Usher Raymond is no stranger to the ever-changing music industry. At the age of 13, he was taken under the wing of the top producers and managers of A&R records and later released his first solo debut album. It wasn't until his 2nd album "My Way" that the ATL singer reached worldwide success with his lead hit of the same name. 6 albums, 23 million copies sold in the US and over 65 million worldwide, a certified diamond album (Confessions), 7 Grammys, 45 singles, and 9 #1 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, Usher has become one of the best-selling artists of all time. Although he has mainly stayed in his genre of R&B, hip-hop soul, and pop, he experiements with a new sound on his seventh studio album titled Looking 4 Myself.
After the lackluster sales of his previous two albums, Here I stand and Raymond vs. Raymond, R&B crooner Usher enlists a wide variety of producers and collaborators to show off his musical versatility and reclaim the same "cool" factor that made him one of the biggest stars in the 2000s. Opening with the synth heavy will.i.am produced track "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" that borrows its melody from the Billy Joel 80's hit "Uptown Girl", Looking 4 Myself starts with high-energy that later leads into the Max Martin and Shellshock club hit "Scream" (very reminiscent of previous hit "Dj Got us falling in Love again"). He then slows down the mood with the Diplo produced lead single "Climax" and makes a transition into familiar territory with a mid-tempo signature 90's hip-hop/R&B Danja Handz produced track "I Care 4 U" and "Show Me". On his Jim Johnson produced seductive track "Lemme See", he gives the listener something that could work both in the club and in the bedroom with a feature from the MMG heavyweight Rick Ross. Taking a step into the past, Usher delivers a fun Neptunes produced track titled "Twisted" ad slows it down with a sensual beat coupled with a soulful falsetto on the Rico Love produced "Dive".
Raymond knows how to romance but his following Rico Love penned tracks "What Happened To U", "Lessons for the Lover", and "Looking for Myself" are more Confessions worthy giving the listener a closer look into the personal life of Usher. He keeps the mood light in between with fist-pump worthy and EDM enriched Swedish House Mafia songs "Numb" and "Euphoria", but still manages to throw in a Motown soul nod with the Salaam Remi "Sins of My Father".
Although his efforts of introducing a "new" style of pop into mainstream comes across a little overambitious, the connecting thread that makes L4M work is Raymond's charismatic voice and undeniable swag. What other artist in their early 30's can deliver lines like "Let me be your body soap" and "Let's get together and exchange f--k faces" and oddly make it work. Even with the A-list production from various genres of music, L4M is still a R&B/pop album at heart with a few added special effects. It is clear Usher knows who he is and the musical style that he does best but L4M shows he can adapt to new styles as well. The deluxe version offers a few more R&B friendly tracks and the already leaked single "Hot Thing" ft A$AP Rocky.
"Dive"
"numb"
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