Usher - Confessions [2 LP, Black Vinyl, 20th Anniversary]

Usher brought club hits and personal relationship songs together on his fourth album, Confessions, a major R&B release. Produced with collaborators including Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Lil Jon, the record moves between dance-floor tracks and slower accounts of betrayal, regret and romance. This 20th Anniversary vinyl record edition contains two black LPs, alternate album artwork and two newly arranged orchestral bonus tracks.

"Yeah!" pairs Lil Jon's crunk production with guest verses from Ludacris and Usher's sung hook. "Burn" slows the pace for a breakup ballad, while "Confessions Part II" unfolds as a tense account of an affair and its consequences. "Caught Up" brings back a dance-oriented beat and an insistent chorus, and "My Boo," Usher's duet with Alicia Keys, revisits the memory of an earlier relationship. "Superstar" offers a slower, more intimate R&B setting, with Usher singing directly to the object of his affection.

The album's revealing title refers to the intimate stories running through songs such as "Truth Hurts," "Confessions Part II" and "Burn." Jermaine Dupri has explained that the central infidelity storyline drew from his own experiences, rather than Usher's own life. The anniversary release also includes alternate cover artwork and orchestral versions of "Superstar" and "Burn."

• Format: 2LP
• Standout tracks: "Yeah!," "Burn," "Confessions Part II," "My Boo"
• Pressing details: 20th Anniversary Edition, Black Vinyl, Alternative Cover Artwork, 2 Orchestral Bonus Tracks
• Genre/style: Contemporary R&B, Pop R&B, Hip-Hop Soul
• UPC: 198028267915

Confessions united "Yeah!" and "Caught Up" with ballads such as "Burn" and "My Boo," helping establish Usher as a dominant figure in 2000s R&B. Its combination of dance hits and relationship narratives remains the defining feature of his fourth studio album.

* Tracks 22 & 23 not available for streaming. The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Intro
2. Yeah! (Feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris)
3. Throwback (Feat. Jadakiss)
4. Confessions (Interlude)
5. Confessions Part II
6. Burn

Side B:

1. Caught Up
2. Superstar (Interlude)
3. Superstar
4. Truth Hurts
5. Simple Things
6. Bad Girl

Side C:

1. That's What It's Made For
2. Can U Handle It?
3. Do It To Me
4. Take Your Hand
5. Follow Me
6. My Boo (Duet With Alicia Keys)

Side D:

1. Red Light
2. Seduction
3. Confessions Part II Remix (Feat. Shyne, Twista & Kanye West)
4. Superstar (Orchestral Mix)
5. Burn (Orchestral Mix)