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Rating: * * *
Somewhere, in here, a good record lurks. But trying to hear it amid the mammoth collection of schmaltz, continuous ooohs and woohs, and overly sexed-up lyrics is a challenge.
It's been four years since Usher conquered the charts with Confessions, so it's understandable he wanted the follow-up to be worthwhile.
But quantity is no substitute for quality. And despite the 18-track offering, Here I Am is an underwhelming experience.
After a chorus-less cabaret opener, completely out of keeping with the rest of the record, Usher appears to have sex on the brain, as he coos and croons about wanting to have sex on the dance floor (Love in the Club), making "moments' (This Ain't Sex) and role playing (Trading Places), complete with some of the most cringe-worthy lyrics in recent history.
Having apparently vented his sexual frustrations in the first four tracks, Usher moves on to higher - and better ground - though never abandoning the theme completely.
Tracks such as What's Your Name, with Will.i.am, and Before I Met You may not be as overtly sexual but still slather on the seduction with a trowel.
Usher finds redemption in The Dream-produced Moving Mountains, Motown funk of Something Special and beautiful piano-driven His Mistakes - if you can be bothered listening long enough to find them.
Joanna Hunkin
