This was Usher's strongest album at its time of release. This album had alot of anticipation around it after the original 8701, All About U, got scrapped due to heavy bootlegging. So the attention was definetly on Usher, to see if this album would live up to the hype. And i have mixed feelings about this album. It is definetly a strong album, no doubt about it. With 8701, Usher finally found HIS sound. And that sound lies somewhere between R&B loverman, and dancing Pop star. While i personally like to see the R&B side more, we do get a pretty even distribution of R&B/Pop on this album. Usher has never had the best voice. He has a good voice with unbelievable range. And it really shows on this album alot. And this album did sell better than his last, My Way, because he had the mega hit, "U Remind Me", which was a very unique mid tempo track with soaring strings, but at the same time its a very dancable track as well. And then another chart topper followed right after with the ballad breakup song of 2001, "U Got It Bad", which was an even bigger hit than the first single. And then, "U Don't Have to Call" was another hit, but it do the same damage to the charts that the previous two singles did, which was surprising because of the three singles, "U Don't Have To Call" was the most up tempo party track of them all. But what helps this album the most is its strong album tracks. While there isnt a ton of stellar album matireal, theres enough of it to make this album worth your while. Like the very chill baby maker "Twork It Out", its a super soaker thats for sure. And then the pimps anthem, "If I Want To", where Usher proclaims over this very up beat party track, "if i wanted i could take u from ur man/with my eyes closed/i could have u eating out the palm of my hand/and all ur little girlfriends to"...pretty bold statement, but thats where Usher is so successful. He is cocky, but he has that swagger that attracts people to him, so its ok for him to say things like that because people believe it. So overall, this album is definetly a step up from his last one, nothing groundbreaking, just a real solid album front to back.Grade:B
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