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Review: Usher's CD 'Here I Stand'

Glenn Gamboa | DROPS

May 27, 2008

Usher's voice is as close as anyone's to Michael Jackson's, especially on catchy, old-school tracks. (Nathan Strange / Associated Press)

It's a thin line between smooth and super-safe, and Usher flops back and forth over it throughout his new album, "Here I Stand" (LaFace).

He's apparently trying to reconcile his R&B playa-with-a-heart past with his married-and-grown present and it's not totally working out.

The sparkling smash single "Love in This Club," which appears twice, in a pop-oriented version with Young Jeezy and an old-school remix, featuring Beyoncé cooing over a sweet Stylistics sample, is Usher's link to his clubbing past and the most successful song on the album. The OneRepublic-ness of "Moving Mountains" is a bid for another hit, but even "Best Thing," which has a promising opening with a cool beat and a strong rhyme from Jay-Z, ultimately falls flat with lame lyrics and a lackluster delivery.

Aside from those songs and the conflicted "This Ain't Sex," where he lays out lines like "This ain't sex, this is a symbol of the true makings of love" over a groove that's reminiscent of "Off the Wall"-era Michael Jackson, Usher gets lost in a bland, R. Kelly-styled soul soup.

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"Trading Places," with its ridiculous stream-of-consciousness lyrics about switching gender roles ("I'll be waking you up to a cup of Folgers, pancakes and eggs, I owe you breakfast in bed, oh baby"), tries to be his version of Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" series, but falters because it's not straight-up crazy enough.

The litany of mediocre relationship songs - "Before I Met You," "His Mistake," "Love You Gently" - doesn't help matters any, though the yawning "Lifetime" does offer a possible new outlet. Instead of being the soundtrack for the clubs, Usher could turn much of "Here I Stand" into the soundtrack for any number of Lifetime made-for-TV movies.

HERE I STAND. Usher finds love in clubs, but loses some mojo. In stores today. Grade: C.

GOLDEN GREEN. The attention-getters on the Rev. Al Green's new album, "Lay It Down" (Blue Note), are easy to spot. There's Corinne Bailey Rae's gorgeous vocals on the sultry '60s-style soul-stirrer "Take Your Time." There's John Legend's honeyed tones on the neo-soul "Stay With Me" and Anthony Hamilton's booming baritone on "You've Got the Love I Need." And, of course, there's the retro-soul, stylish production of the Roots' ?uestlove and James Poyser.

But the real star of the album is Green's stunning, hall-of-fame soulful voice, a mix of gospel power and funky grit that sounds just as vibrant on "Lay It Down" as it did for "Let's Stay Together." Start counting the Grammy nominations now.

("Lay It Down," in stores today; Grade: B+)

ALSO IN STORES. The soundtrack to that tiny little indie film "Sex and the City" (New Line); Cyndi Lauper has fun with her inner dance diva on "Bring Ya to the Brink" (Epic); John Hiatt's "Same Old Man" (New West); Sam Phillips' "Don't Do Anything" (Nonesuch); Spiritualized's atmospheric "Songs in A&E" (Fontana); Eliza Gilkyson's "Beautiful World" (Red House); Jenny Scheinman's eponymous CD (Koch); Andy Griggs combines country and his Louisiana roots on "The Good Life" (Montage); Booka Shade's club-ready "The Sun and the Neonlight" (Get Physical); and the deluxe version of Fergie's "The Dutchess" (A&M), featuring her cover of "Barracuda" and duets with Nelly and Soulja Boy.

SONG OF THE WEEK. The timing couldn't be better for the return of New Kids on the Block, as job insecurity and rising gas prices make lightweight pop seem like a necessary escape. The group's comeback reunion single, "Summertime" (Interscope), is a bit of a hodgepodge - some squonky keyboards, a doo-wop bridge, a little of Take That's "Back for Good" - but it's likable enough to push aside any troubled thoughts for three minutes.

Contact Glenn Gamboa at 631-843-3434