The release of his fifth album, "Here I Stand," may have been delayed by six months, but Usher made up for lost time with his recent smash "Love in This Club," featuring Young Jeezy; the eighth No. 1 hit of the R&B juggernaut's career, the track jumped from No. 51 to the top of the charts in a single week, the third-biggest leap to No. 1 in Billboard history. And although he devoted much of late 2007 to family life (the license plate depicted on the cover of "Here I Stand" bears the digits 1126 -- his son's birthday), he still plays the lover man on "Trading Places" and his current smash duet with Beyonce, "Love in This Club Part II." Listen for additional cameos by Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and will.i.am, and beats and grooves crafted by A-list producers including Jermaine Dupri, Jazze Pha, Dre & Vidal and Tricky Stewart.
Usher has his charms, but when it comes to R&B crooners who set the mood for romance, Al Green remains virtually untouchable; just drop "Let's Stay Together" at a wedding reception sometime and watch the couples pack the floor. The good Reverend continues his recent winning streak with "Lay It Down." The disc was co-produced by Green with two of the most revered young guns around -- Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots and keyboard player James Poyser (Erykah Badu, Common, Lauryn Hill) -- and features guest appearances by Corinne Bailey Rae (the sublime "Take Your Time"), John Legend, and the Dap-Kings horn section (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse). But even with all these youngsters involved, "Lay It Down" still sounds of a piece with Green's classic Memphis sides for Hi Records. As it should be, says Thompson: "The reason why we are doing this is because we all idolize Al Green. Even today, nobody has range like him."
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