Jump to content

Raymond v. Raymond

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 76.0.72.3 (talk) at 02:41, 15 May 2010. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Untitled

Raymond v. Raymond is the sixth studio album by American R&B singer Usher, released March 30, 2010, on LaFace Records. Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2010 and was handled by several producers, including Jermaine Dupri, The Runners, Ester Dean, Polow da Don, RedOne, Jim Jonsin, Danja, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Bangladesh, and Tricky Stewart.

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 329,000 copies in its first week. It became Usher's third consecutive number-one album in the United States and has produced three singles that achieved chart success, including Billboard hits "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)", "Lil Freak", and the international hit "OMG". Upon its release, Raymond v. Raymond received generally mixed reviews from most music critics.

Background

The album is the follow-up to Usher's fifth album Here I Stand (2008), which featured more mature, adult-oriented themes, but was less successful with fans and sales than his previous work.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Usher, whose private life has been highly documented after filing a divorce from wife Tameka Foster, told People Magazine that the album will be, "racy, risky and edgy, and sometimes about personal experiences."[7] The album was promoted as a self-confessional, much in the way his 2004 blockbuster album dealt with his high-profile break-up with Chilli of TLC. The albums name was inspired by the 1979 divorce film Kramer vs. Kramer, which Usher had stated himself.[8] Recorded during 2008 to 2010, the album was produced by Jermaine Dupri, The Runners, Ester Dean, Polow da Don, RedOne, Jim Jonsin, Danja, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Bangladesh, and Tricky Stewart.[9][10]

Release and promotion

In November 2009, a representative of Usher told MTV News that the album will not be released on December 21, 2009 as scheduled: "The release of Usher's next album, Raymond v Raymond, has been delayed because we believe that the album is so strong that we want to give it the opportunity to have the proper setup before coming out".[11] The album was ultimately released on March 30, 2010, and it will be released April 26, 2010 in the United Kingdom. It was reported in Australian newspaper Herald Sun in Melbourne that Usher will tour this album in 2010 tour details are yet to be announced. [11]

Singles

Official singles

  • "Lil Freak", which was firstly released only as a promo single prior to the album's release, had been later announced as the album's official second single in the United States. Usher and Nicki Minaj shot the music video for the song on March 9, 2010 in Los Angeles with director TAJ.[14] It so far reached number 8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart[15] and number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.[16] It became Usher's fourth Top 40 hit single from Raymond v. Raymond, when including the buzz single "Papers".
  • "OMG", which features will.i.am, is the third official US single and the first international single. The song received mixed reviews, complimenting the song's dance and club vibe but criticizing the Auto-Tune effect. It reached number-one in Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. The song became his ninth number one in the United States, making him the first 2010s artist to collect number one singles in three consecutive decades, and only the fourth artist of all-time to achieve the feat. Usher also became the third artist to have at least one number one song from five consecutive studio albums. The song's choreography and dance-heavy accompanying music video has been compared to that of "Yeah!".
  • "Guilty", featuring American rapper T.I., was announced by Usher during an interview to be the fourth and upcoming single for the album.[17] It was produced by Prettyboifresh.[18]

Promo singles

  • "Papers" was released as the first promotional single for the album in October 2009 on iTunes. Despite being only a promotional release, it topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for two consecutive weeks, becoming his tenth number one single on that chart. It also peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.
  • "There Goes My Baby" was the second promotional single released on iTunes. It was released on February 9, 2010. but removed shortly after and then added back on February 16.[19] It has so far reached number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[20] and number 10 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It became the fourth single from the album to become a Top 10 hit on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart, a feat not matched by him since Confessions.
  • "More" is the third promo single, and was released on March 16, 2010 on iTunes.[21] Following its digital release, it debuted at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was used to promote the 2010 NBA All-Star Game on TNT. It was also performed before the game was tipped off by Usher himself. It was also used in a contest for the Body by Milk Got Noise? program. In the United Kingdom, with the release of the album, it debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 89.[22]

