The singer re-teamed with producer and rapper, actor Jermaine Dupri. Additional production by P. Diddy, Bryan Michael Cox, and Babyface, among others. The album was originally titled All About U, which was partially scrapped after the failure of the first single, "Pop Ya Collar".
8701 was released to generally mixed but mostly positive reviews among critics. The album has reached number four on the US Billboard 200, number one in the UK, and has since been certified 4x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[1]
Reception
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Commercial
8701 was commercially successful, selling over four million copies worldwide. It went sraight to number one on the UK Albums Chart on August 21, 2001.[2]
8701 received generally positive-to mixed reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 69/100 from Metacritic.[13] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic commented, "his material is smooth and seductive, and he has a nice voice, even if he tends to favor melisma... the ballads are lusher, the dance numbers hit a bit harder, but not so much so that it's really noticeable." Christian Hopwood of BBC Music noted, "8701 sees Usher Raymond taking more control of the operation, developing his producing, singing and song writing skills to a new level. This record has had an army of producers working on it, and it is no wonder that this album sounds so polished and mature beyond his years." Kathryn McGuire of Rolling Stone magazine reviewed, "his velvety voice and sky-high tolerance for crooning about girls - girls up in the club, girls from the old neighborhood, non-English-speaking girls, girls he's better off without - are on full display, making 8701 likely to resonate with the same crowd his single "Nice and Slow" wooed three years ago. Amid all the playboy pouting and preening, Usher's vocals are impressively adaptable, lacing brash beats from the Neptunes and sophisticated ballads from hitmakers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis with equal dexterity. Hip-hop bounce merchant Jermaine Dupri's tracks inspire Usher's best moments, though: The freaky groove of "Good Ol' Ghetto" moves our man to flex some Bone Thugs-esque rap-singing, while the rough riffs of "I Can't Let U Go" spark a fresh, clipped chorus. Still, despite Usher's radio-safe reserve, 8701's wispy slow jams and booming club cuts strike a sweet nerve."
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