Usher’s “cutting you loose via legal document” comeback single “Papers” was pretty awesome, an incendiary throw-down that was right back in Confessions mode. Unfortunately, for the follow-up single, he’s enlisted the knob-twiddler RedOne, who is fresh off assisting in the ruination of the Sugababes—and, well, the results are predictably ugh-worthy. “Rock Band,” which unfortunately does use the ever-stale “rock” as a verb describing his bedroom technique (over and over and over again) feels like a step back to the worst parts of his previous album, the sorta-floppy Here I Stand, with its inert production and cliched lyrics that compare his prowess to the stylings of Jimmy Page (”on the guitar”) and Mick Jagger (”on the mic”). Not to mention—if you’re going to talk about your oral technique in big-name musician terms, shouldn’t you be comparing yourself to Gene Simmons? [RedOne]
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Usher Falls Victim To The RedOne Menace
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…that was awful, awful, awful, like most rock bands.
Is something wrong with my ears or is something horribly wrong with yours? I think this song sounds fantastic.* Aside from that one horn noise RedOne uses on every song, which makes all his songs sound a little like he’s copying himself, the production sounds like what an R&B star making dance music SHOULD sound like in 2009. It’s a dance track that runs circles around “Love in this Club” and makes Chris Brown conveniently irrelevant.** (Convenient because I would prefer to support Brown as little as possible. Also made easy because his new songs are kind of wack.)
Still not quite sure why you dislike RedOne production so much in the first place. All his GaGa tracks have been winners in my opinion (although I’ve grown tired of “poker face”).
*No defense of the lyrics here.
I just think all the RedOne stuff sounds like an endless beige wall. “Papers” was fantastic and this is a step back to “Love In This Club.”
Sure, it’s better than “I Can Transform Ya,” but …
Count me as a fan of the RedOne production, on this song, on all the Gaga songs, and whatever other recent stray bits I’ve heard (not counting the early career things like A*Teens). He’s kind of like the Mutt Lange of chart pop… this stuff sounds as big as Hysteria, especially through headphones.
RedOne with GaGa has been fine for me; I still really love “Just Dance,” from the first “Red-ONE” shoutout at the beginning to the last note.
But this…is bad, even on the second trip, with headphones. It sounds cavernous, but bland.
@Rockabye: I dunno, I loved it (on headphones too).
Before I knew who RedOne was, I thought GaGa was saying “red WINE” in that shoutout. Hah.
@Maura: hmmm. I don’t agree, but I see how his productions all sound similar-yet-not-distinct. Like there’s a “Timbaland sound” and a “Dre sound” but there’s a “RedOne Non-Sound” instead.
I’ve only heard “Papers” once but I thought it was predictable and self-indulgent, and not in the catchy “Confessions” way. Celebrity divorce ballads are just not my thing, I suppose.
Wow, this is grim. And I’m not sure Usher fans are going to go for this, either. It doesn’t make the most of his….charms, such as they are.