Usher Previews New Album

Usher exits BBC Radio 1 studios in London.

Usher announced the title of his new album, ‘The Shanertance’, yesterday and followed the news with a preview of the album. Digital Spy attended the special album party and shared details about several of the songs on the album.

‘The Shanertance’ is preceded by the lead single, ‘Climax’, which was produced by Diplo. Usher will released the album later this spring. Read details about the included songs below:

‘Numb’

Attempts to bring R&B back to its ’90s heydey are littered throughout the record, though it remains firmly focused on the present and occasionally on the future. The juddering beats and anthemic chorus on ‘Numb’, in which he declares “Feels like I’m losing my mind/ Let it go/ I don’t care”, feel reminiscent of his brilliant David Guetta hookup ‘Without You’.

‘Looking for Myself’

The bouncy and hand-clappable melody on’Looking For Myself’ is a sound rarely heard from the singer – its chorus tinged by the kind of soul-pop that Bruno Mars wouldn’t cock a snook at.

‘Dive’

The R&B ballad ‘Dive’ recalls 2004′sConfessions for all the right reasons. “Ever since we first met I knew I was ready to take that dive,” he lilts in his inimitable falsetto.

‘Sins of a Father’

‘Sins of a Father’ serves as one of the LP’s darker moments. A grinding, reggae-flecked bassline plays out while Usher hints at his failed marriage and leaving “a debt to his son/ To pay the girls and mother”.

‘Lemme See’

The tone shifts dramatically on the breathy ‘Lemme See’ - one of the few moments where he reverts to his clichéd habits of womanising and “sippin’ on Merlot”.

‘Show Me’

‘Show Me’ is Usher at his shoulder-popping best, chanting “show me what you’re made of” on an earworm of a chorus among a barrage of uplifting lyrics that include: “The night is young/ We’ve just begun/ Let’s have some fun until the sun comes up.”

‘Scream’

‘Scream’ is an instant highlight; an exhilarating three-and-a-bit minutes of relentless club beats with a fists-in-the-air chorus that simply commands you to live life to the full.

‘Euphoria’

Things concluded with one of the most intriguing cuts, ‘Euphoria’. It’s a number that begins smoky and claustrophobic and ends smothered in industrial-sized beats and a ’90s trance piano riff, but it’s also a shining example of something Usher hasn’t attempted in years – making a record that will stand the test of time.

Photo by FameFlynet Pictures

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