MTV.com News — 'He really wants to express what's going on in his life,' producer Bryan Michael Cox says.By Shaheem Reid Usher Photo: Logan Fazio/ FilmMagic Usher "damn near" lost his mama in the new song "Papers," but has he lost his touch when it comes... more info

Topix — Like Marvin Gaye and Al Green, the legendary lovermen whose songs set the mood before he took the stage, R. Kelly has a potent sway over women. more info

Guardian Music — Matter, LondonFrom the moment he ambled on stage halfway through the first track, apologising for being drunk and asking to start again, Raekwon was anything but slick. Abruptly lurching out of raps mid-flow, he all but abandoned the conventions of l... more info

Soul Sides — Binky Griptite: The Stroll Pt 2 (Snippet)From The Stroll 7” (Daptone, 2009)Dap King member/leader Binky Griptite has come to the forefront with his Stroll. Where I'm typically drawn to horn stabs and vocals over instrumental affairs, the flip... more info

All About Jazz — The New Face of Cuban Soul Rock from the North: Alex Cuba's Agua del Pozo Breaks the Language Barrier Mangoes sprouting in the tundra. The new face of Latin soul thriving in a hamlet a day's drive north of Vancouver, British Columbia. This is the st... more info

Rolling Stone — Photo: Allan/WireImage Marvin Gaye vs. Jay-Z, “Hello Brooklyn” & “Girls, Let’s Get it On” [Mashup] What’s most remarkable about the first of these mashups is how mashing up “Hello Brooklyn” with “Sexual Healing” has the inadverten... more info

Soul Sides — Nostalgia 77 feat. Alice Russell: 7 Nation ArmyThe Hot 8 Brass Band: Sexual Healing (Re-Edit)Both from Tru Thoughts Covers (Tru Thoughts, 2009)My first encounter with Tru Thoughts probably came via the Nostalgia 77, back in 2004 when I first wrote ab... more info

Guardian Music — As the series draws to a close, we look at the science behind wistful longing in popWhen it comes to musical yearning, we should start with the obvious. And what could convey the emotion more directly than calling your song I Want You? However, a tra... more info

In the 1960s, the legendary label stood out from the musical pack ” and still does today ” because of its ability to tune the tension between two opposing forces. more info

VH1 News — Jay-Z cites Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway as early influences on his music career. more info