USHER
Climax (3:56)
Producer: Diplo
Writers: U. Raymond, R. Stylez, A. Rechtshaid, Diplo
Publisher: not listed
RCA Records
When the throbbing contours and gooey center of Usher **'s "Climax" were released online on Valentine's Day, the song immediately recalled his previous hits "Nice and Slow" and "Burn," both of which featured Mr. Raymond flexing his sensitive muscles over intoxicating production. Usher's R&B oeuvre is too often forgotten alongside club tracks like "Yeah!" and "Without You," because, as shown on "Climax," the pop star can bump a slow jam with the best of them. "Climax" is, in fact, not a love song, but an ode to the bewildering thoughts and feelings of relationship purgatory: "We're together, now we're undone/Won't commit, so we choose to run away," he sings. Diplo, who has been white hot with his pop offerings during the past two years, keeps the synthesizers at a moderate temperature and releases the reins to his vocal star here. "Climax" is the song D'Angelo fans have craved for years, and a sound that Usher should explore more often.
