![]() Most of Confessions is lush, expertly crafted R&B about byzantine romantic travails. That narrative turned out to be compellingly messy, and the compelling mess worked as well to sell records in 2004 as it did in 1977. ![]() They wanted to make art that would build on the image of Usher that already existed out in the world, and they wanted to get people invested in Usher’s personal narrative. For most of Confessions, though, Usher and his collaborators were chasing something else. In the context of Confessions, “Yeah!” was a glorious anomaly, an anthemic hookfest that felt bigger than any one person. But even amidst all that doom and gloom, Usher’s Confessions emerged as a bona fide blockbuster, a four-quadrant monster.Įarlier this week, writing about Usher’s insanely dominant club klaxon “ Yeah!,” I called Confessions “a Thriller for the post-Napster era.” But the better comparison might be Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, the messiest all-conquering smash of the ’70s. Young people just weren’t buying music anymore. ![]() The iTunes Music Store hadn’t yet emerged as a money-maker, and label people were mad that they had to do business according to Steve Jobs’ terms, selling all of their songs for only a dollar apiece. The labels and their lawyers had managed to put Napster out of business, but tons of other file-sharing services were popping up to fill that hole. The industry was a few years past the peak of the CD-sales boom. In 2004, the music business was in trouble. I can imagine record-label bean-counters looking back on Usher’s 2004 and softly weeping, pining for the days that they can’t have back. For that one year, Usher was putting up numbers. But nothing in the man’s career, before or since, can measure up to what Usher did in 2004, the year that he truly owned the pop charts. That happened just a couple of months ago, when a moment of beautifully hammy showmanship from a Tiny Desk Concert reached meme status. Usher might not reliably chart the way that he once did, but he can still become a viral sensation out of nowhere. Usher Raymond was a star long before 2004, and he remained a star for years after. Now, 15 years later, it’s still one of the best albums we’ve heard in quite some time.In The Number Ones, I’m reviewing every single #1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, starting with the chart’s beginning, in 1958, and working my way up into the present. Even Usher hasn’t topped himself since then. The undeniable musical chemistry between Usher and Jermaine Dupri (who produced the majority of the album), his public breakup headlines and relatable subject matter proved to be a winning formula for a hit album. There aren’t really any artists moving these types of numbers in traditional sales and streams combined. The album entered right on the cusp of the social media wave and sold 10 million copies (actual CDs, not streams), bringing it to RIAA Diamond status. All the exciting elements of love were there: sex, passion, infatuation, infidelity and of course, heartbreak. Songs like “That’s What It’s Made For” and “Superstar” were much more than mere album fillers.Ĭonfessions was a movie in audible form. However, there were some album cuts that also missed their shine as singles. The song cleverly blended elements of Hip Hop, R&B, Rock and Pop with an undeniable swag. Usher effortlessly glided into pop music territory with the Pharrell produced, “Caught Up”. That song almost made you want to get in a relationship and break up just to experience the feeling. Oh and then there’s “Burn”, the soundtrack of heartbreak. The song still gets any party jumping today. Lead by the hit single, “Yeah!” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, Usher sealed his biggest club crossover #1 hit. Plus, the music backed up the controversy. ![]() Nevertheless, bad press is good press in the entertainment industry. Everyone thought the album was about her, but Jermaine Dupri later revealed it was his personal story. Why was this album such a success? Well, for starters, his public breakup with TLC’s Chilli couldn’t have come at a better time. Confessions, his most successful album to date, turns 15 years old this year. Usher is one of the artists that set the tone for the rest of the decade. ![]() We were just coming down from the tidal wave of 90s heavyweights and trying to find our footing for the new millennium. The early 2000s were a peculiar time in R&B music.
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