Usher - Classic or Dud?

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.

You have a point there, except for the fact that his best five singles are still middle of the road in terms of quality :)

Besides, I don't rank music in comparative terms. Even if all 3,445,433 other artists in the world were inferior to Usher, I wouldn't have to be obligated to consider his music quality if I felt it didn't stand up on its own terms.

You have a point there, except for the fact that his best five singles are still middle of the road in terms of quality :)

-- Bo Jackson Overdrive, Monday, November 12, 2007 5:26 PM (Monday, November 12, 2007 5:26 PM) Bookmark Link

Ban.

Agree to disagree? :)

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

Uh, no. Justin Timberlake's best ten singles >>>>> Usher's best five

eww...I'dtake Usher over Powder any day of the week.

so this album proves Radiohead still rules.

-- Bo Jackson Overdrive, Monday, November 12, 2007 9:48 AM (Monday, November 12, 2007 9:48 AM) Bookmark Link

"U Got It Bad" & "Caught Up" = perfect songs. Anyone who can deny the power of a song with the adlib "her body was so tight, I'm lookin' for her in the daytime with a flashlight" or that "I'm your my man and you're my girl, I'm gonna tell it to the whole wide world/ Baby say/ I'm your girl and you're my man, promise to love you the best I can" breakdown is not to be trusted.

burn, yeah, u got it bad, u remind me, my way, you make me wanna are just as great as like i love you, cry me a river, rock your body, senorita, my love and lovestoned

tape store, i think i fall somwhere in your universe re: timberlake, i.e. i think he is one of the preeminent hitmakers of his time, but idk futuresex is just a B for me, and i don't think the singles off that album come anywhere near the (nearly untoppable) like i love you/cry me a river/rock your body trio.

for me— in terms of solo singles— timberlake's GREAT singles go 4-5 deep whereas usher's goes 6-7 deep, but i think they are both worthy of each other's company.

"U Got It Bad" and "Burn" are both nice, though both could use nicer production (Burn's percussion already sounds dated)

But neither touches "What Goes Around...Comes Around" and "Cry Me a River." (I know everyone will disagree, but...) Timberlake sounds so much more soulful than Usher. All four tracks are well-written, but from a production standpoint, only the latter two pass.

"You Make Me Wanna" has potential, but unfortunately, Usher's generally bland delivery ruins it. Sure, he occasionally tries to pepper the chorus with some vocal gymnastics, but it's not very endearing. Compare to, say, "Summer Love" (which rides on an equally repetitive but infectious hook). Unlike Usher, Timberlake pulls out his swagger and completely nails the vocal.

I love "My Way" and "Confessions Pt. 2," the former primarily for nostalgic reasons (though it's still a nice track, albeit a bit forgetable) and the latter for it's verses (i fall for lots of piano-based tracks). I'm not completely sure where they stand in relation to Timberlake's singles, but I do know that I listen to "Like I Love You" and "Lovestoned" more than either.

i'll give you production on timberlake songs> production on usher songs in terms of progressivisms (and if production is what make timberlake songs for you— esp. new ones— i can't really fault that), but in terms of sheer quality, i think usher worked the pop-r&B sound of the late 90s-early 2000s pretty well. his tracks are usually all pretty spare (though i might be missing something egregious here, "yeah" not included), but i think he sounds great over your average acoustic guitar/piano/paper drum beat.

"Burn" sounded dated when it came out, which isn't a strike against it. It always felt like a tiredish retread of "U Got It Bad", though, which is a strike.

Anyways, you are both ignoring the splendid BLOOD DIAMONDS of "Caught Up". Those horns! That bassline! Those bizarre lyrics! Those crazy adlibs!

The video where he finally goes "fuck it, I'm going to stop pretending I'm not an MJ wannabe"!

also "yeah" is better club song than anything timberlake has done, though idk how much of that is of usher's doing.

Actually, now that I think of it, "Caught Up" itself is the moment Ursh finally gives into every MJ-wannabe impulse he's ever had.

..as "Like I Love You" is to JT.