Here I Stand (Usher album)


Here I Stand is the fifth studio album by the American singer Usher, released on May 13, 2008, by LaFace Records. Inspired by love for his then-wife—Tameka Foster—and son, Usher recorded many ballads for the album. Prior to the album's recording, Usher split with his mother, Jonnetta Patton, as manager and hired Benny Medina. Usher's estranged father died months before the release of Here I Stand; this also influenced themes of the album. It was originally to be titled Measure of a Man, but the singer named it Here I Stand to mark "a new chapter in life".
Usher promoted Here I Stand by performing on several television shows including Total Request Live, 106 & Park and Good Morning America. Among other concert appearances, he embarked on a One Night Stand: Ladies Only Tour, performing fifteen shows in November 2008. Six singles were released from Here I Stand: "Love in This Club", "Love in This Club Part II", "Moving Mountains", "What's Your Name", "Here I Stand" and "Trading Places". "Love in This Club", which features rapper Young Jeezy, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and New Zealand Singles Chart.
Here I Stand received generally positive reviews from music critics, who viewed it as a sign of growth and maturity from Usher, although others were unimpressed by the change in style from his 2004 album Confessions. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, and sold 433,000 copies in the US in its first week of release, and as of 2010, has sold 1.3 million copies in that country. The album also reached number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, UK Albums Chart and Australian Albums Chart.

Background

In 2004, Usher's fourth studio album, Confessions was released, becoming the most-shipped album of the year in the United States. Before the album's release, he broke up with his girlfriend Chilli. In December 2005, he became romantically involved with stylist Tameka Foster; the two wed on August 3, 2007, although Usher's mother and manager, Jonnetta Patton, did not attend. Foster gave birth to Usher Raymond V later that year.
In May 2007, Usher split with Patton as his manager. This prompted "gossip" that Usher had "fired" her because of his growing relationship with Foster. He denied the claims, saying, "I love my mother... I decided not to fire, not get rid of, but to give the ultimate compliment—to retire her to be a full-time grandmother." He continued by stating that the split was a mutual decision. It was speculated that Patton's dismissal was due to his engagement with Foster; Usher dismissed these claims on Total Request Live in May 2008. In what MTV News' Shawn Adler called an "angry tirade", Usher stated, "My wife had nothing to do with me firing my mother — nothing like that, that's trash. I hear y'all talking crazy out there. She's a beautiful black woman. Stop. Stop talking. And I love her. Stop it." The outbreak was compared to Mariah Carey's unannounced 2001 appearance on TRL, when she handed out popsicles to the show's audience and performed a "striptease", while some fans noted Usher's speech as evidence that Foster was being controlling of Usher. Usher hired Benny Medina as his new manager; Medina said of Usher, "The thing that excited me most is the intense commitment to his art, his incredible professionalism and the fact that I feel as though he's just hitting a stride."
In January 2008, Usher's father, Usher Raymond III, died. Both men regretted not spending more time in each other's lives. "Prayer for You", the seventh track on Here I Stand, is an interlude dedicated to Usher's son, reflective on his relationship with his own father; "No matter what happened, my father always prayed for me. The only difference is, I'm gonna be there to be the father that my dad wished he was to me." The first album name that artists and repertoire representative Mark Pitts conceived was "Measure of a Man", but that title had already been used by Clay Aiken for his debut album, so Usher called it Here I Stand. Pitts said, "It was perfect because becoming a man is about going through pain, sorrow, and happiness. Usher's done that! From the love songs to the party joints, it's exactly the story he wanted to tell." Usher noted Here I Stand as beginning "a new chapter in my life"; the album's liner notes contain a verse from 1 Corinthians 13: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." Here I Stand marked Usher's growth from boyhood to manhood. In March 2007, it was announced that work on the album had begun. Usher outlined the album's concept: "A lot of what I plan to offer with this album is kinda standing in this spot... The king's back. I ain't gonna say 'back,' I never left."
The Rich Harrison-produced track, titled "Dat Girl Right There", was leaked on November 11, 2007. The song charted on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 74, due to high airplay. Featuring Ludacris—with whom Usher collaborated on "Yeah!" in 2004—the song was originally thought to be the lead single from Here I Stand; however it was not included on the record. Other potential tracks cited before the album's release were "All the Time" and "The Realest", although neither was included on the album. Here I Stand contains eighteen tracks; James "JLack" Lackey, Polow da Don, Tricky Stewart, Jazze Pha, The-Dream, Los da Mystro, will.i.am, Dupri, Manuel Seal, LRoc, Dre & Vidal, Bryan-Michael Cox, Stargate, Ne-Yo, Danja, Soundz and J. R. Rotem all produced tunes on the album. On the iTunes Store deluxe edition, "Revolver" was included, which was produced by Alexander "Prettyboifresh" Parhm.

