So which Raymond won? Was it the R&B playboy or the misunderstood man? They both lost. The tug of war between his new bachelor status and his regretful ex husband status is enough to make you gag. The first single “Papers” set a bad tone for the album. T.M.I. T.M.I. Some things should be left behind closed doors and his divorce with Tameka Foster is one. It seems like a corny attempt to recreate the success of Confessions. You cannot recapture a classic. The album feels very formula like, instead of an artist expressing his creativity. Not to mention, it is just a bit tacky. At least with Confessions, consumers could only speculate, but with Raymond Vs Raymond, everyone knows exactly what he is talking about. In addition to “Papers”, songs such as “Guilty” where he is pleading his case in court, just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. In addition to biting off T.I. with the title of the album (T.I.’s T.I. Vs T.I.P), he bite off of Jay-Z naming one of his songs “Mars Vs Venus” (Jay-Z’s “Venus Vs Mars). Where is the originality Mr. Raymond?

The good news is it does have an essence of the Usher we have come to love on it. Follow up singles “Daddy’s Home” and “Lil’ Freak” are solid hits and reminiscent of that old Usher swag. His collaboration with Will.I.Am on “OMG” is definitely a different sound for him and shows some initiative to try something new. Surprisingly, it lacked a good solid love making song that Usher has in the past always delivered. There is “Making Love (Into the Night)” which is okay, but Usher is usually king with these kinds of songs. Overall, Raymond Vs Raymond is not one of his best efforts. Keep trying Usher, you’ll get it back. (Hopefully) ~ Nadia