Then comes the equally emotional hit single ‘Papers,’ in which Usher finally accepts the failures of his marriage and gets ready to sign the divorce forms. Here, Usher gives us an emotional, confessional ballad contemplating his lost love, and it sounds heartfelt. ‘Foolin Around’ is an honest look at his infidelity and relationship insecurities. The artist does well to embrace that side for a bit, giving us the head-nodding ‘Pro Lover.’ A confident hip-hop beat complements Usher, who reinterprets professionalism by singing about adding women to his Hall of Fame. Usher gets tender with it, setting a nice mood for the first real lovemaking song on the album. Third single ‘OMG’ is another one for the clubs, featuring some pointless Auto-Tune and annoying chants over a Will.I.Am beat. Easy hook, simple beat and a generic Ludacris verse thrown into the mix - it’s decent, but formulaic. It’s catchy and subwoofer-friendly, but ultimately plays like a B-side to ‘Yeah,’ Usher’s 2004 smash hit. ‘She Don’t Know’ achieves the same effect. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the second single, ‘Lil’ Freak.’ Raymond reverts back to his inner playboy here, singing about an impending ménage a trios, while Nicki Minaj raps nonsensically about the same. Usher injects us with his sweet voice again and creates one of his best songs in years. It is slower and smoother than the preceding songs, yet it maintains a popping club beat. The third track, ‘There Goes My Baby,’ is when Usher really hits his stride, balancing the bedroom with the dance floor. Three solid remixes have come out in past months, so the original version seems tacked on just for good measure. Then the familiar hit that dropped last December, ‘Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home),’ kicks in. Part classical, part club and completely foreign, ‘Monstar’ does well to portray Usher’s conflicting egos.
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As he explains in his lyrics, ‘There’s three sides to every story … there’s one side, there’s the other and then there’s the truth.’ The song takes time to get going, but when it does, it fascinates.
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Opening track ‘Monstar’ sets up Usher’s drama. While he reflects on women and divorce, he ultimately proves that the club remains his first love.
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It’s a little too ambitious and the concept is never fully realized. Raymond’ attempts to pit Usher’s two selves - the club-hopping playboy and the remorseful lover - against one another. This effort has the R&B artist going confessional again, offering up another large batch of hit singles and hot beats. Raymond’ is an enjoyable album that should be a hit, but it feels like the same formula from Usher’s past.