That Grape Juice A&R: Usher’s New Album

As one of the world’s highest selling artists, Usher Raymond’s discography and accomplishments in the industry are simply unmatched.

From breaking a number of records with ‘Confessions‘ back in 2005 to enjoying both critical and commercial acclaim for 2010’s Raymond vs Raymond, there are many who await the latter’s follow up due out in coming up.

Now, here’s the chance to let Usher and RCA just what you’re thinking.

Confused?

All will be explained below…

Listing 13 songs from any genre or period of music from any artist out there, we want you to create the ultimate Usher album, made up of cuts you feel would appease both fans and critics alike.

Perhaps you feel  Keri Hilson’s  ‘I Like is just the vibe he needs to secure her a #1 single or is Luke James’ ‘I Want You‘ the sound he should be going for if it’s critical acclaim he’s after.

It’s completely up to you.

If you’re feeling extra bossy why not tell us how you would promote the album and how you’d ensure it generates sales  worthy of competing with the likes of Adele’s ’21’ or Justin Bieber‘s ‘My World 2.0‘.

Remember, someone from Raymond’s label might come across this, so every idea counts.

Get creative below!

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  1. Real January 18, 2012

    NO MORE POP/DANCE ish Usher!!!!!!

  2. pat January 18, 2012

    TAKE CARE/ drake rihanna
    LET IT BURN/usher
    OMG/usher
    THINKIN BOUT YOU/frank ocean
    SILENT NIGHT/brandy
    MORE (w kelly rowland)/usher
    SMOOTH CRIMINAL mj
    HUMAN NATURE mj

  3. Nicki Kelly January 18, 2012

    Wipe the slate clean and start again. None of this dance cr*p. Usher can be the change and bring back RnB!!!!! The world is crying out for it. Take a risk!

  4. jayme January 18, 2012

    Usher go back to R&B because and leave the POP to the other folks. We really need to bring R&B back to the US and stop following behind the folks overseas.

  5. Minajesty January 18, 2012

    i think instead of being #1-hungry why doesnt he just make REAL RNB music. blogs like this are the reason music is dying, people are more concerned about the chart position of the song rather than the quality of the song. anyway he should leave the dance pop rubbish to chris brown, usher is too talented for that! he should go back to the “U Got It Bad” “You Remid Me” type of music that he is amazing at

  6. junior seven January 18, 2012

    USHER back to RNB , i stop act like T***,

    USHEr BRING us an album, who will bring you on BEYONCE level!

  7. Jordan January 18, 2012

    I think honestly he will do half and half like he always does.

    Usher had “More” on the same cd as “There Goes My Baby” and I think that he’ll continue that route.

  8. B_STANNING AND LOVING ADELE January 18, 2012

    Usher always slays when he does rnb. If he comes back the way he use to I will be waiting

  9. Arie January 18, 2012

    I would love for Usher to go back to what really matters which is the music. All these artists are too busy trying to break records instead of putting out quality music. He needs understand that if he puts out a good rnb album people will buy it, he does not have to go the PoP route.

  10. Hilly January 18, 2012

    Well i’m begging him to go back to his R&B roots! My favourite albums from him are 8701 and Confessions, he should stick to these directions! I’m French and i’m proud of David Guetta, but he needs to run away from him! Fast!
    XOXO, Hil.

  11. ♛ pop royalty ♛ ( The BeyHive ) January 18, 2012

    standard : 12 tracks , 4 of them are dance pop a la ” OMG , without you , dj got us fallin’ in love , dirt dancer , etc .. ” , 2 hip hop-featured acts songs ” a la ” hot totti ” , ” she don’t know , love in this club , 2 to 4 soft R&B songs a la ” bed time , slow jam , u got it bad ” , other 2 songs can be pop , dance pop etc ,,, a la ” U-turn , yeah , red light , U r the one , etc … ”

    as a fan , i want his next album to be like that , i do not want it to be strictly R&B , pop or dance , i want a fusion of all that to appeal to a lot of ppl from different ages and races.
    and puh-lease , he gave you Urban h*** (raymond vs. raymond) (and here i stand ) and they were the best a f*****’ R&B can get and u didn’t support him financially , he gave u R&B and u gave him your behinds, so let him try something new beside that damn R&B u always put him in , he is too talented to be trapped in that R&B box for the rest of his f*****’ life. he will give u some R&B songs and that’s f*****’ it dear USHER , don’t make a full r&B album please …. it will flop !

    he must make it to appeal to every one , not only r&b non-buying ass folks !!! 😡

    he kinda found his niche , so try something new usher.

