R+B hunk USHER is showing off his baby son in a touching new photoshoot for Essence magazine.

Father and son, Usher Raymond V, appear together on the cover of the new magazine with the adorable tot sporting a woollen onepiece and a country cap.

Inside the August (08) issue of the magazine, Usher dances for his staring child in one lovely shot, and the pair poses topless for two stunning family photos.

The final portrait, taken by snapper Timothy White, features little Usher asleep in his father's arms.

In the accompanying article, the singer tells actor Hill Harper his baby son has changed his life.

He explains, "I thought I had felt love before. But the moment I heard my child's voice, I broke down and cried."

And now, Usher Sr. insists his leading goal in life is to become a role model for the tot: "He's gonna admire me, he's gonna look up to me. He's gonna say... 'I wanna be like my father.'"

The Essence article also features the printed lyrics of Prayer For You, the touching poem Usher wrote for his newly-born son and then turned them into a song for his current album Here I Stand.