A is a collaborative studio album by American singer Usher and record producer Zaytoven, the latter of which entirely handling the album's production.[2] Released on October 12, 2018, the album is an homage to the city of Atlanta, where Usher and Zaytoven grew up, featuring guest appearances from fellow Atlanta-based musicians Future and Gunna.[3][4][5]
A peaked at number 31 on the US Billboard 200, and received mixed to negative reviews by critics.
Background and recording
On July 25, 2018, Mark Pitts, President of Urban Music at RCA, posted a photo on Instagram of him and Usher working in the studio.[6] Pitts posted another image in September on his Instagram of him, Zaytoven, and Usher in the studio.[7] Zaytoven and Usher previously collaborated on the 2009 single "Papers" from Usher's 2010 album Raymond v. Raymond.
In an interview Usher conducted the Thursday before the album release with The Fader, he said "Zaytoven and I were working on my project, my future album, actually. And we started working on songs, had great combinations between the first two, three, and we kept going."[8]
Usher announced the project on October 11, 2018, with a trailer showing himself and Zaytoven driving around Atlanta and visiting various locations.[4] The trailer also featured various portions of the tracks; alongside this, Usher also posted snippets of the tracks separately on Instagram.[4]
Artwork and packaging
The cover art for the album is designed by American fashion designer Virgil Abloh. The artwork is Abloh's album-themed take of his own signature Off-White branding.[8]
A received mixed to negative reviews by critics. AllMusic wrote that “A is inspired if mechanical, with Usher's superior vocal dexterity almost neutralized by overly familiar scenarios and materialistic lyrical tropes.”[11] According to Pitchfork writer Briana Younger, "Zaytoven’s minimalist trap isn’t always the ideal match for Usher’s traditional R&B capabilities, but when they push both to their extreme, something magical happens."[12] Elias Leight of Rolling Stone wrote that "On ‘A,’ Usher moves with the times — and that’s a bad thing".[13]Medium stated that “the less said about his A EP the better.”[14]Highsnobiety commented that “both Usher and Zaytoven could do much better”.[15]34th Street Magazine called it an “uneven 27 minutes”, criticizing its “repetitive content and lyrics”.[16]