Reception

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 329,107 copies, becoming Usher's third consecutive US number-one album.[23][24] Its first week sales also serve as the third-largest one-week sales of 2010 in the US.[25] According to Billboard, the album's first-week sales had been supported by his appearances on the television shows American Idol and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, both of which featured him performing the single "OMG".[25] The album sold over 92,000 copies in the US in its second week of release,[26] over 64,000 copies in its third week of release,[27] 52,000 copies in its fourth week of release,[28][29] and 48,000 copies in fifth week sales.[30] In its sixth week of release sales increased with 51,000 copies sold.[31] Bringing it's total sales in the United States to over 639,000 copies and put the album on pace to receive a platinum certification.[32] In one month of release the album was certified Gold by the RIAA.[33]

The album debuted at number four in Canada with sales of 6,000.[34] Raymond v. Raymond debuted at #2 in the United Kingdom.[35] It also entered within the top-ten of several other countries' charts.[36]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[37]
Chicago Tribune[38]
Entertainment Weekly(B-)[39]
Los Angeles Times[1]
PopMatters(4/10)[2]
Rolling Stone[40]
Slant Magazine[41]
The Times[42]
USA Today[3]
The Village Voice(mixed)[4]

Upon its release, Raymond v. Raymond received generally mixed reviews from most music critics.[43][44][45] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 57, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "generally mixed or average reviews".[43] Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave it 2½ out of 5 stars and expressed a mixed response towards its lyrical quality, writing "Many of the songs on the album have to be taken on their own, stripped of context; otherwise, determining what applies to Usher’s real and fantasy lives can be problematic".[37] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone gave it 3 out of 5 stars and wrote that it "yields mixed results".[40] Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt gave it a B- rating and perceived that it "doesn't offer much real revelation. Its main aim is more standard issue: Sleek, grown-and-sexy R&B tuned to seduction, not divorce court".[39] In contrast, NOW's Andrew Rennie gave it a 4/5 rating and wrote that the album "proves that his ability to make grown-up hits is stronger than ever", while commending its "club-tailored" production.[46] Despite commending Usher for his singing, Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine gave the album 1½ out of 5 stars and called it "consistently uninspired, with each song showcasing an incredibly gifted performer grown wearyingly complacent".[41] USA Today's Steve Jones gave it 2½ out of 4 stars and viewed its sexually-themed material as "rehashed and inauthentic, seldom accentuating the singer's charismatic personal or vocal strengths".[3] The Guardian writer Caroline Sullivan gave the album 2 out of 5 stars and called it a "so-so record".[47] Despite writing favorably of its production, Tyler Fisher of Sputnikmusic gave it 2½ out of 5 stars and viewed it as thematically inconsistent and called it "a predictably unfocused album".[48]

In contrast, About.com's Mark Edward Nero gave it 4 out of 5 stars and called it a "return to basics" for Usher, stating "Sex, love, cheating and drama - the four basic ingredients in most of his previous work - are all in abundance here, and Usher has definitely regained his mojo".[49] Despite calling it "single-minded", Boston Herald writer Lauren Carter gave Raymond v Raymond a B+ rating and lauded its musical quality as "diverse and satisfying".[50] Toronto Star writer Ashante Infantry called it "a sizzling mix of dancefloor bangers and grinding ballads that put the attention back on his warm, elastic tenor and off his personal life".[51] Despite writing that its "problems come when Usher forgets his age", Newsday's Glenn Gamboa gave the album a B rating and commended Usher for "how well his voice has matured".[52] Los Angeles Times writer Mikael Wood gave the album 3 out of 4 stars and viewed its title's meaning as "one seemingly directed toward Usher fans disappointed by the change in direction his wedding inspired: Here's a battle, the title suggests, between the faithful husband of the last few years and the wily lothario of yore".[1] The Washington Post's Sarah Godfrey found its personal-themed songs "tedious", but wrote that "Usher manages to make some great music, especially when he appears to be getting his bearings back as a single man and heartthrob".[53] However, Toro's Jesse Skinner gave the album a 2.5/5 rating and viewed that "there just isn’t enough crossover potential in Raymond v. Raymond, nor any truly confessional material that could justify its supposed inspiration".[54] No Ripcord writer Genice Phillips gave it a 6/10 rating and found its content "all too predictable", calling the album "a revolving contention of Usher’s identity at two different stages: the introspective, mature man and the ego-boosting, swag-leaning entertainer".[55] Giving the album a 4/10 rating, Tyler Lewis of PopMatters called Raymond v. Raymond a "cynically commercial and desperate album" and viewed it as a "pale imiation" of Usher's Confessions, stating:

