Confessions is the fourth studio album from American singer Usher.
Confessions comes off the heels of Usher's 8701 album. Looking to make the album a more artistic effort, as well as provide insight into his personal life (coming off his breakup with Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, Usher and his collaborators made a Concept Album mostly revolving around relationships and infidelity. The approach worked; Confessions is, to date, Usher's most critically acclaimed and highest-selling album making diamond status (10 millions shipped/sold/streamed) and selling 20 million worldwide. The album has been cited as an influence on several R&B artists, such as Chris Brown, Beyoncé, Drake, and Ariana Grande.
Tracklist (standard edition)
- "Intro" (0:46)
- "Yeah!" (featuring Lil' Jon and Ludacris) (4:10)
- "Throwback" (4:01)
- "Confessions (Interlude)" (1:15)
- "Confessions Part II" (3:49)
- "Burn" (4:16)
- "Caught Up" (3:44)
- "Superstar (Interlude)" (1:04)
- "Superstar" (3:29)
- "Truth Hurts" (3:51)
- "Simple Things" (4:58)
- "Bad Girl" (4:21)
- "That's What It's Made For" (4:37)
- "Can U Handle It?" (5:45)
- "Do It to Me" (3:53)
- "Take Your Hand" (3:03)
- "Follow Me" (3:30)
This album contains the following tropes:
- A Wild Rapper Appears!: Downplayed; "Yeah!" features Lil Jon and Ludacris but the track is already a heavy Hip-Hop Crunk track, it just happens to have singing on it.
- Central Theme: Infidelity and ending relationships. There was rampant speculation that the album was about Usher cheating on his then girlfriend Chilli from the group TLC, but there was only one song dedicated to the subject, "Burn" (which wasn't about adultery, just a relationship running it's course). Jermaine Dupri revealed years later that most of the album was from his experience of cheating on his steady girlfriend.
- I'm a Man; I Can't Help It: Usher claims that he's just helpless and is easily pulled in by women's wiles in several songs.
- Intercourse with You: Most notably "Can U Handle It?" and "Do It to Me".
- Sampling:
- "Throwback" samples Dionne Warwick's "You're Gonna Need Me"
- "Superstar" samples Willie Hutch's "Mack's Stroll/The Getaway (Chase Scene)"
- "Take Your Hand" samples Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes's song "Is There a Place for Me?"
- "Whatever I Want" contains elements from Preston Love's "Chili Mac"
- The Vamp: The female subjects in "Yeah!", "Caught Up", and "Bad Girl" portrayed as temptresses.
