Usher has been a super star in the Pop genre for quite some time now and 8701 is an excellent illustration as to why.
One of the refreshingly nice things about this CD is the way all of the participating artists seem to be really enjoying themselves. Combine that with the overall presentation and you’ve got one of Usher’s most impressive releases ever.
If you're even mildly into Pop music you'll enjoy this album. Overall 8701 is an outstanding release. I give it my double thumbs up. You will not be disappointed with one single track.
While this entire album is really very good the truly standout tunes are track 5 - U Got It Bad, track 11 - How Do I Say, and track 15 - U R The One.
My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 2 - U Remind Me. It’s a great track!
8701 Release Notes:
Usher originally released 8701 on August 7, 2001 on the LaFace label.
CD Track List Follows:
1. Intro-lude 8701 2. U Remind Me 3. I Don't Know - (featuring P. Diddy) 4. Twork It Out 5. U Got It Bad 6. If I Want To 7. I Can't Let U Go 8. U Don't Have To Call 9. Without U (Interlude) - (interlude) 10. Can U Help Me 11. How Do I Say 12. Hottest Thing 13. Good Ol' Ghetto 14. U-Turn 15. U R The One
8701 Album Notes
Personnel includes: Usher, P. Diddy, Kelis (vocals); Jermaine Dupri (vocals, various instruments); Soulshock (various instruments, turntables); Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Jimmy Jam, Terry Louis, Babyface, Bryan-Michael Cox, Karlin (various instruments); Dave Barry (acoustic guitar); William "Billy" Odum, Juan "Johnny" Najera, LaMarquis Jefferson (guitar); Valdez Brantley (keyboards, programming); Arthur Strong, James "Big Jim" Wright (keyboards); Stokley (drums); Alex Richbourg (programming); Sheree Ford-Payne, Bria Fuentes, Raymond Ford, Tajuanna Ford (background vocals).
Producers include: Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, The Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri.
Engineers include: John Frye, Mark Rains, Bryan Garten.