Confessions is the fourth studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on March 23, 2004, by Arista Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 2003 to 2004, with its production on the album being handled by his longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri, along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Lil Jon, among others. Primarily an R&B album, Confessions showcases Usher as a crooner through a mixture of ballads and up-tempos, incorporating musical genres of dance-pop, hip hop, and crunk. The album's themes generated controversy about Usher's personal relationships; however, the album's primary producer Jermaine Dupri claimed the album reflects Dupri's own personal story.
In the United States, the album sold 1.1 million copies in its first week. To boost sales amid threats of bootlegging, the special edition for the album was issued, in which includes the single, "My Boo" (a duet with Alicia Keys). Confessions earned Usher several awards, including the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album.
According to Billboard, it is the second-best selling album of the 2000s decade in the United States, behind NSYNC's No Strings Attached. With over eight million copies sold in 2004, the album was viewed as a sign of recovering album sales in the United States, following three years of decline. It was also exemplary of urban music's commercial peak and dominance of the Billboard charts in 2004. Confessions has been certified fourteen-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and as of 2006, the album has sold over 10.3 million copies in the US and over 15 million copies worldwide;[4] making it the best-selling R&B album of the 21st century by a male artist. Usher would also promote it with the Truth Tour the same year as the album's release, marking his first international tour.
Confessions' concept, production and Usher's vocal delivery received acclaim since upon its release, and in 2020 the album was ranked number 432 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.[5]
Background and recording
When he began recording Confessions in 2003, Usher claimed he did not want to work with any new producers.[6] Production began between Usher and Jermaine Dupri, who produced his last two albums, My Way (1997) and 8701 (2001).[6] In spite of his vision, Usher stated, "With this album I chose some new producers who I figured would definitely allow me to really articulate myself in a different way ... Every album you gotta grow. You gotta look for something different."[7] Dupri also invited his frequent collaborator Bryan-Michael Cox. The album features productions by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Just Blaze, Usher's brother James Lackey, Dre and Vidal, among others.[8]
When Usher felt that the album was completed,[8] with forty recorded songs, he submitted the album to his record label, Arista.[9] However, he and the company's then-president, L. A. Reid, who listened to the record, thought something was missing in it. "You know what, there's like one or two more records that we just gotta get."[8] Usher was displeased with the decision; he felt returning to the studio was the hardest part and needed to re-motivate himself.[9] He went on recording a few more tracks with help from fellow AtlantansLil Jon and Ludacris. Eventually, the team was able to produce songs like "Red Light" and "Yeah!". He also recorded songs with P. Diddy and The Neptunes during one of those sessions, but those songs were not released.[9]
Composition
One of Usher's first steps in recording Confessions was deciding to reveal "his own little secrets".[6] Friend and former A&R rep named Kawan "KP" Prather thought the album would let the public know Usher personally. Prather said, "The music has never been the question, but people tend to buy into the artist. The more they know about you, the more they feel like they're there with you."[6] Primarily because of the album's personal content, Usher said that this is his chance to be real.[10] He named the album Confessions because he felt it is his most personal record to date: "All of us have our Pandora's boxes or skeletons in our closets. I let a few of them out, you know. I've got a lot to say. I've got a lot of things and stuff built in me that I just want to let go of."[11] He wrote more songs than he contributed to his previous album.
