Usher’s studio has sprung a leak and it’s given us a track that has us scratching our heads.  While this singer is still sounding as good as ever and the production jumps, it’s the lyrical quality of Cuz We Can that seems to have him taking a major step backward.  It’s hard to believe that this is the same artist that gave us such grown-up albums as As I Stand and (especially for his age at the time) Confessions.  It feels like he’s trying to connect with a demographic that he doesn’t fit in anymore and it’s really not convincing.

Don’t lose hope for his upcoming album, UR, however.  Anyone who knows the history of Usher’s album releases knows that it tends to be the tracks that aren’t approved for the LP that make their way onto the internet.  Most of the official singles still show growth and keep us hopeful.