8701

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Title: 8701
By: Usher
Released by: BMG/ARISTA
Released on: August 7, 2001
Rating (out of 10): 8
Date: 02/01/2002

Talent and a Positive Attitude

Usher isn't the average current young black male singer. His whole outlook on women, the law, and life all together, as expressed in his music, is different. It isn't just his youth, either, that has made him such an odd success, competing as he is with the likes of Ludacris and Busta Rhymes; it's his faith, respect, and sense of responsibility to his family and fans.

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As part of the Department of Transportation's Get Big on Safety campaign, Usher has pushed everything from sober driving to seatbelts. He's also deeply involved with the NBA's Stay in School and Reading is Fundamental programs (and he's not a hypocrite either; he actually finished high school, which sets him apart from many other currently popular performers).

Reared conservatively in Tennessee by a mother of strong faith, Usher has grown to be a man who values what he learned in church, and his music reflects his beliefs (while never crossing into the oddball genre, Christian rock). "I've learned that this business is very demanding and stressful, but my mother's been a great teacher. She keeps me grounded." How many popular musicians would dare say that in public?

After singing in his church, Usher was signed in 1994, and his first album, Usher, was released that same year. It did well, but rather than rushing into another, Usher spent some time doing jingles, movie soundtracks, and a couple of acting jobs in feature films.

Usher's third album, 8701, is a natural progression from his earlier work, but there's something new and special here, something few guys his age can offer: self-reflection. Instead of vague R&B sentiments, he reveals a great deal about himself, his beliefs, and his dreams. Showing fear of neither the long time between albums nor those who call him weak, he firmly believes 8701 is an important record, one that provides a look inside a better class of young black male performer than we're generally privileged to behold nowadays.

Unlike his two earlier albums, 8701 doesn't focus on the usual subjects for this sort of music. Instead, the songwriters and producers spent time with Usher, just hanging out as a group. The artist wanted songs that fit him, not generic R&B tunes anyone could release. Though Usher wrote only two of them himself ("Intro-lude 8701" and "Without U"), these songs (with a couple of exceptions) seem tailored to him, written specifically with him in mind.

"Lyrically, this is my soul. This is what's been going on in my life in terms of relationships. There is a bit of a sensitive side on it and you'll get it, but emotionally, if you're ready for my world, this is it."

That sensitivity shines right off the bat, first song in. "Intro-lude 8701" is a gentle spoken explanation of the album, with a piano tinkling along. It reveals right away Usher's soft, charming voice and his standing-apart-from-the-bad-boys attitude.

If these songs are indeed a reflection of Usher's outlook and character, I must say that this young man seems to be utterly other-directed. His life, as it's been lived so far, appears to be of import only insofar as it relates to others and how they see things. Even the titles of the songs ("U Remind Me," "U Got It Bad," "U Don't Have to Call," "Can U Help Me," and "U R the One") focus on the other person in a relationship. There's very little here told from Usher's point of view; more often, he's reacting and responding to someone else. This self-deprecation is quite rare in popular music, and while I wonder why it's there in Usher's case, it's very attractive. God knows we've all heard enough self-impressed and self-centered music these past few years!

"Intro-lude 8701" leads right into the first single from the album, "U Remind Me," a slow, bouncy R&B tune that sounds like it should be a sexy little love song but isn't. Very attractive is Usher's voice; this is the chocolate butterscotch voice of a man who can make all the women love him (think: a tenor Barry White). One slightly jarring note: The little whistle bit at the end makes me think of "Do the Hustle." In the same groove is "U Turn," an upbeat R&B/rap fusion that showcases Usher's ability to slide in and out of his musical styles. With the tendency today to pigeonhole young black male artists—R&B or rap, but never both—it's refreshing to hear a believable combination of the two.

It's been common practice for years for artists trying to make their way up to duet with those who already have unimpeachable status. It's all about buying commercial and artistic respectability, if you will; remember Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney? Barry Gibbs and Barbra Streisand? Seldom are these collaborations worthy of either performer, and Usher's duet here with P Diddy (formerly Puff Daddy) is further proof that just adding a famous name to a song doesn't necessarily make it a better song; it simply insures that people will notice it.

Usher spends most of the rest of 8701 with excellent R&B stylings and great harmonies, most notably on "Work It Out" (those backup vocals are spectacular!) and "U Got It Bad." Special note to "Can U Help Me," which is one of the most lovely soft R&B songs I've ever heard.

Least worthwhile on the album are those tracks on which Usher tries to step outside his natural persona. On "If I Want To," written by Babyface, the music's a little harder than usual, and Usher's voice (so perfect for R&B sexiness) doesn't quite have the power to overcome either the instrumentation or the music itself. Fortunately, there are few missteps like this one. Another one of the same sort—too hard for Usher's vocal capability and his image—is "I Can't Let U Go," in which the electronic noise completely overwhelms Usher in some places and only exposes weakness in others.

This isn't to say he can do only one style of music successfully. That's not the case at all. On "Good Ol' Ghetto," Usher (whom, I suspect probably has little to zero experience with the subject) comes off tough and strong (though not profane or insulting). The difference between this first-rate tune and the less-worthwhile tracks is this: The music, though not sexy R&B, is suited to the artist's voice. Unlike "If I Want To," this one doesn't demand a screech-and-holler Usher can't deliver. This song is proof you don't have to shout and go wild to be tough. He can rap well enough to keep up, certainly—and the social point is made very clearly—but he can do it and sound good too.

Of course, there are a couple of beautiful love songs here; that's standard on R&B albums. "How Do I Say" is lush, a warm breeze, almost an old-fashioned torch song. "Hottest Thing" and "U Are the One" are nice, too, though they have a bit of a generic R&B love song feel to them. Something a little unexpected would've helped lift them both from the level of pleasant to the inspired beauty of "How Do I Say." Don't get me wrong here; I like them—they're fun upbeat tunes—I just wish they had that little something extra to make them special.

8701 has many good points, a couple of bad points, and a few 'tweeners. It's certainly better than Usher's earlier work, an indication that the guy's improving as he goes along. It's definitely worth owning, both for the pleasure of it and so you know how much more he'll have improved when the next one comes out. Usher is as good as it gets now and, barring total disasters, will only get better with age and experience.

© Copyright CultureDose.com 02/01/2002

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