Usher Raymond Shares How He Felt About Mixed Reviews He Received For Highly Acclaimed ‘Confessions’ Album
Usher Shares How He Felt About Mixed Reviews He Received For Highly Acclaimed ‘Confessions’ Album
Usher Raymond has another confession.
The R&B icon recently opened up about how he felt about the mixed reviews he received for his album Confessions. While the album was widely accepted, it did come with some criticism—which was quite disappointing.
Usher Raymond, 43, said,
“I feel it was partially on the story that we were telling and people getting acclimated to this new artist and having respect for or understanding of what it was for the guys who grew up with the Princes, the Michael Jacksons, the Whispers, the Isley Brothers, and the Luther Vandrosses.”
He added,
“They were looking at a new frontier… I do wish critics celebrated what I was working on in that time. It’s okay that they didn’t because it made me work harder.”
Confessions was released in 2004. The title track, which is divided into two parts, tells the story of an unfaithful man who is coming clean to his girlfriend about impregnating his mistress.
On the chorus of Part II, Usher Raymond sings,
“These are my confessions / Just when I thought I said all I could say / My chick on the side said she got one on the way / These are my confessions / Man, I’m throwed and I don’t know what to do / I guess I gotta give you part two of my confessions / If I’m gonna tell it, then I gotta tell it all / Damn near cried when I got that phone call / I’m so throwed, I don’t know what to do / But to give you part two of my confessions”
Before the album’s release, rumors swirled that it was about Usher‘s life but it turns out, it was about rapper/producer Jermaine Dupri. Usher was only guilty of adding his vocals to his friends’ similar experiences.
Jermaine Dupri said,
“Yeah pretty much, yeah my life. Typical story of a man…this is real life. I was in a relationship but the story in the song was still written so you guys would question it wasn’t verbatim to my story.”
The album earned Usher several awards, including the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album.
What are your thoughts on Usher Raymond’s Confessions album? Let us know in the comments!
[VIA]