He also mentions Usher wanted to make a song to evoke the feeling of ballads they wrote and produced, such as New Edition’s “Can You Stand The Rain” and Force MDs’ “Tender Love,” while adding his unique spin. He can really sing.” When we wrote ‘Can U Help Me, that was kind of the idea of it.” “We wanted to make sure we had songs that really showed off his voice, where when you heard it, you went, ‘Wow. Even if he was just sitting on a chair singing, he was amazing,” says Jam. “Being in the studio with him, we were impressed by his vocals. Since Jam & Lewis were familiar with Usher’s vocal ability from working with him in years prior, they wanted to craft a song that would allow him to solidify himself as more than an entertainer. “Can you help me? Tell me what you want from me / Can you help me? Tell me why you wanna leave,” Usher croons on the standout track.
For nearly six minutes, Usher pleads to his woman to work with him on saving their relationship.
Take “Can U Help Me,” for instance, another track produced by Jam & Lewis. Hits aside, 8701 was a solid album all-around. The latter tune also earned Usher a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 45th ceremony. The album also spawned the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “U Got It Bad,” co-produced by Dupri and Cox, and The Neptunes-produced “U Don’t Have to Call,” which peaked at No. “U Remind Me” wasn’t the only hit on 8701. But then he’s taken the reins of that and built an amazing career from that.” He’s like a musical student that’s been mentored by a lot of great creative people in his life. Then, the maturity from that into the Jermaine Dupri My Way era, into the 8701 era. “Then he went from that to the DeVante Swing- ‘Can U Get Wit It’. It sounded like little Michael Jackson,” he recounts. “I look at Usher and I think about when I heard his first song, ‘Call Me A Mack’, where he had the little boy voice. Jam goes into describing how Usher naturally evolved over the years prior to 8701. He contributed his skills on “Intro-Lude 8701” and “Without U (Interlude),” with support from Jam & Lewis.Ī post-teen Usher, 23 at the time, had told JET Magazine that 8701 reflected his “evolution as an artist.” Looking back 20 years later, Jam agrees, citing it was “a moment of growth.” Usher showing his growth as an artist wasn’t anything new, though. Similar to his sophomore album, My Way, Usher was involved with the songwriting process of 8701 - and production, too. In addition to working with Jam & Lewis on his third LP, he teamed up with other producers such as Babyface, Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Mike City, Soulshock & Karlin, The Neptunes and Soulshock & Karlin. Raymond.8701 was released on August 7, 2001. This time around, he channeled his struggles into his craft, namely the edgier, introspective 2010 album Raymond vs.
After that album, Usher again found his personal life making headlines thanks to his drama-ridden divorce from Tameka Foster.
USHER FULL ALBUM SERIES
In the four years that followed Confessions' release, Usher found himself embroiled in a series of widely publicized controversies surrounding his mother, who was also his manager until Usher "resigned her." In 2008, he got back in the spotlight for musical reasons with the ubiquitous summer jam "Love in This Club" from Here I Stand. However, 2004 was the year he reached the upper echelons of superstardom, thanks to the chart-topping, Lil Jon-produced "Yeah!" His subsequent album, Confessions, netted him three Grammys and sold 11 million copies. Between 19, he released six albums, appeared in several films and earned multiple platinum records. By the time he graduated high school, he was one of the most visible artists in R&B. By the time he entered puberty, Usher had a record deal and a gold album.
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