Several of the songs in this album were conceptually based on a situation. For instance, "Burn" was built around the winding down of Usher's two-year relationship with Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas from American R&B-Hip hop girl groupTLC.[12] Dupri and Cox were talking and felt that there was a song in it, and started writing.[6] Similarly, with the title track "Confessions Part II", they were conversing about an impregnated mistress, and its concept was written down.[6] Usher recorded "Confessions Part II" during July 2003 recording sessions in New York City. When Usher sang the song's lyrics, the theme of cheating inspired him and Dupri to create two parts; "Confessions Part I" and "Confessions Part II". "Confessions Part I" can be heard at the beginning of the video for "Confessions Part II".[10]
Confessions falls mainly in the R&B genre.[7][8] Usher commented that he chose to work with collaborators who know "... how to interpret R&B from a jazz standpoint, an old school throwback standpoint, a new school point, a traditional classic standpoint ..."[14] With producers and Usher set to produce such an album, however, other musical genres including hip hop were incorporated. While he wanted to do R&B,[6] Usher also wanted his fans to experience hip hop at the same time: "I try to think outside the box."[14] When Lil Jon came on the scene, crunk was introduced to the R&B-centered album, specifically on the Sean Garrett-penned song "Yeah!". Usher said, "'Yeah!' could be called the first consciously styled "crunk R&B" record."[11] The album also includes various slow jams.[10]
This record also introduces a new style for Usher, focusing on his voice and technique. Andre "Dre" Harris and Vidal Davis listened to 8701 and felt that "Usher really needs to sing hard and let people know his vocal ability".[6] With efforts focused on the record to demonstrate his vocal ability to listeners, songs such as "Superstar" and "Follow Me" exhibited Usher in a type of "crooner mode".[6] The ballad-oriented "Burn" also showcases his vocal aptitude.[15]
Usher credits Eminem with the album's reputation of being transparent, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony with the hip-hop sound of the album, stating in an interview with Sway:
I have Eminem to thank for that...well, in a time where I felt like music was in transition, and R&B specifically was in a place where it could go older, or it could kind of be what it was. Right? You had all these great, you know, artists that were either performers, dancers, singers, whatever...but I felt like there, the honesty. The honesty of hip-hop, and what Eminem was saying on his records, it motivated me. Like, yo if he could be that honest, you know through hip-hop - and there've been other stories, storytellers, but never quite as vivid as his. So I was like, we need to keep it real like Em. I wanna go all the way in, so lemme talk about the unspoken, the shit that people don't want to talk about and don't want to have to deal with. So, that's what Confessions kinda kicked in. And I got that Cleveland, because, you know with the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, you know what I'm saying is to just understanding that the rhythm and the flip of it to make it be able to make it be at least, you know, hip-hop appropriate. You know what I'm saying? That's what it was. And that kinda recreated what I felt R&B was and what it is to day, in some ways.[16]
Release
Usher on April 23, 2004.
Confessions was slated to be released on November 6, 2003. However, due to marketing issues, the scheduled date was moved to March 23 of the following year.[6][8] With several songs recorded, Usher faced the challenge of determining the final track listing. Usher, Dupri, Reid, and then-A&R rep Mark Pitts each had their favorites among the forty, but decided to choose those which "came up consistently more".[6] The collective was able to settle on fifteen of them, with two interludes completing the seventeen track list. Many songs were set aside for future use, including "Red Light" and a remix of "Yeah!". Usher and Arista held advance listenings for the album, a few months before its actual release; he also appeared on TV guestings to promote Confessions.[9]
With strategies to boost the album's sales albeit threats of stealing music in the internet, Usher and his management readied a follow-up release of Confessions with an additional marketing blitz.[17] The idea was considered "musically driven" after Zomba, who absorbed Arista, management was excited about "My Boo", a song that was recorded for the original version of the album but failed to meet deadline.[17] However, it actually began when American R&B and soul singer Alicia Keys, who is featured on the track, "brought in that the talk of repackaging started".[17] With the inclusion of "My Boo", they thought of the album as complete.[18] While they knew of other artists releasing special editions of their albums, the label felt that Confessions had the edge because of its previous success and its physical changes, including new cover art, an expanded CD booklet, a pullout poster and a letter to fans from Usher.[17] The new version includes "My Boo" and "Red Light", which were leaked alongside other songs that did not appear in the album,[19] and a remix of "Confessions Part II", and "Seduction"; original tracks were also improved like the extended version of "Confessions Part I" and a rap added by American rapper Jadakiss in "Throwback". The label itself treated the version a new album, with full media advertisements.[17] The album was re-issued in October 2004,[20] seven months after its initial release.[21]
Another expanded edition of the album, commemorating its 20th anniversary, is scheduled for release on November 1, 2024.[22]
Marketing
