Very few artists have had the kind of monumental success that Usher has. With a dream run of super-successful albums, particularly from 1997 with “My Way” to 2004 with “Confessions,” Usher cemented his name as the undisputed king of R&B. It would have been unfair to expect that Usher could ever deliver a bigger success than “Confessions.” He has not.
However, Usher remained big, letting his silky-smooth voice into more contemporary dance-pop(as well as trap) sounds of his latter albums. The last seven years have been a quiet time for the crooner on the musical front. Faced with some not-so-flattering gossip and headlines surrounding his private life, coupled with a general erosion in his popularity in the wake of stars like The Weeknd or Bruno Mars ruling the roost, one might have asked, “What does new Usher music mean now?”
Fortunately, things started looking up for Usher and his fans coming into 2023. Firstly, he kicked off the 100-date Las Vegas Residency performance streak that has won some stellar reviews from those who were lucky to experience it. Secondly, the hype surrounding Usher started to brew when he was announced as the headliner for the 58th Super Bowl Halftime show.
When he powered through his greatest hits during the Super Bowl Halftime show, for a brief amount of time, it felt like 2004 never left, as if his showmanship has only grown with time. Amidst all of this, a new Usher album could have been considered as an afterthought, more of a vehicle to keep his name floating among music conversations, rather than a serious musical effort to add to his illustrious discography. “Coming Home” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Albums chart and had a No. 1 album sales week. There is no doubt that this album is doing well in the numbers game, particularly considering that it is his first independent album. But is the music good?
I am happy to say that yes, for the most part, it is a good album. It’s purposefully messy, hopping from genre to genre to appeal to multiple fanbases(guests include Burna Boy and Jung Kook from BTS). There are some botched experiments here; there is an unnecessary interpolation of Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” there. There are times Usher uses vocal inflections that make him sound like he’s aping Chris Brown. A little trimming could have helped this album feel more cohesive and top-notch.
However, these gripes aside, this album has oodles of easy-going charm, odes to sensual experiences (shout out to the song “BIG”), and Usher’s vocal magic which is a good reminder of why he is an icon who has been often copied but rarely surpassed.
One thing that is certain: Usher’s voice remains as crystalline and supple as ever. Take the trap-inspired “Cold Blooded” as an example – the falsetto is as sharp as he has ever laid on record, nested in a stellar vocal performance throughout. He is ably supported by The Dream. “Kissing Strangers” would not feel out of place in a BTS album, with its airy production, and sung-rap vocals curated to perfection (perhaps a bit too perfect).
The same can be said for “Keep On Dancin” – with its nocturnal sounds engineered to be a bop on the dancefloor. The album hits its stride when the focus is on Usher’s voice when he’s crooning about inappropriate things, and when he’s crooning about how much he misses having inappropriate things. “BIG” is a major highlight, lyrically as well as instrumentally – topped with a horn section over a hypnotic synth-bassline. “On The Side” and “I Love U” are good showcases of Usher’s honey-tinged voice and are subtle nods to his protégé Justin Bieber. “Please U” is a smooth funk-tinged ballad that is a dead-ringer of Bruno Mars’ latest album.
If you are a fan of the early 2000s Usher, “Bop” and “Margiela” will bring a smile to your face. The latter boasts one of the best vocal performances on this record. His vocal gymnastics are so fluid and dexterous that it becomes easy to ignore the flat-out-silly lyrics that keep on popping here and there. Case in point: on “Good Good,” 21 Savage raps “If you wanna open up a new salon, I still help pay for the wigs” – which is probably the sweetest flirtatious line I would never send anyone.
The features including Burna Boy and Pheelz give a contemporary Afrobeats twist to the Usher sound template with slightly underwhelming results. However, I would not complain about Usher featuring in “Standing Next To You” by Jung Kook. The song is a fantastic bop and is already a huge hit. A remix was not necessary, but hey, Usher sounds great. Mission accomplished!
This review would be incomplete if I didn’t gush over my favorite song off this record – “Risk It All” featuring H.E.R. It’s a gorgeous, exquisitely-performed piano ballad that brings to the forefront Usher and H.E.R.’s impeccable vocal harmonies, in a song that finds parallels between the risks we take in love and religion, something that is deeply worshiped and often mishandled. Songs like these are good reminders that vocalists like Usher do not need much in the way of auto-tune or layered instrumentals – it is the voice that we have loved and still does not sound like it has aged one bit.
While this album does not hit the glorious highs of his heyday, neither does it offer much in terms of replay value which can stand the test of time, it is a good time while it’s on. Perhaps that is enough to expect out of an Usher album in 2024 – a good time!!