Usher is still trying to make some musical love … but he may be in need of some musical Viagra instead.

With “Raymond v Raymond,” Usher sings in his booty-call tones but breaks no new ground. He’s trying to recreate whatever it was that made him intensely popular in the ’90s and early ’00s.

The 31-year-old still sings with the same smoothness as always to (mostly) the same beats, with only slightly altered themes. Inspired by Usher’s recent divorce, “Raymond v Raymond,” features strange melodramatic lyrics like “With the glass half empty, at least you know you’re not thirsty,” (in “There Goes My Baby”) and psyche-up lines like “All my fellas up in here, if you’ve had enough and you’re ready to sign say — ready, ready, ready” (in “Papers,” which is about signing divorce papers, aptly).

Music being the personal medium it is, it’s often used for therapeutic purposes — which in some cases turns out to be great art. But in Usher’s case, it just doesn’t.

And then there’s the Justin Bieber connection.

With Usher’s “Raymond v Raymond” released just a week after his pre-pubescent mentee’s masterpiece “My World 2.0,” it’s easy to see where Bieber was taking his notes. Bieber uses all the techniques that Usher does — singing nicely over rudimentary beats — but Usher sings much better.

This is a mistake.

Usher should have created something different. By using his normal techniques that he donated to Bieber and releasing it a week after his protégé’s album, Usher creates some strange sort of de-evolution paradigm that implies they may be on the same level.

In fact, “Raymond v Raymond” could have been released as a double album with “My World 2.0″… and this makes the R&B soul in all of us shed a soulful tear. And for the newly crowned King of Pop — that’s no good.

But there are some redeeming parts of this album other than Mr. Raymond’s vocal talent — unlike Bieber’s album. Even though some of the lyrics are embarrassingly bad, they are delivered with the soul of a pro. He means what he says, and he’s not just saying it to sell records. An artist like Usher doesn’t need to sell records — he chooses to.

Songs like “Monstar” and “Lil’ Freak (ft. Nicki Minaj)” venture far enough away from his usual sound to be deemed progress — and honestly, they aren’t that bad. He ventures into self-destruction with “So Many Girls,” crafting a dark song that will inevitably get people dancing.

And even though most of “Papers” isn’t good, it’d be a lie to say it didn’t hit an emotional note every once in a while.

So let’s give the man a break. Even though “Raymond v Raymond” rests on Usher’s laurels and falls a bit flat, it was built on a strong foundation of heart and talent — and that should be commended.

So, Usher, don’t forget, we’re here for you.

Grade: C+