CAN USHER TOP CONFESSIONS???

Usher’s new album “Here I Stand” comes out Tuesday and I for one am very excited about listening to the new material. But with all the hype and excitement surrounding the new album I have to wonder if he will be able to top the success of the last album “Confessions.”

In case you weren’t alive or living under a large rock back in 2004, Usher released his fourth solo album “Confessions” to huge success. The lead single “Yeah” took over mainstream radio and locked up club dance floors almost overnight. Some say that they had not seen anything like it since 83 when Michael Jackson ruled the world. Confessions was an awesome album. Backed by production by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Rico Love, Lil John, and Jermain Dupri, Confessions was the album that you could listen to all the way through and by the time the last track faded you were ready to hear the first track all over again. Needless to say it was a classic.

For almost two whole years Usher ruled the charts and arenas all over the world before taking a break to get married and have a child. Four years later he releases “Love in the Club” (hate the title by the way) to the same success as 2004’s “Yeah”. Increased global demand caused the label to push the album UP (like that EVER happens these days) to May and everyone is awaiting the moment of truth. You see the bad part about having such a successful year is that when the new album comes out listeners already have it made up in their mind that the singer can’t top his latest success.

I just watched Usher’s performance on SNL and I have to say that I was satisfied but not…fulfilled. It was like having good sex without the orgasm. I mean its good but its not GREAT! Naturally I compared it to the SNL performance back in 04 when he did a back flip on stage and the crowd almost lost their damn minds (myself included). This time he had the live band, the dance moves, even the outfit was nice (no homo) but it just didn’t do much for me. He also didn’t perform “Love in the Club” first.  I was disappointed by that because I am soooooooo interested in hearing the live band kick over that one.

All in all I believe “Here I Stand” will be a good album. However, to predict that it will be better than Confessions is a strecth. Michael Jackson’s “Bad” was a classic…but was it better than Thriller? HELLZ NAW!!! I think we are in for another Thriller/Bad episode in the music industry.