Usher - Classic or Dud?

These days its boo-oooo for me.

I realized recently, mainly because of the weird emotionally manipulative qualities of "Burn" and "Confessions part 2" that Ursher really reminds a lot of a psycho ex-roommate and I think that that's where some of my dislike of Usher is coming from.

Surely performance and bringing a feeling to a song is a kind of technique all by itself. Most ppl can't evaluate or even care much for this def of technique you are talking about.

I am mainly concerned with his hypnotizing moves, though, and can't really seem to recall any of his songs that ever really moved me at the moment.

Also, the copy of Confessions I downloaded had Usher's cover of Phil Collins' "You'll Be In My Heart" from the Tarzan soundtrack hiding in it, which was special.

especially due to how easy it is to fix wrong notes in the studio.

Even by R&B singing standards, he sucks. I'd rather listen to a Lenny Williams or a Philip Bailey or even a Luther anyday.

Of course that's a large piece of being a good vocalist/performer, but in a genre that's so largely focused on the vocalist, it definitely can't be the whole piece of the pie. I don't feel Usher when he sings, either. I'm not saying he's soul-less, but he sounds that way because of his dynamic-depleted singing.

We're getting off-topic, though. All I mentioned is that Usher was a flat, dynamicless singer. I mentioned notes being fixed in the studio to show that merely staying on pitch on recording doesn't mean you're on pitch when you sing, since the studio has helped even Anthony Kiedis sound on pitch at times.

Of course I'll get painted like technical geek now, but I don't think character is the whole piece of the pie whatsoever with an R&B performer.

I can be passionate about taking a dump, and really put my heart and soul into it, but the end result is still shit. Some genres do not require as much ability as others, but I'd prefer a more capable vocalist who has both the magic and the ability like a Lenny Williams.

What's with this overanalyzation of Usher, anyways? I could sum him up in very few words: tired, unenthused boredom.

for the record, I truly enjoy Alicia Keys (though I prefer her first cd.)

The direction I was taking was mocking sarcasm at you for completely misrepresenting me, hoping you would pick up on the fact that you had actually gotten my stance completely wrong.

Christina, on the other hand, I have respect for as a singer, but I just overall dislike her music.

I want to be Alicia Key's loveslave, though.

I inferred from that that you actually thought those two virtues meant a damn thing by themselves.

On paper, he has everything: looks, voice, dancing, etc. But something about him somehow manages to make all of these qualities dull and uncharismatic. Even with him talking up his new womanizer image, there's never any sense of danger, excitement, or sexuality to his songs.

pop pop!

http://www.zshare.net/audio/4821554ed68081/

i actually kinda like this. wish it wasn't as t-pain-y, but whatever. i'm sure this will be the "can't tell me nothing"/"dumb it down" type "internet first single". luda kills it i think.

Dud. He has an average voice at best, but that's not a biggie considering some R&B legends weren't legendary singers.

His material, though, has always lacked. "You Make Me Wanna" was decent, as well as "My Way", but nothing all that great--in comparison to some of the other dreck r&b on the radio at the time, it was like Lenny Williams, but it's still painfully average.

A lot of his other tunes were quite boring, and "Yea" is absolute crap.

So....he's not like, the worst of all time, but...next.

ok RONG. usher's 5 best singles stack up w/ anyone's 5 best singles since he's been around.