Usher loves single ladies

“Raymond v. Raymond” was an important album for Usher, reestablishing himself in the minds of music fans everywhere after many were questioning whether or not he would be relevant again.

Usher’s sequel EP, “Versus,”  is slathered with that magic ingredient that helped make “Raymond”  successful — musings on the single life.

Finally a free man, Usher’s taking full advantage of it in “Love ’Em All,” the leadoff track that’s as blunt as it sounds: “There’s enough for me to make sure I pleasure all these girls in this club, yeah/ I’m gonna make sure it’s her, gonna do you and you and you.”

Usher’s smooth, deliberate delivery allows his vocals to skate nicely over the top of samples, but he’s at his best on fast-paced club bangers like “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” with Pitbull and “Hot Tottie” with Jay-Z and Ciara, the latter track with much more bearable supporting cast than the former.

Usher’s versatile performance, from his Prince-esque show on “Lingerie” to his slowest R&B flow on “There Goes My Baby,” is the highlight of the disc.

Whatever the song, the common thread on “Versus” is Usher and a lot of girls. And that’s probably fine with most of the ladies.