R&B superstar Usher must be feeling on top of the world right about now. After selling 1.1 million copies of his fourth studio album Confessions in its first week (due mainly to the success of the infectious ”Yeah!”), Usher definitely has something to be proud of. And I’m not just saying he should be proud because he’s already made so much damn money from this effort (even though it must feel pretty good), but because Confessions is truly a quality piece of soulful R&B.

After moving from Chattanooga, TN, to Atlanta, GA, when he was just twelve years-old, Usher Raymond discovered his vocal capabilities while singing in the church choir. At the age of fourteen, Usher was spotted at a talent show by a LaFace Records executive, which was ultimately Usher’s turning point, since he was given a record deal before leaving high school. Usher has five albums under his belt to date (including one “live” album), and in chronological order, those albums include: Usher (1994), My Way (1997), Live (1999), 8701 (2001), and Confessions (2004).

After giving Confessions (my first Usher album) a few listens in my handy little CD player, I’ve really come to appreciate the laid-back production and Mr. Raymond’s smooth, impeccable vocals. For those of you out there that probably think I’m on drugs because you’ve heard the one and only loud and boisterous party track on the album, ”Yeah!,” you should note that this particular track is extremely misleading as to what the rest of the album has to offer. The majority of the album is a chilled-out album full of mid-tempo/slow tracks revolving around relationships, romance, and sex.

On ”Throwback,” Usher reminisces over a previous love and wishes that he could go back in time and start over. The production in this song is hot, Usher’s voice is definitely up to par, not to mention the chorus is pretty catchy - ” It's driving me crazy / 'Cause I'm missing my baby / I'm goin' outta my mind and I'm runnin' outta time / Oh I wish I could find you girl.” After the chorus of ”Throwback” gradually exits the brain, we come to the best song on the album, ”Confessions Part II.” Not only are the production and vocals perfect, but lyrically, this is as deep as it gets on Confessions. The song talks of a dilemma in which Usher gets another chick other than his girlfriend pregnant, and he’s trying to figure out how to break the news to his girlfriend. Definitely future single material… Speaking of singles, ”Burn,” the second single, is a song less about production, and more about Usher’s vocal skills… something Mr. Raymond definitely has.

”Caught Up” and ”Bad Girl” are two songs that are slightly more upbeat than the rest. The prior has a party/club beat that’s backed up by Usher’s “safe” vocals (his voice isn’t bad on this track, but I personally think his voice sounds better on the slower numbers), and the latter song is Usher’s way of showing us that he’s a pimp, since he wants a “bad girl” to come sleep with him. Hmm, that’s real original. While we’re on the subject of sex, let’s take a look at ”That’s What It’s Made For.” When I first heard the song, I thought to myself, “Is he talking about his anaconda?” After listening to the song a few times and paying close attention to the lyrics (especially the dialogue near the end), I’ve come to the conclusion that the song is about his ding-dong. "Can You Handle It?" is pretty self-explanatory, and is your typical "boom chicka-ah" love-making song... not that that's a bad thing.

Most of the remaining songs on the album follow the same formula as the others: flawless vocals, smooth, laid-back production, and love-related themes. Now this definitely isn't a bad thing by any means, but at 17 tracks (which translates to be one hour long), the album can get a little tiring after a while. And I'm talking about tiring as in making you fall asleep. But who said that's a bad thing either? The only real minor complaint I have is that I wish the interludes would be eliminated. They don't subtract from the album, but there's just really no point to having them; all they do is take up space.

Final Thoughts

Overall I was definitely surprised at how much I liked Confessions. All my friends don't like it because there aren't many party/club songs except for "Yeah!", but if you look a little harder, you can find some real quality numbers, "Confessions Part II" and "Burn" are two perfect examples. Another good thing about the album is that the entire CD is listenable; you don't really feel the urge to press the "Skip" button during any song on the album.

I'd recommend Confessions to people looking for an album filled with quality, mid-tempo R&B. Usher fans will definitely want to pick this up, and new comers to this soulful crooner might want to pick up Confessions as well. Hopefully you'll as pleasantly surprised as I was.

______________________________________________

Track Listing:

01. Intro
02. Yeah! (featuring Lil' Jon & Ludacris)
03. Throwback
04. Confessions (Interlude)
05. Confessions Part II
06. Burn
07. Caught Up
08. Superstar (Interlude)
09. Superstar
10. Truth Hurts
11. Simple Things
12. Bad Girl
13. That's What It's Made For
14. Can U Handle It?
15. Do It to Me
16. Take Your Hand
17. Follow Me


Recommended: Yes