What’s most frustrating about Raymond vs. Raymond is that it replicates the most tasteless and least admirable aspect of the Confessions era. It exploits his personal life for profit, selling you on the notion that you are going to get a peak into Usher’s inner emotional life even though you are not, and it does it with some of the most aggressively misogynistic and silly lyricism that Usher’s ever sung. He essentially boiled Confessions down to its worst elements and released it—14 variations of Confessions' most digusting song, 'That’s What It’s Made For'. Because, let’s remember, consumers rejected his grown and sexy and romantic look on Here I Stand, so clearly he had to go for juvenile, gross, and tawdry here... There is nothing remotely emotional, let alone romantic, on Raymond vs. Raymond, which is a regression, nakedly commercial, and completely soulless.[2]

— Tyler Lewis

Giving the album 2½ out of 4 stars, Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot viewed that its "songs about 'So Many Girls' and the burden of being a 'Pro Lover' on the prowl" inversely affect the mature-themed songs, writing "It’s the kind of lacerating perspective that adulthood brings, but Usher’s too busy chasing his past to fully embrace it".[38] The Boston Globe's James Reed shared a similar sentiment and wrote "Usher puts emotional material to little use".[56] New York Daily News writer Jim Farber viewed it as an improvement over Usher's previous album Here I Stand (2008), but ultimately viewed a lack of maturation, writing "Usher simply seems like he's reverting to easy type, milking his old role as a cad too cute to stay angry with for long".[57] Jaimie Gill of Yahoo! Music UK gave it a 4/10 rating and called it "a series of dead-eyed, listless boasts about his stardom, wealth and sexual prowess".[58] An Associated Press writer called the album's club tracks "disappointingly safe" and wrote that Usher "has limited himself musically".[59] Pete Paphides of The Times gave the album 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "The subject matter isn’t its problem; it’s the suffocating conservatism of its execution".[42] Chicago Sun-Times writer Jim DeRogatis gave the album 1 out of 4 stars and panned it, writing that Usher "revels more than ever in hollow player posing and empty sexual braggadocio, and delivers the sleepiest and least inspired album of his career".[6] The Village Voice's Rich Juzwiak viewed its confessional nature as "wan" and described the album's songs as "like pick-up lines: Their immediate success varies, but none are particularly memorable".[4]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer (s)Length
1."Monstar"Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis5:01
2."Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)"The Runners3:44
3."There Goes My Baby"Jim Jonsin, Rico Love4:41
4."Lil Freak" (featuring Nicki Minaj)Polow da Don3:54
5."She Don't Know" (featuring Ludacris)Bangladesh, Sean Garrett4:03
6."OMG" (featuring will.i.am)will.i.am4:29
7."Mars vs. Venus"Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis4:22
8."Pro Lover"Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis5:02
9."Foolin' Around"Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri4:11
10."Papers"Zaytoven, Sean Garrett4:21
11."So Many Girls" (additional vocals by Diddy)Danja4:36
12."Guilty" (featuring T.I.)AJ "Prettyboifresh" Parhm3:44
13."Okay"James "JLack" Lackey3:15
14."Making Love (Into the Night)"Jim Jonsin, Rico Love3:36
iTunes and Japan bonus track
No.TitleProducer (s)Length
15."More"RedOne3:49
Target, Best Buy, and UK bonus track
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
15."Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home) (remix)" (featuring Plies)The Runners4:16

