Raymond vs. Raymond is the title of Ushers next studio album which was initally supposed to be released before the turn of the year. Apparantly it was delayed because “the album is so strong that we (Usher et. al) want to give it the opportunity to have the proper setup before coming out”.
Strong words.
In my opinion Here I Stand was a pretty impressive album, although it didn’t seem to resonate with the buying public. Confessions shipped over 1.1m copies in the first week of its release compared with only (haha) 433k copies of Here I Stand. This must have come as a shock to Usher as prior to that his career was only going upwards.
I think this album is critcal to his future success. He will need to register more first week sales than his last album so that he can maintain his status as a major force in the music industry. If he doesn’t there is a chance that he could fade away into mediocrity. Luckily for him, he seems to have the powerhouses of production in his corner for this album, they include: Jermaine Dupri, Ne-Yo, The Neptunes, Polow da Don, RedOne, Dre & Vidal, Danja, The Runners, Tricky Stewart, Jazze Pha and T-Pain.
I have included three songs that will be on the next album, but if they are respresentative of the standard on the rest of the album then i’m glad it has been pushed back, there is definitely more work to do. It just doesn’t sound like the catchy Usher that I was used to hearing in the early 00’s.
Listen below:
Usher – Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home) feat. Plies
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Usher – In My Bag feat. T.I.
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Usher – Oh My Gosh feat. Will.I.Am
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