Release Date: Aug 24, 2010
Genre(s): R&B
Record label: Jive
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Versus, Usher’s ?nine-track companion to this year’s Raymond v Raymond, finds the soul star no less randy than when we left him. ”Love ‘Em All” describes an egalitarian sexual appetite, while ”Lingerie” offers prime faux-Prince boudoir funk. The Max Martin-produced ”DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” shows ”OMG” didn’t satisfy Usher’s dance-pop jones, but he’s hardly gone soft: ”Hot Tottie,” with Jay-Z, is nasty in all the right ways.
Five months after the release of Raymond V Raymond -- shortly after the album went platinum -- a deluxe edition containing a second disc was released. Containing eight songs and dubbed Versus, the second disc was also spun off as a separate release, sparing devout Usher fans from the irritation of buying Raymond V Raymond a second time. (Perhaps LaFace learned a lesson when they pulled that stunt with the deluxe edition of Confessions).
OMG @ this EP, srsly. Usher’s tacit would-be tell-all Raymond v. Raymond spoke softly but wielded a big stick, and has emerged as one of the few albums this year to manage a pretty decent tally of moves on SoundScan. (Of course, that could indicate that Usher’s party boat has inevitably sailed up a port or two, demographically speaking.
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