    Yeah man 😉

    #faithful fan !

  12. Bria January 18, 2012

    I for one Love and Appreciate all of Usher’s music. He always delivers a Diverse and Structured sound on any album that he’s done. His music is Balanced. RNB,POP, HOUSE, FUNK, JAZZ,DANCE,HIPHOP. Im buying whatever he’s selling!!! Usher is Unique and THE BEST!!! CLASS BY HIMSELF. PS HIS VOCALS are ALWAYS ON POINT HE KILLS!! HIS FANS OF DIFF ETHICS and BACKGROUNDS LOVE HIS MUSIC!!! 🙂

  13. ♛ pop royalty ♛ ( The BeyHive ) January 18, 2012

    Promoting :

    banner at Itunes ” countdown : before the album release ”

    facebook :

    he can do as what Rihanna did with her fanbase , MISSIONS , so his fanbase can unlock some stuffs related to his next album ” by tweeting it till a specific number , say a something will be unlocked if they tweeted +2,000.000 times and promoted the album , so everyone will know about the album , and stuffs might be somethings like behind the scene footage from making the album , etc … ”
    this will make his fans get more excited , more free promo , and everyone will know !
    – keep his fans updated with eery move. even if it was not to be counted !! his youtube page can do that. he can upload vids of him and show them to his fans while making the album and announce that he will give them a sneak peak of lil more content if they tweeted that vid for like + x tweets for example !!!
    – he can do some ads in which they are always around you while on FB.
    -he can do interviews in main talk shows , etc …
    – do small-crowded shows in areas in which his fans will like to see him in. ” he can sit at his twitter page and ask them , he need to get friendly with his fans , this how it all start now , showing your personality ” .
    -he can do some banners in streets , etc …
    – do some interviews with ppl from blogs like TGJ , TLL 😆 😛 , perez hilton ” to get the gays excited 😉 ” etc …
    u have to win everybody , work hard , give your 100% , don’t overhype and promote your stuffs. key of success !! 😉

    P.s : the content/material should be good in the first place ” , your material can do all the promo if they were so good ” a la adele’s 21″ !!!!
    but even adele has a blog 😉 !

  14. credits January 18, 2012

    So are the labels actually reading these a&r posts??? That would be cool.

    Let drake write one of his songs and give him one of those melodies, i always wondered what a drake song would sound like if a real vocalist was singing it.

  15. Songscribe January 18, 2012

    O.k, i loved comfessions and here i stand. Raymond vs raymond was a mess. This man has declined vocally and needs to work hard. I might need to remind him that he is 33 now and he is too old fo euro pop. He needs needs to keep away from bieber for a lil while to rediscover himself cos he(bieber) obviously has an influence on him instead of the other way round. Usher is my fav artist and only hope for r n b together with brandy and monica. Make this r n b or u wil b a ‘once was’. Dont disapoint me

  16. deejaybaps January 18, 2012

    I would LOVE usher to go back to R&B that is when he is at his absolute BEST! your voice is amazing Usher singing anything but its on another level when you are doing your R&B! your old school catalog speaks for itself.

  17. Girrrl January 18, 2012

    I want usher to go back to r&b. He needs to claim his crown as the prince of r&b
    here I am was a solid album with amazing vocals. Usher needs to make a raw r&b album with crossover appeal ie my way 8701 confessions. Usher is one of the few artists today who can really sing. I own all his r&b albums except his debut. Everyone says r&b needs a (commercial) revival. Usher can spearhead that movement.

  18. MsThing485 January 18, 2012

    I only want R&B out of Usher. I used to be a HARDCORE Usher fan from his debut through Here I Stand, but he has completely alienated me with that David Guetta/Taio Cruz mess he’s been doing since OMG. I can’t stand it when urban acts sell out like that. If he is going to insist on continuing to do dance-pop, then I’m pretty much done buying his music.

  19. Jessica January 18, 2012

    USHER GO BACK TO R&B!!! I’ve been listening to your music since 1997 My Way until Here I Stand, your not Justin Bieber, leave that s*** to the little kids!!! You have a hardcore fan base 25 years+ and up, Raymond vs Raymond was ok but should’ve been better. Leave that crap to FloRida and the less talented artists. Usher should work with Ne-Yo because 1. Wicked songwriter and producer. 2. He brings out quality music point blank. 3. R. Kelly again, “Same Girl” was a big stepping stone in R&B point blank. 8701 and Confessions made Usher, not this pop b*******!!! USHER GO BACK TO R&B!!!

