Raymond v. Raymond

Usher releases his latest album "Raymond v. Raymond" today. He's making the usual splash for publicity purposes, and although his latest product may be better than his last lukewarm effort "Here I Stand" the results may not be as good in terms of sales. "Stand" was certified platinum, but "Raymond" may be lucky to achieve that certification. Despite using some of the best producers going the new music just doesn't have the magic that Usher displayed from "Confessions" and prior. It's obvious now that "Confessions" was the peak, but I never thought that the spiral downward would be so steep.

Usher remains the best male artist of his generation, however, producing mediocre music just isn't acceptable for someone of his stature. He had his greatest success under the tutelage of L.A. Reid. Perhaps he needs to call Mr. Reid to get an honest assessment of his music.