyes are on Usher as the March 30 release date approaches for “Raymond Vs. Harry Styles' 'Harry's House' Sets New Record on Apple Music
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