In selecting which single to release first, Usher and the label considered various marketing strategies. With many potential lead singles that could fare well in music markets, they were choosing between "Yeah!" and "Burn".[6] Even though "Burn" was just what the label was looking for, they believed that "Yeah!" would be a blockbuster.[6][8] Meanwhile, they felt "Burn" also failed to meet their expectations: "'Burn' being a great song is one thing, but it's one of them things where people said, 'It's strong, but can we make history with that?' At the end of the day, you want an event."[6]
Usher was skeptical about whether "Yeah!"—which is largely composed around crunk—would be a good choice, given his mindset envisioning "Confessions" as an R&B record.[6][11] KP recalled, "Everybody was scared to make that first step."[6]
With much debate between two songs, "Burn" was originally chosen as the lead single, with plans of filming its music video in late 2003.[7] Meanwhile, Lil Jon leaked "Yeah!" to DJs across the United States in November 2003.[6][9] Originally, the label did not intend "Yeah!" as a proper single. Released to street DJs and mixtapes, it was meant to cultivate fans who waited for three years since the release of 8701.[11] While record labels stayed idle during the Christmas season, "Yeah!" was getting favorable and quick response from radio stations though nobody was promoting; it was finally released as the lead single.[6][11]
To keep the album atop the chart, "My Boo" was targeted for release after "Confessions Part II" was diminishing on the Hot 100.[18] The B-side of the UK release includes "Red Light" and "Sweet Lies". The single again topped the Hot 100, giving the album its fourth consecutive number-one. "Caught Up" was released as the album's fifth and final single, and reached number eight in the United States.[23]
Tour
Usher supported the album with a two-month concert tour called "The Truth Tour". The tour set featured a small stage up on top of the main stage, where the band played with Usher and his supporting dancers left with enough room to perform. The smaller stage had a mini platform attached to it—which lowered to the main stage—and had two big staircases on both sides of it. To the left, a group of circular staircases climbed to the top, and to the right, there was a fire escape replete with steps and an elevator. Kanye West, who had finished his own headlining tour for his 2004 album The College Dropout, was the opening act for "The Truth Tour".[24]
Preceding Usher's entrance was a short movie showing him getting dressed, following on with him performing the opening song "Caught Up", with Usher dressed in all white.[25] The second song performed was "You Make Me Wanna...", where two dancers stayed on the top stage with Usher while two male dancers came out to the lower level with two chairs each in their hands. Each dancer threw one chair up to the top, with Usher already in hand with his own chair, with everyone following a set dance routine.[25] Following this, Usher performed "U Remind Me", where he danced by himself during a breakdown of the track.[25] He then sang "That's What It's Made For", following on with the song "Bad Girl", where Usher was dressed up in a lavender suit and came out in a chrome chair.[25] During the song, Usher picked out a female from the crowd, transitioning to "Superstar", singing to the fan.[25] Usher continued singing to the fan, performing "Can U Handle It?", closing the song by kissing the fan who then left the stage.[25] Usher closed his performance with Confessions' lead single "Yeah!".[25]
The American leg of the tour commenced on August 5, 2004, in Hampton, Virginia and concluded on October 7, 2004, in New York.[24] It was ranked as one of the highest-grossing tours of 2004, grossing $29.1 million.[26]
Public reaction
After Usher and his label held a few listening parties for the album,[27] controversies spread about the mistress-impregnating concept of "Confessions Part II".[9] Although Usher did not foresee such a reaction to the album,[27] Dupri already guessed, while making the album, what the public's reaction would be: "People are gonna question [Usher] on a couple of little lyrics ..."[10] Coincidentally, Usher ended his relationship with Chilli early in 2004.[28] People speculated about their breakup given the content of the album and Usher's early interviews about its themes. With lyrics Usher admitted to have written because of his guilty conscience, people assumed that he and Chilli broke up because he was unfaithful.[28] In a February 2004 radio interview, Chilli claimed that Usher "cheated" on her, and that caused their relationship to split.[29]
Amidst widespread rumors, Usher stated, "People assume things, because as I said, I pull from my personal experiences to make my music."[10] He added that he loved Chilli, however, "... it just didn't work out. But cheating is not what caused the relationship to collide and crash ..."[28] Although "Burn" is a reference to his dying relationship with Chilli[12]—hence the title—Usher answered the press that the impregnating issue was not taken from a specific situation in his life.[11] He also revealed that his friends who went through similar situations inspired him to write those songs: "... it's just something that I collectively got energy from everybody around me that had been through it."[27] In early 2006, Dupri revealed that the story behind the album is his: "... me cheating on my steady girlfriend, having a baby with that other woman and having to confess to everything that happened to my main girl."[12]
Confessions was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 71, based on 13 reviews.[30]