  20. Connor Evans January 18, 2012

    Moves Like Jagger, Gimme More, I Wanna Go

  21. BitchPlease January 18, 2012

    Usher needs to go back to rnb..but if he makes a POP album it needs to be POP..not ERO/DANCE POP mess..Chris Brown has the image and stage persona to be more POP than Usher..

  22. Theman January 18, 2012

    Usher did do r&b on his last effort as well as pop. He’s not simply just one genre. He should keep appealing to all of his demographics. People keep saying just stick to r&b, well Usher is a major artist, and the same ones saying stick to this or that alot of them don’t even purchase the music. There are no requirements to do electro/dance material. If it’s a great track then ok. It should be limited though. I think he’ll craft something great. He doesn’t need to be put in a box. Fans just really also have to do their part.

  23. Theman January 18, 2012

    Bruno Mars – Beautiful Girls
    Bruno Mars – Rain
    Miguel – Quickie/All I Want
    There Goes My Baby

    Songs that are similar to these.

  24. Monique January 18, 2012

    1. I Can’t Help It- Michael Jackson
    2. Don’t Disturb This Groove- The System
    3. Find Your Love- Drake
    4. Does He Do It- Trey Songz
    5. Turn The Lights Down Low- Bob Marley
    6. Number 1- John Legend
    7. Body Bumpin’- Public Announcement
    8. No Letting Go- Wayne- Wonder
    9. International Love- Pitbull
    10. Love Me- 112
    11. I Get Lonely- Janet Jackson
    12. All I Want Is You- Miguel
    13. A Song For You- Donny

    To market it, I would throw a live social media listening party. I would release the songs one at a time while he is online live tweeting his fans. I’d also definitely market an all Usher episode to the producers of Glee…. laugh all you want but those kids sell records.

  25. arob January 18, 2012

    He needs to go back to confessions. R&B

  26. honeydip January 19, 2012

    FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @HONEY_DIP11 I FOLLOW BACK!

  27. DMWN January 19, 2012

    Quit that gay ass pop b******* and go back to appeasing your core audience.

  28. A January 19, 2012

    I am very afraid of Usher going pop, but in some ways I do believe he is entitled to explore new ways of sharing his music. I was not feeling OMG like the kiddies were. I just hope the music he decides to put out is one of quality. To tell u the truth the music today is horrible. I miss rnb, he put one rnb song I will be good.

  29. felina January 19, 2012

    sorry people the days of rnb are dying, I really don’t think he needs to do a strictly rnb album, artists like r-kelly or trey songz , miguel are making amazing rnb music and what happens not much in sales right, so I really don’t think he needs to make a whole rnb album, and some of you on here need to read and follow instruction, they ask you to come up with a list of songs but some of you only gave your opinions

    my list would be

    1,billie jean( a song that people just can’t get tired of)
    2.I will always love you (an ultimate love song that moves people’s heart)
    3.yeah(ultimate club song that could be play in techno or pop clubs)
    4.without you(techno he needs one cause that’s what people are listing now)
    5.sure thing(for the rnb lovers)
    6.u make me wanna( drama, triangle relationship)
    7.rolling in the deep(to display his fabulous vocal)
    8.there goes my baby(for the rnb lovers so they could stop hating)
    9.fantasy(a fun sweet love song)
    10.sexual healing/till the cop come (it’s usher so we need a s** song)
    11.OMG (something for everyone, children, adult, teenagers to dance to,music is not about age,being 33 shouldn’t stop him from making music for all)
    12.stand by me/ delilah(a simple song with mostly voice and not too much background noise)
    13. earth song(something for humanity)

    promotion is all people knowing about the product, so where do people get information and news? via web, tv, radio, newspaper, magazine
    it’s making sure that even if I lived in the mountain somehow I would know
    usher has a new album coming. keep in mind if the album is good it will promote itself, focus on making music people want to hear and willing to buy and the promotion part will be easy.

    I believe in Usher I think he got it all worked out, I can’t wait.

  30. Another Star January 19, 2012

    Go Usher!!!! Hi B Stanning

  31. Vandrea January 19, 2012

    The worse thing an artist can do is abandon/snub their core fanbase in order to appeal to the taste of ‘at the moment’ (aka trendy) music buyers. 10 years from now when Usher is long past his peak and commercial prowess, pop fans won’t still be there to support him. But his core R&B fans will be, that is if he doesn’t continue to ignore them. R&B audiences tend to be more loyal in the long run, if they were always catered to by said artist. When you’re an urban act, the idea is to make the mainstream come around to you…not the other way around. Usher is playing a dangerous game with this pop crap.

