Billboard CD reviews: Usher, She & Him

ARTIST: USHER

ALBUM: RAYMOND V. RAYMOND

NEW YORK (Billboard) - "There's three sides to every story. There's one side, there's the other and then there's the truth." So notes Usher as he opens the door to his sixth studio album, "Raymond v. Raymond," and promptly begins to musically answer the question on everyone's mind: Can he reclaim the fervor sparked with 2004 set "Confessions?" In a word, yes. Rather than a tell-all about the singer's divorce, as the title suggests, this follow-up to Usher's 2008 hit-and-miss album "Here I Stand" is a more cohesive collection centered on the different sides that make up the artist. Drawing from a skillful fusion of R&B/hip-hop/pop, Usher addresses the trappings of fame on the uptempo "Monstar," shifts into sexy overdrive on "Lil Freak" (featuring Nicki Minaj) and "Pro Lover," pumps up the beat on the infectious club anthem "OMG" (featuring Will.i.am) and turns introspective on the ballad "Foolin' Around." Don't count Usher out just yet.

ARTIST: SHE & HIM

ALBUM: VOLUME TWO (Merge Records)

She & Him's second album, "Volume Two," offers up all the charm of the duo's 2008 debut, "Volume One." But this time around, actress Zooey Deschanel and indie-rock titan M. Ward approach the music with a newfound confidence; "Volume Two" expands the balmy melodies and bittersweet lyrics that the pair knows so well. On the dreamy opening track, "Thieves," Deschanel pours her heartbreak over wistful strings, while "Lingering Still" marries similar unlucky-in-love lyrics to Ward's summery guitar work. Meanwhile, "Over It Over Again" finds Deschanel serving her vocals with a little more bite ("Why do I always wanna sock it to you hard?"). As on "Volume One," Ward's performance and production excel, and his arrangements move effortlessly between heartrending and cheery. While Ward's musicianship remains the magic behind She & Him, Deschanel's lyrical growth on "Volume Two" proves she can hold her own alongside a well-respected partner.

ARTIST: COHEED AND CAMBRIA

ALBUM: YEAR OF THE BLACK RAINBOW (Columbia Records)

Coheed and Cambria have always relied on tightly packed melodies to stand apart from their prog-rock contemporaries. The band's fifth album, "Year of the Black Rainbow," is a collection of more extreme hard-rock arrangements that maintains the group's emphasis on catchy hooks. While the soaring chorus of "Made Out of Nothing" recalls the band's past sing-along gems, the gritty speed metal of "The Broken" and sinister guitar line of first single "Here We Are Juggernaut" reach a new level of intensity for the group. Lead singer Claudio Sanchez brings his usual proficiency to the songwriting and gloriously high-pitched vocals, but the technical showmanship of guitarist Travis Stever and new drummer Chris Pennie makes them the real stars of the album. Unfortunately, "Year" lacks the grandiose thematic concepts of previous outings as well as an immediate single. But Coheed and Cambria create as much head-banging fun as any veteran group.

ARTIST: SIERRA LEONE'S REFUGEE ALL STARS

ALBUM: RISE & SHINE (Cumbancha)

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars' latest release, "Rise & Shine," not only solidifies the group's spot in the world music galaxy, but also affirms that roots reggae is alive and well beyond Jamaica. Evidence of this is heard in the backbeat of opening track "Muloma," and reggae also steps front and center on the following song, "Global Threat," which offers a bit of social commentary. The group reverts to a more African-traditional mood on "Oruwiebie." One of the highlights is the roots-reggae number "Living Stone," an endlessly catchy track written by Mohamed Kamara. And the All Stars put the hammer down most convincingly on the vibrant ska tune "Jah Come Down," an original from band member Reuben M. Koroma. The All Stars have come a long way from the West African refugee camps, and with the release of "Rise & Shine," it sounds like music will keep the group busy for quite a while.

ARTIST: METH, GHOST AND RAE

ALBUM: WU-MASSACRE (Def Jam)

Method Man recently admitted that "Wu-Massacre," his new album with fellow Wu-Tang Clan members Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, was rush-released by Def Jam on a low budget. It's a fact that's somewhat hard to hide behind the set's lean production and uneven narrative. But there's cohesion among most of the 13 tracks, whose rough-edged samples draw largely from horn- and keys-heavy '70s funk and soul, including the RZA-produced single "Our Dreams," which is built around Michael Jackson's 1975 ballad "We're Almost There." The lyrical prowess of the Wu-bond is strongest in Method Man and Raekwon's stream-of-consciousness battle "Mef Vs. Chef 2"; the desperate, Ghost-dominated track "Gunshowers" (featuring rapper Inspectah Deck); the street-challenging "Dangerous"; and the Mathematics-helmed "Miranda," on which the trio swap conquest tales over soul keys and vocals remixed to synthesize a Latin beat. Curious are the filler skits, including one that's less scripted comedy and more stumbling drunk-dial by "30 Rock" star Tracy Morgan.

ARTIST: ERYKAH BADU

ALBUM: NEW AMERYKAH PART TWO: RETURN OF THE ANKH (Universal Motown)

Erykah Badu's 2008 album "New Amerykah Part One: 4th World War" was more socially and politically driven than her fifth studio release, "New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh," which finds the singer delivering no-holds-barred lyrics about lovemaking, love longing and, at times, love lost. But this doesn't mean Badu is made completely limp by the emotion: On "Fall in Love," she candidly warns potential lovers, "You're loving me and I'm driving your Benz/You're loving me and I'm f---ing your friends." Conversely, over keyboard riffs on the 9th Wonder-produced "20 Feet Tall," Badu asks, "What did I do to make you fall so far from me?" And on "Out of My Mind Just in Time (Part 2)," the singer confesses, "I am a recovering undercover over-lover/Recovering from a love I can't get over/And now my lover thinks he wants another." Aside from exhibiting punch-drunk love behavior on "Part Two," Badu taps into her inner B-girl, paying homage to the late Notorious B.I.G. on "Get Money."

ARTIST: SCORPIONS

ALBUM: STING IN THE TAIL (Universal Music Enterprises)

The real sting of the Scorpions' latest album, "Sting in the Tail," is that it will be the German rock band's last one, according to the group. If that's the case, it will close a 40-plus-year career that put the quintet's homeland on the hard-rock map. Those who dug into Scorpions albums from the '80s like "Animal Magnetism," "Blackout" and "Love at First Sting" will enjoy nostalgic twinges throughout these 12 new tracks, beginning with "Raised on Rock," a latter-day "Rock You Like a Hurricane" that lyrically references its predecessor. The title track and "No Limit" offer galloping riff rock, while "Rock Zone" touches on psychedelic blues. The power ballads are here as well, including a torchy "The Good Die Young," with Finnish singer Tarja Turunen. "The Best Is Yet to Come" sounds like an optimistic note on which to close the album, but it's false hope -- at least until the inevitable reunion.