He’s back – and yet he’s never been away: Usher’s first solo album since 2016 relies on the R’n’B crooner’s strengths in a surprisingly unembarrassing way.
The lover from duty is back again, the master always has enough sex songs that slide past pornography plausible denialibility, so that songs still remain on the right side of radio suitability. And he means it seriously: Interviews with Vogue and GQ, new album and of course: a Superbowl halftime show, the Olympus of US pop. What if this isn’t a comeback?
But it’s not – at least if you take it very seriously. Actually, Usher was hardly ever away. Not only do songs like “Yeah!” and “Climax” remain absolute club bangers, no, he has also released a few singles since 2016, released a collaboration album with a young producer, and teased a sequel to the successful album “Confessions,” which was not released after all. Instead, he followed up with a residency at two of Las Vegas’ major casino concert halls, which was so popular that it was extended twice and even exported to Paris, he appeared on US Public Radio’s “Tiny Desk” video format and was picked up by the R ‘n’B star slowly becoming an absolute icon. New music? This means you no longer need to be in such a hurry when you already have icon status.
The lover from duty is back
But now it’s probably time for him to come home. If you want to define this home as the record cabinets, streaming playlists and annual best lists of the music world. And Usher stays true to his strengths here too: on the opener, title track “Coming Home” he speaks directly about wanting to cuddle with the person he is talking to in bed and, eh, more, on “I Am the Party” it becomes similarly explicit and The club banger “BIG” is ostensibly about his standard order from McD as a child, and between the lines it’s about… well, you know.
So far, so Usher – but the now 45-year-old has also learned in recent years what makes a modern man. For example, on “Good Good” he sings in a good mood about being good friends with his ex, or lets tears flow in the video for “Risk It All” in the spirit of modern, emancipated masculinity.
And he also knows: if you want to still be relevant almost thirty years after your debut, you have to manage to combine the current need for nostalgia, as Tiktok remixes of 90s and 2000s hits prove, with the spirit of the times, without becoming embarrassing To pander. And Usher not only relies on amazingly tasteful production (and of course there is also an Amapiano piece), but also on collaborations with some of the hottest artists of the moment: Obonjayar, Summer Walker, The-Dream, 21 Savage, Pheelz and even Ex-BTS heartthrob Jung Kook. The absolute album highlight remains the ultra-minimalist “Risk It All” with HER, which proves why the guy with the slightly unpleasant sex songs and the incredible singing skills will still remain relevant in 2024.