My Way/8701

This 2 CD set features the 1997 album My Way and the 2001 album 8701. 8701 represents the year Usher began exploring the world of music ('87) and the place where music brought him by the time of this recording ('01). He starts thing out in grand style with the romantic 'U Remind Me'. 'I Don't Know' takes a hip-hop turn with a contribution from P. Diddy (that's Puff Daddy for those of you arriving late), but Usher is quick to point out that he's strictly about partying and loving, not about thug life. While there are some amped-up, percolating tunes that make good use of Usher's high energy ('I Can't Let U Go'), he really hits his stride when he falls into the familiar position of heartthrob/crooner. His sensual cooing, breathy tone, and smooth-as-silk delivery on the likes of 'Can U Help Me' (Usher seems to have graduated from the Prince school of song titles) and 'How Do I Say' play to this charmer's strengths and are sure to keep the sizable female quotient of his audience sufficiently entranced. Sony. 2005.