Audio CD review:
Usher - Confessions

Usher - Confessions

Band: Usher Title: Confessions Rating: Release Date: 23 March, 2004 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Intro 2: Yeah! 3: Throwback 4: Confessions 5: Confessions, Pt. 2 6: Burn 7: Caught Up 8: Superstar 9: 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

Editoral Review The Atlanta singer's string of hits over the past decade have been decidedly PG-13 rated, almost veering towards teen pop, but he's changed all that on this co-produced offering, which he claims is "the real him. A CD is always more compelling when you know it's lifted from the artist's autobiography, and that's certainly the case with Confession, Usher's first record since 2001's 8701. " It would be too simplistic to just brand this record a break-up record, chronicling his public split with TLC's Rozonda "Chili" Thomas; it is that, but so much more. It would be more accurate to call this Usher's coming of age record, bridging the gap from boy to man, as he navigates the emotional fallout from the disintegration of his relationship, and the events that led up to it--real or imagined. But other than a guilty conscience, it seems unclear why Usher feels compelled to disgorge his secret life, as he documents his infidelities, transgressions, and emotional perfidy in the album's prodigious seventeen songs that range from insinuating sultry R&B grooves to the decidedly crunky "Yeah," which pairs an insistent keyboard romp with Lil' Jon's assertive beats and Ludacris' rather humid rhymes. This tracks shines all the more since it's the only club track, but you find yourself pining for more, since most of the other songs tend to get bogged down in his lush, feverish balladry. That's not a bad thing, but the disc would have been better served by a few more muscular tracks. --Jaan Uhelszki .. You can see a complete list of all Usher discography, or go back to the Usher tabs