Personnel

Credits for Raymond v. Raymond adapted from Allmusic.[60]

Charts

Chart positions

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[61] 7
Austrian Albums Chart[61] 68
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[61] 43
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[61] 67
Canadian Albums Chart[62] 4
Dutch Albums Chart[63] 33
European Top 100 Albums[64] 8
French Albums Chart[61] 51
German Albums Chart[36] 47
Irish Albums Chart[36] 17
Italian Albums Chart[61] 20
South African Albums Chart[65] 17
Swiss Albums Chart[36] 20
New Zealand Albums Chart[61] 8
UK Albums Chart[66] 2
US Billboard 200[62] 1
US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[62] 1

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by US Billboard 200 number-one album
April 17, 2010 		Succeeded by
My World 2.0 by Justin Bieber
Preceded by US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums number-one album
April 17, 2010 		Succeeded by

Release history

Region Date
Germany[67] March 26, 2010
United States[68] March 30, 2010
Canada[69]
Brazil[70] April 15, 2010
Japan[71] April 21, 2010
United Kingdom[72] April 26, 2010

References

  1. ^ a b c Wood, Mikael. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
  2. ^ a b c Lewis, Tyler. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-05-07.
  3. ^ a b c Jones, Steve. Review: Raymond v Raymond. USA Today. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
  4. ^ a b c Juzwiak, Rich. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2010-03-31.
  5. ^ Adams, Cameron. Usher's Personal Life Got Messy on the Eve of a New Album. Herald Sun. Retrieved on 2010-04-01.
  6. ^ a b DeRogatis, Jim. Review: Confessions. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on 2010-04-02.
  7. ^ Dyball, Rennie (2009-06-19). "Usher's Got Milk – and a New Album - Usher". People.com. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  8. ^ By David Peisner (2010-03-26). "Music - The Rumors Say Usher's Making a Comeback". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  9. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2008-11-07). "Usher Says Ne-Yo Will 'Potentially' Work On New Album - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News". Mtv.com. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  10. ^ Singersroom.com. "Usher Gone 'Monster' For Fall Album, Shoots Kutcher, Beiber Flicks". Singersroom.com. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  11. ^ a b "Usher's Raymond v Raymond Pushed Back » MTV Newsroom". Newsroom.mtv.com. 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  12. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/hot-100?begin=21&order=position
  13. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100?tag=chdrawer#/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs?tag=chdrawer
  14. ^ "New Music: Jason Derulo f/ Nicki Minaj – 'In My Head (Remix)'". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  15. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs?tag=chdrawer
  16. ^ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  17. ^ http://hiphop-n-more.com/2010/04/usher-picks-new-single-t-i-assisted-guilty/
  18. ^ http://www.thisisrnb.com/2010/04/usher-announces-next-single-is-guilty-feat-ti/comment-page-1/
  19. ^ http://hiphopblips.dailyradar.com/story/usher-there-goes-my-baby-prod-by-jim-jonsin/
  20. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/song/usher/there-goes-my-baby/17921079
  21. ^ "iTunes Store". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  22. ^ "Singles Top 40 from the Official UK Charts Company". Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  23. ^ 20 Comments (2010-05-03). "Usher Lands At #1 On Billboard 200 With Raymond Vs. Raymond Album | Sound Off | BET.com". Blogs.bet.com. Retrieved 2010-05-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ by usherraymondblog (2010-04-30). "Usher Breaks Another Record! « Usher Raymond Blog- You Favorite Source For Usher! New Album Raymond Vs Raymond". Usherraymondblog.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  25. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith. Usher Scores Third Straight No 1 on Billboard. Billboard
  26. ^ Wete, Brad (2010-04-14). "Justin Bieber jumps over Usher for No. 1 spot | EW.com". Music-mix.ew.com. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  27. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/news/mgmt-s-top-debut-on-billboard-200-bieber-1004084568.story
