Its title inspired by 1970s flick Kramer V Kramer, Usher Raymond’s sixth record is pinned as his divorce album, recorded in the wake of the singer’s less-than-amicable separation from his wife.
However, lead single OMG tells a different story, with opening “Honey got some boobies / Like, wow, oh, wow” pretty much summing up the entire narrative in a single, brutal couplet. The rest of Raymond V Raymond isn’t all like this; mercifully, too, given OMG’s risible production (by Will.I.Am). But most of it runs along the same unintentionally comic lines.
From the album’s background and the song’s title, you might expect Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home) to be a plaintive cry from a single father missing his kids. With lyrics such as “Poke it on out / Poke it out right there”, one can only hope it’s not. So Many Girls and Pro Lover continue the boasting, and only the occasional neat production turn keep this from car-crash territory.
2/5
WILL FULFORD-JONES
