My Way [PA] - Usher (CD 1997)

At 18, Usher Raymond was just breaking out as a talented and popular R&B star. Now 23, he is a Grammy Award winning, multiplatinum selling artist. Although MY WAY was his second album, this is the LP which really started it all. The music seems to me to have been a reflection of Usher's maturing stage in his late teens, and the songwriting and performing of these songs were a wonderful success.

Modern R&B with rap and hip-hop thrown in has given Usher his own sound, which really shows here. Usher both sings and raps, and a throng of guest artists, including Lil' Kim, Monica, Jermaine Dupri and Jagged Edge, add colour to his performances.

The first single, "You Make Me Wanna..." opens the disc. Here Usher tells a special female friend that he is falling for her, although his is already in a strong relationship, and that he hates being caught between the two of them. The next track is entitled "Just Like Me", which features a guest appearance by the notorious Lil' Kim. Together, she and Usher tell each other that they understand one another's needs for sex, although they sound somewhat hostile towards one another.

"Nice & Slow" is Usher describing the perfect night with his significant other. Things are much sweeter on the following "Slow Jam", a beautiful duet with Monica, about two people who find each other unexpectedly and fall in love at first sight. Silly, perhaps, but moving and calming.

Usher's egotistical bragging really takes the fore on "My Way". Here, he tells a man that his girl has been cheating on him, and that he, Usher, is the "other man". But Usher himself refuses to take any responsibilty or blame with regards to the matter. He says that he is the only one who can satisfy the cheating female's sexual needs, and that he should not be blamed for any problems between the two-timing girl and her boyfriend.

Usher begs an ex to "Come Back" (with Jermaine Dupri) right after this exploit. He tells her that he and his heart have changed in her absence. "I Will" features Jagged Edge, and here Usher begs a girl for her love and her body in exchange for being good to her. At "Bedtime" Usher forgets the love. Usher tells a girl "One Day You'll Be Mine" before we hear an extended version of "You Make Me Wanna...".

This album is enjoyable, but not for younger audiences. The sexuality is one thing that parents may object to. Usher's boasting is another. "Just Like Me" is marred by about a dozen profanities or objectable racial terms, as well as a reference to oral sex and a mention of drugs in the form of cocaine bricks. Jermaine Dupri uses the term n***a on "Come Back". Adults will want to carefully guide teens down Usher's Way, and censor it from younger children.

These matters aside, fans of urban music will likely enjoy at least some of what this great album has to offer.