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HE needs no introduction. The man is suave, sexy, darn talented and one heck of a mover.
Usher has come a long way from his suit-wearing and chubby days. He has shed the `corporate' image for a funkier, street look that goes well with his new party bag of tricks.
U Remind Me is the hit. But his new album, entitled 8701 (BMG), is not about to be a one-hit-wonder.
You get brilliant Michael Jackson-inspired dance pieces, like the supercool funk-rap thunder-stealer I Don't Know, featuring P Diddy. The heady concoction of some mild jazz hooks makes it a party piece - any time and any day.
You get lots of stimulating hip-gyrating stuff that will further frustrate R&B non-afficionados, like the dance blaster Pop Ya Collar.
This street-beat piece is full of life and bounce. He packs a hefty punch in the crafty If I Want To. Brilliant piece, nice hooks, full of flavour, packed with energy and filled with some stinging tease.
And he uses the same formula to great effect in cool disco must- spins, Hottest Thing and U-Turn.
Midway through, he slows it down with tantalising incorporation of piano tinkling and guitar plinking, like in the jelly-knee U Got It Bad. A lovely sad ballad that would have Toni Braxton wishing someone had written it for her.
He insults the female intelligence in the Latino-commercial jazz How Do I Say. Spunky use of flamenco guitar play in abundance.
Usher strikes the right balance between street and smooch, sharp- edged electrofunk and smooth acoustic soul in this highly-impressive second album.
He is obviously still a staunch believer in the ideals of his idol Michael Jackson and his package-singing, dancing and personality cult.
There's much pleasure in 8701. And the laydeez will lap this up before they can even finish reading this sentence.
No matter what number it is, Usher definitely stands up to the count.
ALICIA KEYS Songs In A Minor (BMG) SHE...