Matt Cibula of PopMatters wrote that it "might be the best English-language pop album of the year".[42]Entertainment Weekly's Jem Aswad said that Usher "reveals his new-found maturity by opening with the grittiest song he's ever done."[33] Laura Checkoway of Vibe said that, "Though Confessions doesn't bring Usher all the way to the artistic maturity one might hope for, tracking this star's progression definitely has its satisfactions."[41]Q magazine observed "addictive R&B hooks and all-dancin', all-lovin' subject matter boosted with hot production tweaks."[38] Amy Linden of The Village Voice commented that "Usher's (alleged) character flaws are easily forgiven, though, because he can sing his cheating ass off," and concluded, "Like 2002's big-selling but underrated 8701, Confessions is a top-of-the-line pop-soul showcase that ... manages to be commercially savvy without coming off as too desperate. Sorta like Usher himself."[43] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times said that near the end, the songwriting "fails" Usher on a "heavily front-loaded" R&B album, but felt that his performance is solid throughout:
The pleasure of listening to Usher is the pleasure of listening to a singer who knows exactly what he's doing. 'Truth Hurts,' a seemingly innocent (if plaintive) 1970s throwback, turns nasty when the narrator suddenly reveals that the first two verses were full of lies. Which raises the question: are these supposed 'confessions' true? He loves toying with his audience this way, loves telling us exactly how bad he is, then daring us to believe him.[44]
In a mixed review, Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian criticized its "production gloss" and said that, although Usher's "fluid delivery" redeems weak tracks, there are only two "great songs"—"Yeah!" and the title track—and "17 less so."[34]Rolling Stone writer Laura Sinagra said that he "is coming of age, again", but "still doesn't quite cut it as a horny roughneck".[39] Jon Caramanica of Blender viewed that Usher's songwriting "isn't a strength, and his ballads often drown in their own inanity".[32]The Washington Post's Elizabeth Mendez Berry called Confessions "Usher's strongest recording to date" but found the more sexual songs mundane.[45]Robert Christgau from The Village Voice cited "Confessions Part II" and "Bad Girl" as "choice cuts",[46] indicating "a good song on an album that isn't worth your time or money".[47]
Confessions was commercially successful, selling 1.096 million copies in the United States in its first week of release.[53] It became the highest-ever first week sales by an R&B artist,[53] the second-highest first week sales for a male artist, and the seventh-highest first week sales of the recorded album charts history by SoundScan at the time of its release.[9] It also equates the combined first-week sales of his four previous album releases, including his live album called Live.[54] The feat also carved history in Arista records having the first in any of their released albums to reach such sales. The success of the thirty-year-old record label, however, was attributed to its merging with Zomba Records.[54] As of March 2013 it has the tenth highest first week album sales in history.[55]
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, becoming Usher's first number-one album.[54]Confessions also hit number-one on the Canadian Albums Chart and the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[56] Its early, and successive, progress on the chart was said to be partly sustained by its strong single releases and plenty of press appearances and promotions.[54] With "Yeah!" propelling the album's debut atop the chart,[54] "Burn", the second single off the album, facilitated Confessions's continuing dominance as well.[57] The first two released singles were competing on the Billboard Hot 100; the latter ended the twelve-week number-one chart run of the former.[58] As the album's third single, "Confessions Part II", was about to top the chart and Usher to join with English pop and rock group The Beatles as the only acts to achieve three consecutive number-one singles, American R&B singer Fantasia Barrino's debut single "I Believe" prevented it from happening.[59] Despite this, Usher became the first artist to top the BillboardHot 100 Airplay with three consecutive number-one singles.[59] "Burn" achieved only eight non-consecutive weeks on the Hot 100 after "Confessions Part II" topped the chart; it became Usher's second time to replace his own single at the top.[59] "Yeah!" and "Burn" were 2004's top best-selling singles in the United States, placing at number one and two respectively on the Billboard Chart Year-Ender. Again, it honored Usher being the first act to achieve the feat since 1964 with the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You".[60]
The album continued its dominance on the chart. D12 World by D12 ended its five consecutive weeks run at the top spot;[61] however, Confessions reclaimed the position the following week.[62] The album spent a total 9 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the longest-running number one album of the millennium until 2009, when country singer Taylor Swift spent 11 weeks atop the charts with Fearless.[63] Over one month after its release, Confessions was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for three million US shipments.[64]Confessions topped the list of the most-shipped albums of 2004 in the United States and was the best selling album of the year with 7,978,594 copies sold.[65][66]Confessions was the sixth best-selling album of the 2000s decade in the US.[49] In February 2024, it reached 14 million shipments in the US, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.[67]Confessions sold over 15 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album by a Black artist in the 21st century.[4]
