Usher continues to rely on the restrained vocal approach of previous solo albums, even when he's singing about being kicked in the teeth. The impassioned screamer of Moist has plainly been left far behind; in his place is a hushed singer-songwriter.

The album opens with Long Goodbye. The focus is kept on Usher's lambent vocals and intelligent lyrics while the music -- an acoustic guitar, occasional flourishes of piano, a female backing vocalist and a time-keeping drumbeat -- keep to the background. The next track, Love Will Save the Day, is a lusher effort with a fuller, electronic production and some more vigorous singing from Usher.

The rest of the album sits comfortably between those poles; parts of it bear a marked resemblance to the solo work of Mojave 3 leader Neil Halstead, though Usher has a greater fondness for filling out his sound with synthesizers and electric keyboards (somewhat unneccesarily, it must be said -- most of these tunes could do with a stripping down).

While some of If God Had Curves sounds a bit sterile, for the most part it's a winning expansion on Usher's three previous solo albums.