  28. ^ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  29. ^ Langhorne, Cyrus (2010-04-28). "Usher Tops Competition, Cypress Hill Rise Into Top 20, Devin the Dude & Little Brother Invade The Charts". Sohh.Com. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  30. ^ "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 5/3/2010 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  31. ^ http://www.billboard.com/news/godsmack-grabs-third-no-1-album-eminem-wows-1004090694.story#/news/godsmack-grabs-third-no-1-album-eminem-wows-1004090694.story
  32. ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11235/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-5-9-2010
  33. ^ http://rnbmusicblog.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/ushers-raymond-v-raymond-goes-gold/
  34. ^ Billboard Biz Canadian chart update retrieved: 2010-04-12.
  35. ^ "Music Charts - Official Music Chart". Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  36. ^ a b c d Album Performance: Raymond v. Raymond. acharts. Retrieved on 2010-05-10.
  37. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.
  38. ^ a b Kot, Greg. Review: Raymond v Raymond. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.
  39. ^ a b Greenblatt, Leah. Review: Raymond v Raymond. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.
  40. ^ a b Hoard, Christian. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
  41. ^ a b Cole, Matthew. Review: Raymond v Raymond. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.
  42. ^ a b Paphides, Pete. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. The Times. Retrieved on 2010-04-23.
  43. ^ a b Raymond v. Raymond (2010): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
  44. ^ Staff. Usher's Raymond V Raymond Set For Top Debut. SingersRoom. Retrieved on 2010-04-10.
  45. ^ Jefferey. Usher Debuts New Album 'Raymond v. Raymond'. Lime Life. Retrieved on 2010-04-10.
  46. ^ Rennie, Andrew. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. NOW. Retrieved on 2010-04-10.
  47. ^ Sullivan, Caroline. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2010-04-23.
  48. ^ Fisher, Tyler. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
  49. ^ Nero, Mark Edward. Review: Raymond v Raymond. About.com. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.
  50. ^ Carter, Lauren. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. Boston Herald. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.
  51. ^ Infantry, Ashante. Review: Raymond v Raymond. Toronto Star. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.
  52. ^ Gamboa, Glenn. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. Newsday. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
  53. ^ Godfrey, Sarah. Review: Raymond v Raymond. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
  54. ^ Skinner, Jesse. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. Toro. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
  55. ^ Phillips, Genice. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. No Ripcord. Retrieved on 2010-04-10.
  56. ^ Reed, James. Review: Raymond v Raymond. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.
  57. ^ Farber, Jim. Review: Raymond v Raymond. New York Daily News. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
  58. ^ Gill, Jaimie. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. Yahoo! Music UK. Retrieved on 2010-05-04.
  59. ^ Sims, Melanie. Review: Raymond v. Raymond. Associated Press. Retrieved on 2010-03-30.
  60. ^ Credits: Raymond v. Raymond. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-04-10.
  61. ^ a b c d e f g "Usher — Raymond v. Raymond". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  62. ^ a b c "Usher — Raymond v. Raymond > Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  63. ^ Steffen Hung. "Usher — Raymond v. Raymond". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  64. ^ [1]
  65. ^ ":: Radio Sonder Grense ::". Rsg.co.za. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  66. ^ "Music Charts - Official Music Chart". Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  67. ^ "Raymond V Raymond: Usher: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  68. ^ "Raymond v. Raymond: Usher: Music". Amazon.com. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  69. ^ "Raymond V Raymond: Usher: Amazon.ca: Music". Amazon.ca. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  70. ^ "Raymond V Raymond: Usher: Brazil release date". livrariacultura.com.br. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  71. ^ "Raymond V Raymond: Usher: Japan release date". hmv.co.jp. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  72. ^ "Raymond Vs Raymond: Usher: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Raymond_v._Raymond&oldid=362202738"