Versus (EP)

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Versus
Shellback
  • Polow da Don
  • Rico Love
  • Dwayne "D-Town" Nesmith
  • Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
  • Jim Jonsin
  • Benny Blanco
  • Christopher "Drumma Boy" Gholson
  • The Avila Brothers
    • Usher chronology
    Raymond v. Raymond
    (2010)     		Versus
    (2010)     		Looking 4 Myself
    (2012)
    Singles from Versus
    1. "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love"
      Released: July 12, 2010
    2. "Hot Tottie"
      Released: August 9, 2010
    3. "Lay You Down"
      Released: September 28, 2010

    Versus is the first EP by American singer Usher. It was released on July 20, 2010 on LaFace Records and Jive Records in conjunction with the deluxe edition of his sixth studio album Raymond v. Raymond. Several producers contributed to the production of the EP, including Polow da Don, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love, Drumma Boy, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Max Martin. Versus is marked as "the last chapter of Raymond v. Raymond", and follows the theme of Usher exploring around the subjects of being newly single and a father.

    Preceding the EP's release was the lead single "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love", which achieved international success. The song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, and peaked inside the top-ten in several other countries singles charts. "Hot Tottie" and "Lay You Down" were released as the second and third singles, respectively, with the former becoming a US top-thirty hit. To promote the album, Usher appeared in several award and television shows, including Good Morning America, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

    Versus debuted at number four on the US

    Billboard Music Award, an International Dance Music Award
    and a NRJ Music Award.

    Background

    In 2009, in an interview with

    People Magazine, Usher, whose private life has been highly documented after filing for divorce from wife Tameka Foster, told that his sixth studio album will be, "racy, risky and edgy, and sometimes about personal experiences."[3] In March, 2010, he released the album under the title Raymond v. Raymond.[4] Upon its release, Raymond v. Raymond received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who were ambivalent towards its songwriting and themes.[5][6] However, the album was a commercial success and peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, with sales of 329,000 for its first week; it became Usher's third consecutive US number one album.[7]

    On July 8, 2010, Versus was announced as a follow-up to Raymond v. Raymond, and is Usher's first extended play.[8][9][10] Described during a press release as "the last chapter of Raymond v. Raymond", he stated that the EP will explore the subjects of being newly single and a father.[11] It would include Raymond v. Raymond single "There Goes My Baby", as well as 8 new tracks.[11] Several producers from the latter album contributed to the production of the EP, including Polow da Don, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love, Drumma Boy, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Tha Cornaboyz and Max Martin.[11] Versus' track listing and album cover was revealed on July 21, 2010.[12]

    Composition

    "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love"
    The chorus of "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love", leading to Pitbull's verse.
    Problems playing this file? See media help.

    The EP is a

    auto-tuned in parts;[15] the song contains a verse from rapper Jay-Z, whose appearance was lauded by critics.[14][17] "There Goes My Baby" is a down-tempo R&B ballad, with elements of neo soul;[18] the song primarily uses Usher's falsetto range. Both "Lay You Down" and "Lingerie" contain influences from pop artists, with the former channelling Prince whilst the latter, Michael Jackson.[13] In an interview with music video website Vevo, Usher explained that "Lay You Down" is a "classic R&B baby maker".[19]

    Singles

    "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love", featuring

    Japan,[22] Australia,[23] France,[23] and Hungary[23] and in the top ten in several other countries.[23] The song became Usher's sixteenth Billboard Hot 100 top-ten hit, peaking at number-four on the chart,[24] and number two on the US Pop Songs Chart.[25] As of February 2011, the song has sold over 3 million digital units, making it the second single to exceed the sales figure for both Usher and featured artist Pitbull.[26]

    "Hot Tottie", featuring

    synth beats [...]."[31]

    Release and promotion

    The EP was released on August 24, 2010 in the United States.[33] The set was preceded by the lead single "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" for mainstream audiences, and "Hot Tottie" for urban audiences. Versus' tracks are included on the deluxe edition of Raymond v. Raymond; the album was released in the United States conjointly with Versus, and released in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2010.[34] The international version of Versus was not released as an EP, but instead as a full album in select countries.[35][36][37] It includes the original tracks from the EP, as well as singles from Raymond v. Raymond, including "More", "OMG", "Lil Freak", "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" and "Papers".

    Usher and Chris Brown with Elephant Man at the 2010 Reggae Sumfest. The two dancing stimulating rumours of a joint tour.