  32. d. January 19, 2012

    To me, when I think of what has made Usher such a great artist, it has always been his ability to tell a good story. That is his strength; he is a storyteller and the lyrics were always conversational, almost as if you were hearing a musical enacted on stage or your best friend was speaking with you.
    Take the megahit ‘Yeah.’ It is a huge dance/pop record, however, it worked because even in those lyrics there was a small story unfolding (the fact that he was attempting to refuse a woman who kept pressuring him to say ‘yeah’) which aided into the overall CONCEPT of Confessions… that is, the act of cheating and the repercussions it caused with his girlfriend. It was expertly given because the whole body of Confessions was cohesive, and it felt as if we really were getting an insider’s look of Usher’s diary. The same can be said for Here I Stand, the only difference was that due to the overexposure of his personal life, we already knew the story before it began and 18 tracks of hearing how he is a changed man was redundant. Had he taken out a few songs and had the media blitz surrounding this album not have overshadowed it, it too would have been a great work. As we know, perception of your persona often influences the public’s judgment of the product you are selling.
    And so Usher and his team alike, I say to you, he simply needs a new concept. Since 2005, his songs – released or otherwise – have all been about cheating and additionally some discourse he has been experiencing with the woman he has cheated on. Quite frankly, it’s redundant and we are tired of you telling us how you fudged up. Sure, there have been some high marks (Revolver still stands to be one of my favorite tracks from him, as not only is the metaphor great but the tone he used was refreshing!), and some rather low marks which unfortunately are too many to list. We get it, you are a cheater. But let’s move on. Perhaps go deeper; explain WHY you cheat. We want to know your insecurities. You need to bare yourself. Explore yourself deeper. You’ve had many major life changes ongoing; it’s time to address them. I’m sure you have witnessed others’ who have major issues. Talk about them. Turn to the great legends you say you are inspired by, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone… these people sung of love, but they also sung of the situations around them within the community. They made inspirational music we could connect to, and I think you are missing that and have been for some time. Even MJ, he was socially conscious… and even your peers, Kanye at his best (All Falls Down) also spoke of these same things. It’s time for you to grow.
    As for packaging, firstly you need an image consultant. I understand you are in a different stratosphere, but you are 33. PLEASE CUT YOUR HAIR. A lot of people have felt he has lost his “s** appeal” with that Mohawk. At the very least, change it for the new album. Hire a better stylist. His style looks sloppy all the time. Usher you are like 5’7” at most – your pants do not need to be all baggy; it makes him look like a dwarf. Get clean cut. His ex-wife may have her issues, but she knew how to dress him well regardless. Also, the music videos he has released lately have likewise been uninspired. I’m not sure if it is budgeting or not, but I’ve seen better videos shot by my peers in college. Little Freak could have been such an amazing video, but it fell short when all the girl did was walk around an abandoned basement. The dancing was lame, and the visuals grew tired after the first 30 seconds. Go back to telling your stories, and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT SHOOT A VIDEO IN A CLUB. I don’t care if it is a club song – NO MORE CLUB VIDEOS THOSE ARE LAME.
    Also, DO NOT WAIT until the week before the release of the music to build up interest and promotion. Fans want to feel as if they have an intimate connection to the artist and the music. Here are some things you can do:
    – Live stream of album creation process. It does not have to be a lot, just a little bit: song editing; the first few minutes of laying down a verse. Look to Rihanna’s promo team, they are ALWAYS finding ways to promote her.
    – YouTube video log of getting prepared. If you are practicing choreography, show a few minutes of the practice session. You can do a video diary every two weeks or so, enough to not over saturate yourself but also keep people interested.
    – Do video chats with your fans; offer contests… this is something that used to be done with the fanclub. Perhaps if you reach x amount of followers or something, you will allow a fan to sit in on a recording session or to interview you.
    – Get a peer to star in your video and ACTUALLY interact with her. Keri in LITC was good, but we barely saw you two on screen.
    – Again I say, NO MORE CLUB VIDEOS!!!
    – Work with the Neptunes. Pharrell and you really had a chemistry, and he understands your voice and craft.
    – Work with Kanye and Drake.. both are incredible producers with an ability to craft music that transcends genres.

