Love and other journeys

After a four-year wait, Usher finally returns to the scene with his follow-up to the ultra-successful Confessions (the album that included the ridiculously popular Yeah!).

A lot can happen in four years and the journey is portrayed in Here I Stand.

Gone are the days when he was a player about town, hanging out in clubs every night being photographed with gorgeous ladies. Now married with a son, it is apparent from the music that the R&B singer is a changed man.

The album is full of grown-man, true-to-life tales about becoming a one-woman man, such as in Before I Met You; falling in love, in Something Special, Here I Stand and Lifetime; and having a baby in the track Prayer for You, which features a guest appearance from his son Usher Jr (think crying vocals). There is also input from Young Jeezy, will.i.am, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Lil Wayne.

One track to look out for is Moving Mountains. If that's not Usher's second single, then there's something very wrong with his management as that song will definitely drive sales of the album through the roof.

Here I Stand. By Usher. From Dh65 at all good music shops.

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