    Usher performed the lead single "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" in several shows, the first being

    The X Factor.[43] Usher performed "Hot Tottie" on an untelevised portion of his appearance on The Early Show on September 3, 2010, and performed it on his OMG Tour, alongside "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love".[44]

    Tour

    Main article: OMG Tour

    In the summer of 2010, Usher competed in a dance battle against fellow R&B artist Chris Brown at the Reggae Sumfest. The battle sparked an Internet rumor of the two possibly going on tour. This was further pushed by producer Jermaine Dupri alluding that the two artist may be unaware of this upcoming tour. The singers later took to Twitter to ask who the fans would like to see them perform with.[45] On September 8, 2010, the singer announced his touring trek (and revealed it was solo) for North America. Due to demand, many additional stops in Europe and Australasia were added. It is Usher's first arena tour since his 2004 effort, The Truth Tour.[46] The then announced OMG Tour commenced on November 10, 2010 and concluded on June 1, 2011 with Usher performing in a total of 92 shows. In its conclusion, the tour placed seventh on Billboard's annual "Top 25 Tours", earning nearly $75 million.[47]

    Critical reception

    Versus received generally positive reviews from music critics. At

    About.com's Mark Edward Nero gave the EP three-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote that Usher has "regained his mojo", while recommending it to fans of his music: "nine songs - seven of them new - clocking in at 38 minutes is a good deal for this solid package of music."[14] Steve Jones of USA Today gave Versus three out of four stars and called it "an abbreviated batch of fresh songs that can stand alone or as part of a deluxe original".[50] Billboard's Gail Mitchell commended the album's guest artists and wrote that it "alternately bumps and throbs as a reinvigorated Usher further paves his comeback path"[51]

    Jeff Weiss of the Los Angeles Times gave the EP two-and-a-half out of four stars and found "Hot Tottie" to be "intoxicating as its namesake", but disapproved of some of the generic points and pop efforts.[13] The Washington Post's Sean Fennessey criticized its pop-oriented tracks, stating "Usher works best in emotional hailstorms, not candy rain", and viewed that it "finds him in Peter Pan mode, digging for remnants of a younger self that never existed".[52] Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave it two out of five stars and said that it "mostly resembles a batch of leftovers from his weakest album, even though it functioned as a momentum maintainer". Kellman dismissed its productions as "innocuous Euro-pop" and "merely passable contemporary R&B".[1] In a one-star review, Slant Magazine's Erich Henderson panned Versus as a "wretched collection of failed club-sex jams".[53]

    Accolades

    The EP's lead single "

    Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.[55] As an act, Usher received numerous accolades, such as being ranked as the third most successful Billboard Hot 100 artist of 2010,[56] and the top R&B/Hip Hop Artist of that year.[57] He was ranked as the sixth top overall artist of 2010, from the success of both Raymond v. Raymond and Versus.[58]

    Commercial performance

    Versus debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 46,000 copies in its first week.[2] This became Usher's sixth US top-ten album.[59] In its second week, the EP dropped to number 13 on the chart, selling an additional 22,450 copies.[60][61] In its third week, the EP dropped to number 15 on the chart, selling 17,000 more copies.[62][63] In its fourth week, the EP dropped to number 16 on the chart, selling 18,000 copies, bringing its four-week total to 103,450 copies.[64][65] As of May 2012, the EP has sold 302,000 copies in the United States.[66]

    The EP obtained moderate to high charting success outside of the US;

    Germany, peaking in the top-40.[67][69]

    Track listing

    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    1."Love 'em All"
    • Stereotypes (vocal)
    		3:28
    9."Stranger"
    		Drumma Boy4:48
    Total length:37:51
    International bonus tracks
    Nadir Khayat
  • Nuri
  • Quinones
    • RedOne3:39
    11."More"
    		RedOne3:49
    12."OMG" (featuring will.i.am)William Adamswill.i.am4:29
    13."Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)"
    • The Runners
    • Love
    		4:16
    14."Papers"
    		4:21
    15."Lil Freak" (featuring Nicki Minaj)
    		Polow da Don3:54
    Sample credits

    Credits and personnel

    Credits for Versus adapted from

    Allmusic.[73]

    Charts

    Release history

    Region Date Label Version
    Australia[79] July 20, 2010 LaFace Records EP
    New Zealand[80]
    United States[33] August 24, 2010
    Canada[81]
    Netherlands[82] September 17, 2010 Jive Records Album
    United Kingdom[83] September 26, 2010
    Sony Music Entertainment
    		 EP
    Germany[35] October 1, 2010 Arista Records Album
    Switzerland[36] Jive Records
    France[84] October 25, 2010 LaFace Records
    Brazil[37] November 15, 2010 Sony Music Entertainment

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    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Versus_(EP)&oldid=1208866629"