Usher says the title of his sixth studio album, “Raymond v. Raymond,” is a nod to the film “Kramer vs. Kramer.” It’s natural, then, to expect lyrical glimpses into the singer’s high-profile divorce from Tameka Foster.
“There’s three sides to every story: There’s one side, there’s the other, and there’s the truth,” he says during the introduction. (His full name is Usher Raymond IV.) The disc, now in stores, is billed as a follow-up to 2004’s “Confessions.” Guess we’ll pretend that 2008’s “Here I Stand” never happened.
Several impeccably produced songs address troubled relationships. “She Don’t Know” places the blame on the wife or girlfriend for a man’s infidelity (“She don’t know that she makin’ me love her”) amid blaring horns and a Ludacris rap. On “Guilty,” Usher and T.I. are unapologetic for bad-boy behavior (“I guess I’m guilty cause girls always want to show me love/I guess I’m guilty for living and having a little fun”).
He owns up to his faults, however, during “Foolin’ Around,” which boasts gorgeous production from Jermaine Dupri. (Tag this as a smash.) And in early single “Papers” — as in divorce — Usher directly addresses the drama (“I done damn near lost my momma”), though it might have benefited from a bit of humor.
But “Raymond v. Raymond” is not, thankfully, all seriousness. It manages a careful balance of autobiographical moments and party-man bounce. “The perception and the person,” he says.
Vocally, Usher is stronger than ever. His voice boasts shading and nuance. He’s assisted by producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Rico Love.
It’s when Usher calls in bigger stars that “Raymond” falters.
“OMG’s” pounding production pairs him with will.i.am, and the Auto Tune makes it almost impossible to tell them apart. Danja’s thundering beats anchor “So Many Girls,” an innocuous pairing with P. Diddy that pales compared to the disc’s earlier material.
Usher pads the rest of the disc with middling midnight jams (“Mars vs. Venus,” Okay) that aren’t bad but just don’t add much to the mix.
With a bit more focus, “Raymond” could have been a compelling portrait of a man reassessing, and reigniting, his life. As is, it’s just enough to keep us interested.
