20 years of USHER’s Confessions
peace up, A-Town down!
Atlanta was on my mind heavy this past weekend. between the Hulu documentary on Freaknik and the 20th anniversary of Confessions, i’m feeling a generous dose of Southern-tinged nostalgia. while i wasn’t born until the year that Freaknik really popped off, i am old enough to remember USHER’s fourth album.1 released on March 23, 2004, Confessions is a seminal R&B album full of reflections on love, infidelity, and maturity. and in Usher Raymond IV’s own words while commemorating the album, it’s “a masterpiece.” i’m inclined to agree.
i have the CD in my collection, which i didn’t buy at the time of release. i purchased this much later from a thrift store or a record store sale bin. but i know the music well. there were many youthful nights that i heard “Superstar” and “Can You Handle It” blasting on repeat from my sister’s bedroom.
i recently asked her how we had the CD ripped to our Xbox if we didn’t own it ourselves.2 she said it likely belonged to our auntie or her daughter (our older cousin Star), whose house we would frequent to listen to CDs on their disc-changing stereo. i’m guessing they had the deluxe CD, because i’d always assumed “Seduction” was a part of the original run.
this was truly one of those albums you couldn’t escape from 2004–2005. and you really couldn’t avoid the lead single “Yeah!” for many years to come — it was played at nearly every school dance, family function, and sports event. if you didn’t put on your best stank face while doing the A-Town stomp, were you actually there?
Confessions is definitely a no-skip record, even though we all have our favorite tracks. every time i think i’m not into one of the songs, fond feelings rush in at the bridge. my favorite Usher song from this era was actually “Lovers And Friends” by Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. that song was thematically relevant in my opinion — i always felt like it would have made sense on the deluxe version of Confessions. imagine it: just when you think the album is over, here comes Ludacris. “Please tell your lovers and friends, that Ursher, Jon and Luda had to do it again.” you (hopefully) see the vision. it’s still not too late for them to do this!
sticking to the task at hand, my favorite track from Confessions is probably “Caught Up.”3 i think it’s a bit of a spiritual successor to “U Don’t Have to Call,” which remains my favorite USHER song of them all. “Superstar (Interlude)” is a close second, and i’m really glad that “Superstar” got the credit it deserved in more recent years. “Burn” ranks highly for me as well.4
respectfully, i could do without “My Boo,” the duet with Alicia Keys that came out on the deluxe edition. it’s not a bad song and i know just about every word, but it’s very played out. i think i used to skip this one if i’m keeping it 100.
there’s not much that i could say about Confessions that hasn’t already been said. it was as much of a defining album for the modern R&B genre as it was for USHER’s career. it fully signaled his transition from adolescent heartthrob to global music phenomenon. it makes a lot of sense that this album came out when he was 25, frontal lobe developed and all. Usher has experimented with a few different sounds and aesthetics since then, but this album cemented his status and influence in R&B.5
i personally enjoyed revisiting this CD and i think it’ll get more plays from me in the near future. while the last three songs skipped on first listen, they played just fine once i cleaned the CD. however, i would understand and respect if the previous owner listened to “Do It To Me” and “Take Your Hand” so much that they never played the same.
do yourself a favor and travel back down memory lane to experience this masterpiece as if it’s the first time. maybe it is your first time listening in adulthood. and if you’ve never heard it before, what are you waiting for?
technically, his stage name is spelled in all caps. but since it is also his actual first name, i will be using the two styles interchangeably.
considering that my mom let us listen to secular music, but she was still partial to gospel.
there are so many gems to choose from that it’s tough to pick just one. this is my favorite track at this given moment.
the mid-album play from “Burn” to “Superstar?” chef’s kiss.
for years, i remember that other artists would answer that Confessions was among their favorite no-skip albums when asked in interviews.