Usher feat. will.i.am - Can't Stop Won't Stop

When Billy Joel recorded Uptown girl back in 1983, we don’t think even God could have imagined it’d one day end up with a massive rave synth shoved up its arse and used as the hook in the latest Usher/will.i.am collab. But here we are, and the short of it is that Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, for all its ridicu-sampling, is a bit of an anthem. Sure, there’s none of the sensual poise that made Climax such a crucial artistic re-invigoration for Usher, but in terms of plonking the R&B star back in the centre of clubland as previous will.i.am team-up OMG did, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop feels just about right.

Usher - Climax (Diplo Bouncier Climactic Remix)

Sometimes, even with some of the best songs, there remains that nagging feeling in the back of our minds that there's something missing. Some little part of the mix that could maybe do with being a little louder, sharper, bigger. Diplo-produced Usher single Climax is one such track - in its original state it makes for a enticingly electronic exploration of seductive energy, but with the producer on hand to provide his own remix of the song, it becomes even better.

Is it bouncier? Noticeably. Is it more climactic? A little. But somewhere in the mix, Usher's already rather delectable track gets given that edge that elevates it up to even greater, more synthetic heights.

Usher - Climax

We really liked Usher's will.i.am collab OMG - it was a sleek electro makeover that posited him firmly as a star still very much at the top of his game. So when we heard Usher had recorded a track with Diplo behind the production desk, we got quite excited - the man clearly knows how to pick his work partners, no?

Turns out the track in question, Climax, is a spacious, futuro-jam that slides Usher's vocals over a bubbling hotbed of synths. Slow, sensual, resolutely 'cool' - while it doesn't feel like the uber lead single OMG was, there's certainly a sense of innovativity and willingness to push boundaries and in the euphoric middle-eight, the track transcends into properly blissful dimensions. Thumbs up on this one Mr. Usher.