Confessions

RELEASE
March 23, 2004
LABEL
Arista
GENRES
Rhythm & Blues, Contemporary R&B

Album Review

Confessions' most detracting factor is its length. At an hour in duration, it could be stripped of five songs and be far more powerful, especially since no one would have to do any wading to get to the meaty parts. On the other side of the coin, the smartest move Usher makes here is in allowing the Lil Jon-produced "Yeah!" to take its rightful place as the only club track; any attempt at doing something stylistically similar would've failed miserably in its presence. "Yeah!"'s crunk-meets-R&B foundation, featuring an instantly addictive eight-note keyboard vamp and one of Usher's most muscular turns, is so absorbing that Ludacris' 1500th guest verse floats by with little notice. The following "Throwback," produced by Just Blaze, sounds like it was made for the sole purpose of trailing Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name." Like that hit, "Throwback"'s sensitively treated soul sample provides a nostalgic tint that complements the wistful, regret-filled tone of the lyrics. A small batch of Jam & Lewis productions, including the effortlessly gliding "Truth Hurts," continue to help raise Usher's loverman stock. Another pair -- the upbeat "Caught Up" and the aptly titled "Burn" -- also rate as some of the vocalist's best moments yet. He's been doing this for ten years now. Numerous chart hits have spun off each of his albums. Needless to say, the time is right for the phrase "just another" to be banned from use when discussing him.
Andy Kellman, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. Introhttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254846145&id=254846107
  2. Yeah!http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254846149&id=254846107
  3. Throwbackhttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254846173&id=254846107
  4. Confessions (Interlude)https://itunes.apple.com/album/confessions/id313153414?uo=5
  5. Confessions, Pt. 2https://itunes.apple.com/album/confessions/id313153414?uo=5
  6. Burnhttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254846613&id=254846107
  7. Caught Uphttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254846616&id=254846107
  8. Superstar (Interlude)https://itunes.apple.com/album/confessions/id313153414?uo=5
  9. Superstarhttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254847013&id=254846107
  10. Truth Hurtshttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254847021&id=254846107
  11. Simple Thingshttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254847031&id=254846107
  12. Bad Girlhttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254847056&id=254846107
  13. That's What It's Made Forhttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254847096&id=254846107
  14. Can U Handle It?http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254847146&id=254846107
  15. Do It to Mehttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254847156&id=254846107
  16. Take Your Handhttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254847163&id=254846107
  17. Follow Mehttp://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=254847166&id=254846107
purchase full album