With sales of nearly eight million in 2004,[68]Confessions was the most-shipped album of the year in the US.[69] Along with the success of the American singer Norah Jones's second album, Feels like Home (2004), as well as breakthroughs albums by many new and old artists, it was seen as a sign that US record sales were slowly recovering after three straight years of decline due to competing DVDs and video games and the prevalent music piracy. By the end of 2004, the industry had sold 667 million albums, an increase of about 1.6 percent, as recorded by Nielsen SoundScan. Compared with sales records in 2003, the figures showed eight percent increase.[68] The album's success also exemplified urban music's commercial dominance during the early 2000s, which featured massive crossover success on the Billboard charts by R&B and hip hop artists.[70] In 2004, all 12 songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 were by African-American recording artists and accounted for 80% of the number-one R&B hits that year.[70] Along with Usher's streak of singles, Top 40 radio and both pop and R&B charts were topped by OutKast's "Hey Ya!", Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot", Terror Squad's "Lean Back", and Ciara's "Goodies".[70] Chris Molanphy of The Village Voice later remarked that "by the early 2000s, urban music was pop music."[70]
Bryan-Michael Cox, who co-wrote and co-produced "Burn", earned credibility in the music industry for his role in the album.[79] Cox had been producing records for several American artists, including Alicia Keys, B2K, Mariah Carey and Destiny's Child, among others, but he considered "Burn" as his crowning moment, which earned him two Grammy Award nominations. With 2004 deemed to be his introduction to a larger, more mainstream audience, Cox stated in an interview for MTV that many people were starting to recount what he had done.[80] A songwriter was awarded $44 million in a lawsuit involving a song from Usher's diamond-certified album Confessions after a jury sided with Daniel Marino in a claim that his "Club Girl" became Usher's hit "Bad Girl"[81]
Confessions ranked 2nd best album of the 2000s on the Billboard Top 200 Albums of the Decade 2000s list, higher than any other solo album. The album is also ranked as the 16th best album on the Billboard Top 200 Albums of All Time.[82] In 2020, the album was ranked number 432 on the Top 500 Albums of All-Time by Rolling Stone.[5] With global sales exceeding 15 million, Confessions is the best-selling album by a black artist in the 21st century. Confessions makes Usher the only male solo R&B artist to sell 10 million copies of a single album in the United States during the Soundscan era and the first of only two black artists to reach this mark since the year 2000. (The other black artist being American rapper Nelly with his debut album Country Grammar.) After Confessions was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of 10 million copies in the US, no new album was certified diamond until Adele's 2011 album 21 reached diamond-status, the longest between any two new diamond albums since the inception of the association.[83]
Pop culture
In 2020, music industry magazine Billboard' ranked Usher the "Greatest Pop Star of 2004". Referring to a 2008 article from MTV, writer Shaheem Reid declared that "with Confessions, Usher has made the Big Connection [...]. That connection our parents felt when Marvin Gaye sang on the Here, My Dear album."[84]Billboard pointed out how most of the secrets revealed and storytelling in the album was inspired by Jermaine Dupri's situation, but they also noted Usher's marketing and "dalliances outside of his public relationship with TLC's Chilli that provided the material for Confessions". The writer praised Usher's commercial power during the Confessions era, as he would influence future pop stars: "Even if you didn't listen to R&B, you knew this album. And if you did listen to R&B, this was the blueprint for all your favorite stars to come: Drake, Justin Bieber, Miguel, Chris Brown and Omarion have all cited Usher's influence. And though Beyoncé spoke about Thriller as the touchstone for her career-defining self-titled release in 2013, the way the lyrics tease revelations about her personal life with her husband, both good and bad, feels more indebted to Confessions than anything Michael Jackson wrote."[85]
15 years after the album was released, A. Harmony of Bustle wrote it was "the catalyst that propelled him to superstardom" and "forever changed the landscape of music". Harmony noted the album's impact on R&B and pop music with the success of "Yeah!" leading "countless R&B stars, from Ciara to T-Pain, to launch careers on the foundation of Crunk&B". Te writer also noted the album's influence on trap music and future generations of R&B and hip-hop artists.
Think of trap soul as Crunk&B's mellowed, more subdued successor. Like crunk, it's punchy and heavily steeped in hip-hop influences. But like Usher's take on songs like "Yeah!" and "Follow Me," trap soul has contoured edges and smoother textures. From 6LACK's acerbic laments on love to H.E.R.'s dark, smoky vocals, current trends in R&B can be traced back to Usher's techniques. In this regard, Usher's mark on R&B is indelible; he not only inspired countless artists in the early 2000s, but also charted a course for today's stars.
Harmony also pointed out the album's influence on the music industry and pop culture as a whole, as Confessions changed how albums are marketed and "proved that gossip can sell records". Later albums such as Beyoncé's Lemonade, which was fueled by infidelity and divorce rumors with her rapper husband Jay-Z, relationship rumors around Janelle Monáe's Dirty Computer, and Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next coming off the heels of her public break up with comedian Pete Davidson were used as examples of how Usher's Confessions brought "the relationship between the gossip pages and the album charts... stronger than before".[86]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^D'Angelo, Joe (May 12, 2004). "Usher Sends D12 Packing". MTV News. Viacom Media Networks. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
