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''Raymond v. Raymond'' is the sixth studio album by American R&B recording artist Usher, released on March 26, 2010, by LaFace Records. Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2010 and was handled by several producers, including Jermaine Dupri, The Runners, Ester Dean, Polow da Don, RedOne, Jim Jonsin, Danja, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Bangladesh, and Tricky Stewart. The album debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 329,000 copies in its first week. It sold over one million copies in the United States and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album also produced five singles that achieved chart success, including US hits "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)", "Lil Freak", "There Goes My Baby", and international hits "OMG" and "More". Upon its release, ''Raymond v. Raymond'' received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who were ambivalent towards its songwriting and themes. Nonetheless, the album earned Usher several awards, including Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Usher promoted the album with a supporting international tour, OMG Tour, in 2011. == Background == In December 2005, Usher became romantically involved with stylist Tameka Foster, whom he then married on August 3, 2007. Foster gave birth to Usher Raymond V later that year. Usher released his fifth studio album ''Here I Stand'' on May 13, 2008. It featured more mature, adult-oriented themes, influenced by his marriage to Foster; this thematic shift ultimately led to the album becoming less successful with fans and sales than his previous work.〔 A year and a half later on June 12, 2009, following his marriage, Usher filed for divorce from Foster, with no initial reasoning. Once the divorce was finalized on November 8 that year, Usher explained that there was "no reasonable hope of reconciliation" and their marriage was "irretrievably broken"; both Foster and Usher had been living separately since July 2008.〔 The divorce was highly documented by the press. Prior to the filing, Usher relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2009 to begin working on his sixth studio album.〔 The album was recorded at the Studio at the Palms in Vegas and Atlanta. Producers involved with its production included Jermaine Dupri, The Runners, Ester Dean, Polow da Don, RedOne, Jim Jonsin, Danja, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Bangladesh and Tricky Stewart.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Usher Gone 'Monster' For Fall Album, Shoots Kutcher, Beiber Flicks )〕 Initially under the title ''Monster'', the album's name was changed to ''Raymond v. Raymond'', taking inspiration from the 1979 American drama film ''Kramer vs. Kramer''.〔 ''Raymond v. Raymond'' mirrors Usher's 2004 ''Confessions'', as a self-confessional album, with several recordings from the album inferring to Usher's marriage.〔 Jive Records urban music president and album executive producer Mark Pitts also conceived the album as a return to the themes of the latter album; "based on what happened with ''Confessions''", Pitts wanted to reproduce its success.〔 Pitts told ''The New York Times'' that "Usher had a rough couple years", elaborating: "The scrutiny of everything going on, he was worrying too much about what people were thinking. We felt like we had to get his swagger back. Dust off the bed and get it popping and young again."〔 Pitts noted that it was important ''Raymond v. Raymond'' addressed the rumors that circulated around Usher's marriage.〔 The latter reiterated that the album is not specifically about his marriage, and that it is "about the tug-of-war between man and woman, and the honesty a man has to have."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Raymond v. Raymond」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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