Kevin Mazur/WireImage.comHe’s married. He’s a father. So is it any wonder R&B star Usher Raymond sounds a little more mellow on his fifth album, Here I Stand?
Thankfully, friends like Jay-Z and Will.i.am arrive to kick things up with album highlights like "Best Thing" and "What's Your Name," respectively.
And even if this follow-up to 2004's multiplatinum Confessions skews heavily toward the slow jams, the 29-year-old singer delivers one of the summer's sexiest singles in the chart-topping "Love in This Club."
Now dry yourself off and check out what else is coming out this week.
Sex and the City: Music From the Original Motion Picture
With a new Fergie track, a 20-year-old hit by Run-DMC and contributions from a bunch of unknowns, the soundtrack for the Sex and the City movie sounds as muddled as Carrie and Big's relationship.
Listen: Fergie, "Labels or Love"
Al Green: Lay It Down
Produced by Roots drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, the Reverend Al attempts to revive his classic 1970s sound on his latest album. If only he'd revive the bell-bottoms, too.
Listen: Al Green featuring Anthony Hamilton, "You've Got the Love I Need"
Also Out: The Charlatans, You Cross My Path, John Hiatt, Same Old Man, Cyndi Lauper, Bring Ya to the Brink, Lil' Kim, Ms. G.O.A.T.: Greatest of All Time; Midnight Juggernauts, Dystopia; Rehab, Sittin' at a Bar; Spiritualized, Songs in A&E