Usher has Clearly Matured with Release of Here I Stand

It has been four years since the release of Usher's career-changing album, Confessions, which sold nearly 10 million copies in the United States alone. Since then, Usher tackled Broadway in the musical Chicago, got married, had a child and lost his father. Usher has a great deal to talk about and is doing so on his latest album, Here I Stand. Will Here I Stand have the same massive crossover appeal of Confessions?

The first single off of Here I Stand is Love In This Club featuring Young Jeezy and produced by Polow Da Don. The song has top the charts and is definitely a big hit in the clubs. The highlight point of the track is definitely a strong verse from Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy who takes the track to another level.

Also featured on the album is Love In This Club Part II. The remix of the song features Beyonce and rapper Lil Wayne. This version of the song is a mellower approach to the original; however it is just as successful.

The second single is the Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash produced Moving Mountains. The song is a very solid choice for a follow up single. The song is definitely vastly different than the first single and is a very solid ballad in the same vein of previous Usher hit singles.

This Ain't Sex is one of the other standout tracks on the album. The song has a distinctively retro vibe to it and is a very dance friendly song.

Best Thing features rapper Jay-Z and production from Jermaine Durpi, No-ID and Manuel Seal. The song is a very solid mid-tempo R&B meets hip hop track.

His Mistakes (I Can't Win) is a collaboration between StarGate and Ne-Yo. The track is one of the better efforts on the album. The ballad features strong writing and a very strong vocal performance from Usher.

The Nate "Danjahandz" Hills produced Appetite is a fairly solid up-tempo effort. The song features strong writing and fairly strong production.

Will.I.Am joins Usher on What's Your Name. The song has a very 1980's feel to it. The song is not the strongest effort on the album however it is passable.

Something Special is another collaboration between Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal. The song is different than what you would expect from Usher. It is more in the vein with the singer-songwriter genre.

What's A Man To Do is vintage StarGate. The song will probably be a single for Usher in the near future. The acoustic guitar heavy track is fairly catchy.

L.O.S. Da Maestro produces Trading Places. The song is fairly solid and features an almost epic feel on the bridge.

The title track Here I Stand produced by Dre & Vidal offers a different feel than the rest of the album. The song is more in the vein with mainstream neo-soul which is appropriate as Dre & Vidal are one of the most acclaimed production teams in that genre.

Bryan Michael Cox joins Usher on Before I Met You. The track is fairly catchy however it does not really stand out on the album.

Prayer For You is a very strong dedication from Usher to his newborn son. The song features a lush piano arrangement played by R&B singer Robin Thicke.

Here I Stand is a clear example of where Usher is at this point in his life. His musical sound has clearly matured, and the change is refreshing. The album is definitely slanted more towards an aging audience. Overall Here I Stand gets 8 out of 10. If you are a fan of Usher make sure you pick up his latest effort Here I Stand.