When Usher Raymond approached the R&B scene in 1994 as a meek 14 year old, success could be heard from a mile away. The Texas native had something special from the start with the release of his self-titled debut album that reached a large commercial audience quickly, cementing himself as an amateur R&B prodigy, with greater potential than what was achieved with this project. It left him with room to grow while also being a solid record on its own; in my opinion, a perfect start to his career. Leaving the door open for bigger and better, it wouldn’t be until 2004 when it seemed as if the power of Usher’s voice was being used to its full capacity, with “Confessions.”
The impact of “Confessions” was so massive and is widely regarded as a turning point for popular music entirely. The album starts off with the infamous club banger “Yeah! (feat. Lil Jon and Ludacris)” an infectious and iconic track that everyone and their mother knows and can get down to. It is one of the most identifiable and decorated songs of all time for a reason. Even “Yeah” as a song alone was at the forefront of the Crunk style of music emerging at the time, which became a staple for late 00s’ club music.
“Yeah” is an outlier among the rest of the album though, with few other bangers in that type of genre. The more traditional R&B cuts are exactly what the doctor ordered and elevate previously explored themes among other classics. Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown were mentioned by Usher when speaking about his biggest influences, and the sounds of “Confessions” backs it up. Songs like “Caught up,” and “Burn” resemble some of MJ’s most celebrated songs.
One of my favorite key aspects of the album is the constant theming. It wasn’t totally common for an R&B album to stick to one message the entire way through but Usher accomplished it. With constant reminders of cheating scandals going wrong and having to confess to his loved ones that he has done them wrong, it is easy for the listener to be fully captured by Usher’s interesting tales involving relationships which leads to a strong sense of cohesion. Something he has that makes him stick out from other R&B acts is his astounding skills of setting the scene.
Something that can easily improve an already ambitious and thorough record is adding a level of replayability and catchiness. This is the type of album that holds many songs that will get stuck in the head of the listener. Rather than it being annoying or irritating, the pure fun of the experience is enough to invoke joy when a specific portion of a track gets repeated on an endless loop in the back of the audience’s mind for who knows how long. Songs like “Confessions,” and “My Boo” still haven’t left my head since I first laid ears on them. Usher has one of the most addicting voices in the R&B scene, capturing a perfect blend of sensuality and gentleness with his tone. With a record like this, the ability for multiple songs to be catchy is a necessity for me.
Usher is considered a legend, and with his Super Bowl halftime show, I thought it appropriate to revisit his most acclaimed project. It proved to be even better then when I first heard it as I had forgotten the pure bliss you get from listening to this. It really puts you in an interesting mood that can’t be replicated by many other projects. I would consider this to be a generational masterpiece that is almost indescribable and a must listen for any music enjoyer.
