NEW YORK (Billboard) - Outside the windows of a 36th-floor conference-room suite at New York's Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the morning is gray and befit for April showers. Always the trendsetter, R&B star Usher has plucked from his wardrobe a navy blue military-style button-up adorned with gold clasps to complete his jeans-and-sneaker ensemble.

He's in town to promote his fifth album, "Here I Stand," due May 27 via Jive, and to premiere the video for his hit single "Love in This Club."