  33. Dylethat January 19, 2012

    usher honey know this year is your year , to come back with a album because all the usher fan mess your s*** self sooo much, and i do to. ALL THE USHER FANS ITS TIME FOR OUR ARTIST USHER RAYMOND TO GET READY IN 2012 SO AM JUST LETTING YA’LL KNOW OUR ARTIST IS COMING FOR WHO ALL YA;LL HATERZ. YEAH MAN.

  34. NaQu January 20, 2012

    Usher disappointed me so when he sold out to pop. He was the last person I would have thought would. Honestly, I would have assumed that Beyonce would flip to pop before him, but she wound up being the one that stayed true. I don’t even know what to tell him, other than to go back to your roots and do the music you became famous with and for. “U Got It Bad” and “You Make Me Wanna” were vastly superior to this David Guetta BS.

  35. riri January 20, 2012

    🙁

    i dont think he will make it in the current music scene!

    we will see! love him! and i listen to all old skool musiccccccccccc 🙂

  36. theking January 20, 2012

    respect for usher

  37. music January 22, 2012

    mix it up your a icon it goes down the list James Brown MJ Usher 3 greats usher mix it up collabos are important , dance wize the omg tour was great but i think 8701 tour was better you need to dance as if you hold a throne also soulful is ur touch james brown did not call godson of soul for nun and mj wouldnt have let u on stange with him n dance for nun . i love the fact tht you have kept your smoothness even when cats like chris brown neyo treysongz ect.come out with a hit you dont fire back u just release what you release and like always you sell more then them put to getter im a big fan of urz sence i was small i meen if u were to ask my girl or friends even fam who my fav artist is they all will say usher … BE SMOOTH POP N RNB N GET HELP 4RM you know who duprie and work with ppl like lady gaga , jcole , the weekend ,re re, just mix it up and show this decade that you are still the king ! yeahman

  38. Oky January 22, 2012

    I would love for Usher to do an album ala’ Beyonce “4”. “4” was a great album by B! & If usher was to do an album like that, it would just show the amazing talent and voice he has. But on the other side, he’s being doing R&B all his life, he could branch out to dance-pop cuz he sounds good doing it. He’s awesome, and for his next album, I would like diversity, have dancey pop upbeat songs but not relly heavy on it. Have a little reggae in there, a little rock R&B dirty Diana type. His usual R&B love jams & some hip hop awesome tunes. A little worldwide feel, idk. But I would like if he brings back that good old R&B. Either way, he’s awesome and I will buy his next record!

  39. Nia January 29, 2012

    Follow me on twiiter if you think that usher should go back to his r&b days because those were his best. @Kimmey_katt

  40. Marlene February 29, 2012

    Dear Usher,
    First of all you do not have to cut you hair I like it anyway it is.
    Secondly, I Personally Love Whatever You Brought Out. I Loved Your Pop As Well And Every CD You Made I Have It Because They Were All Spectacular.
    As For The CD That Will Come Out This Spring, I Would Not Like It To Be Strictly R&B Because On Every Album You Had At Least On One That You Can Bob Your Head To And Dance Around A Little Bit.
    I Would Like Your CD To Have 20 Songs. Yes, I Know I Am Being A Bit Greedy, But I LOVE Your Music And Your Voice. I Think That They Should e Pop/Dance/R&B/Hip Hop Whatever, But Let The R&B Be More Than The Rest.
    4 Songs Should Be Preludes
    3 S** Songs
    *Trading Places Pt. 2 – I Have Been Waiting For That For A While Now.
    *S*** Song – Well You Have Climax; What’s One More; (like Love You Gently,)
    *A Seducing S** Song (Seduction or Can You Handle It)
    3 Love Songs
    *A Deep Love Song (Falling For A Girl You Didn’t Think You Would)
    *A Tell Her How You Feel Love Song or A Fun Love Song
    *A One-sided relationships, unrequited love song (You Love The Girl, But She,
    Does Not Love You.
    2 Break Up/Broken Hearted Songs
    *It Will Rain Bruno Mars – Idk I LOVE The Song And The Feeling He Puts In It.
    4 Collaborations With Famous Singers
    * I Would Love Trey Songz, Pharrell, Adam Levine, Robin Thicke And Mariah Carey; Maybe even R Kelly if i”m not pushing it

    4 Whatever You Feel Like Talking about Songs
    *Maybe A Pop Song Like Chris Brown Turn Up The Music or Chris Brown’s Strip

    I Think Usher Should Work With Robin Thicke and Ne-yo attached to whoever does his songwriting because they are GREAT !
    ©

    Love Your #1 Fan,
    Marlene
    P.S. I am waiting patiently for the next album. I CAN’T WAIT !!!

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