Composition

Here I Stand is an R&B album, Josh Eells of Blender summed up much of the production of the album as "cocktail-lounge crunk, full of splashy cymbals, jazzy electric guitar and tinkly pianos". Many of its themes were inspired by Foster and Raymond V, resulting in a great number of ballads. Here I Stand opens with an "Intro", while the lead single "Love in This Club" follows, on which Young Jeezy appears. The mid-tempo song features a shuddering synth beat and speaks of a lusting desire in a nightclub. "This Ain't Sex" is a disco-influenced song that "speaks of sex as a privileged act between two consenting adults". "Trading Places" uses guitar instrumentation to host role reversal in both sexual and non-sexual situations in a relationship. "Moving Mountains" is a ballad that draws on synth beats to relate a love struggle to an impossible task, such as moving mountains. The album's sixth track is "What's Your Name", an electro song which features new wave-influenced synths produced by will.i.am, who also contributes vocals to the song. The "Prayer for You" interlude follows, an ode to Usher's son in which Raymond V cries. Usher prays for his son to be "better than me".
"Something Special" is a pop ballad that begins acoustically, and was inspired by Robin Thicke and John Mayer because of its honesty. Usher discussed the song: "It's about the feeling when you're in real love. It could be about my son or my wife."
According to Usher "Love You Gently", a piano-based classic rhythm and blues ballad, is "the one you throw on with your significant other when it's time to get to it. This is why my son's here. It's a baby-maker." Jay-Z appears on the horn-founded "Best Thing", which is about transition to manhood. Usher outlines lifestyle changes since his wife's arrival and turns away from his days as "a hustler and a player" in "Before I Met You", which makes use of guitar and heavy drums. He is suspected of infidelity and compared to his girlfriend's cheating ex-partner on "His Mistakes". The thirteenth track on Here I Stand is "Appetite", which utilizes flutes and has Usher tempted to cheat on his wife. "What's a Man to Do" opens with a Native American call, while "Lifetime" contains influences of 1990s R&B. "Love in This Club Part II" features vocals from Beyoncé and Lil Wayne and samples The Stylistics' "You Are Everything" ; its lyrical content is similar to that of Part I, and Wayne's voice is modified through the use of a vocoder. The album's soul and pop jazz-derived title track, "Here I Stand", drew comparisons to Stevie Wonder. With a theme of commitment, it was played at Usher's and Foster's wedding. Here I Stand closes with "Will Work for Love", although it was placed as a hidden track on some copies; Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine called it "cute".

Release

In November 2007, Usher hoped to release his fifth album, titled Here I Stand, but "issues in his personal life" delayed the album. According to reports, Usher has to spend more time with his then-pregnant wife. The expected November release date was booked to coincide with that of Usher's fragrance line. Released on May 13, 2008. The continually changing release dates became frustrating for Usher; Dupri said to Billboard, "The last couple times I've been around , you could tell he's got the bug to hurry up and put this record out. He wants to get back out here and give the people that. He's got that itch." Here I Stand was first released by LaFace Records in Mexico and several European countries on May 13, 2008; releases in other countries followed.

Promotion

In 2008, Usher promoted Here I Stand by appearing at Radio 1's Big Weekend, where he performed "This Ain't Sex", "Moving Mountains", "What's Your Name", "Here I Stand" and "Love in This Club", as well as singles from his previous albums.
Usher performed "Love in This Club" with Young Jeezy on The Hills' third season finale, and along with "This Ain't Sex" on Saturday Night Live, and again on the sixth season finale of Dancing with the Stars. Usher performed a one-off showcase concert for 1,500 fans at indigO2, London on May 22, 2008, for which the tickets were allocated by ballot. Usher signed copies of Here I Stand for the military during Fleet Week in New York City, aboard USS Kearsarge on May 27, 2008. On the day of the album's release, Usher appeared on television shows TRL and 106 & Park, and performed on Good Morning America on May 30, 2008. Usher performed "Love in This Club" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, on June 4, 2008. At the BET Awards, hosted on June 23, 2008, Usher opened the show, performing the single again. On September 4, 2008, Usher performed "Here I Stand", "Trading Places" and "What's Your Name" at the 2008's National Football League Kickoff game at Columbus Circle, New York City. Natasha Bedingfield and Keith Urban also sang before the game, which saw the Washington Redskins play the New York Giants.