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Confessions
Studio album by Usher
Released	March 23, 2004 (US)
Recorded	2003-2004
Genre	R&B
Length	60:30 (original) 78:22 (re-release)
Label	Arista Records
Producer(s)	Jermaine Dupri Lil' Jon Rich Harrison Terry Lewis Jimmy Jam Thicke Bryan Michael Cox Just Blaze Dre & Vidal Bobby Ross Avila
Professional reviews
All Music Guide Image:4 stars.svg link Rolling StoneImage:3 stars.svg link
Usher chronology
8701 (2001)	Confessions (2004)	The Untold Story (2007)

Confessions is the fourth album by American R&B singer Usher, released on March 23, 2004 via Arista Records. In the following week, it sold 1.1 million copies in the US, the most copies ever sold in one week by an R&B artist and sending it to the top of the Billboard 200, R&B/Hip Hop and Internet album charts in the US. It has also topped the charts in the UK and Canada and reached number 2 in Australia. The lead single "Yeah!" featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris has topped singles charts around the world.

Contents 1 Making of the album 2 Chart success 3 Records 4 Track listing (taken from re-release) 5 Chart trajectory 6 Awards and Nominations 7 Sales 8 External links

[edit] Making of the album

Usher told MTV that he was inspired by Augustine of Hippo to make the album sound as if he is confessing to something. "This album had to be a lot more personal than the last. It had to be something different than the last. For the most part, the topics, they're very much so personal. In a way, [I wanted] to play off the name Confessions, to make the entire album seem as if I'm confessing to someone or something. All of us have our Pandora's boxes or skeletons in our closets. I let a few of them out, you know. And with everything that's been happening in my life, I've got a lot to say. I've got a lot of stuff built in me that I just want to let go of."

As well, Usher wanted to continue with the traditions of R&B. The second song "Throwback" features a sample from a 1973 Dionne Warwick song written by the legendary Motown songwriting combination of Holland-Dozier-Holland. The album also features songwriting contributions by longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri and R&B hopeful Thicke. However, when Usher presented the songs from the album to Antonio Reid, then in charge of Arista Records, they agreed that the album needed a first single. Usher recorded a couple of tracks with fellow Atlanta, Georgia resident, Lil Jon, including "Yeah!" in the crunk style that he is known for.

[edit] Chart success

Usher released the Confessions album on March 23, 2004. Confessions sold 1.1 million records in its first week of release, the most sales in the first week by any R&B artist and the highest sales by any artist in three years. Along with the success of the Norah Jones album Feels Like Home, it was seen as a sign that record sales were slowly recovering after three straight years of decline in the US. The album topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic as well as topping US R&B charts and Internet albums charts and reaching number 2 in Australia. "Yeah!" features contributions by Ludacris and Lil Jon and was released as the first single. Confessions has so far spawned the following hits:

• "Yeah!" has topped the Billboard Hot 100, European (including UK, Noregian and Swiss national charts), World, Australian and Canadian charts;

• "Burn" has reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well as the UK Top 40;

• "Confessions Part II" has reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; and

• "My Boo" which has reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, European, and World charts.

• "Caught Up" peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 9 in the UK.

Confessions world wide sales (outside the U.S.) reached 6 million (15 million total with U.S. sales included).

[edit] Records

Confessions obliterated several other long-standing chart records:

• The highest overall R&B (non-Hip-Hop) debut in the SoundScan era, surpassing Destiny's Child's Survivor in May 2001 (#1, with 663k units);
• The highest solo R&B (non-Hip-Hop) debut in the SoundScan era, surpassing Alicia Keys' The Diary of Alicia Keys in December 2003 (#1, 618k units);
• The highest overall debut in BMG and Arista history, surpassing Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death in March 1997 (#1, with 689k units);
• The highest single-week scan in Arista history, surpassing the second week of The Bodyguard soundtrack in December 1992 (#1, with 1.061 million);
• The highest overall debut of 2004, surpassing Norah Jones' Feels Like Home in February (#1, with 1.022 million).

[edit] Track listing (taken from re-release)

1. "Intro" – 0:46
2. "Yeah!" (featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris) – 4:10
3. "Throwback" (featuring Jadakiss) – 4:46
4. "Confessions" – 4:20
5. "Confessions Pt. 2" – 3:31
6. "Burn" – 3:51
7. "Caught Up" – 3:44
8. "Superstar (Interlude)" – 1:04
9. "Superstar" – 3:11
10. "Truth Hurts" – 3:37
11. "Simple Things" – 4:40
12. "Bad Girl" – 4:21
13. "That’s What It’s Made For" – 4:37
14. "Can U Handle It?" – 4:39
15. "Do It to Me" – 3:34
16. "Take Your Hand" – 2:45
17. "Follow Me" – 3:13
18. "My Boo" (Duet with Alicia Keys) – 3:43
19. "Red Light" – 4:48
20. "Seduction" – 4:33
21. "Confessions Part II Remix" (featuring Shyne, Kanye West & Twista) – 4:29

[edit] Chart trajectory

UK 200 Chart trajectory (week 1-30)
Week	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Chart position	1	3	3	3	4	5	9	13	14	8	6	8	9	4	5	4	4	4	6	8	9	9	9	11	15	20	25	32	10	12

UK 200 chart trajectory (week 31-60)
Week	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50	51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59	60
Chart position	12	14	22	24	20	20	31	34	38	37	36	36	34	29	37	33	37	37	39	43	36	41	41	29	36	42	41	54	62	74

UK 200 chart trajectory (week 61- )
Week	61	62	63	64	65	66	67	68	69	70	71	72	73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80	81	82	83	84	85	86	87
Chart position	89	99	106	112	150	54	57	88	105	115	171	(re)138	153	148	147	104	93	100	101	97	113	116	122	(re)160	189	(re)193	175

To date Confessions has been certified 4x Platinum in the UK and has sold over 1.4 million copies.

Billboard 200 Chart trajectory (week 1-30)
Week	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Chart position	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	3	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	4	5	4	6	5	9	11	12	10	11	24	2	2

Billboard 200 chart trajectory (week 31-60)
Week	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50	51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59	60
Chart position	4	6	4	8	9	12	11	11	9	6	6	9	7	7	9	10	10	5	11	16	11	14	23	24	26	31	37	39	53	65

Billboard 200 chart trajectory (week 61- )
Week	61	62	63	64	65	66	67	68	69	70	71	72	73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80
Chart position	74	84	85	98	112	112	123	125	131	142	160	168	185	194	200	200	194	113	193	187

To date Confessions has been certified 9x Platinum as of 2006 in the US and has sold over 9 million copies.

[edit] Awards and Nominations

• Awards

1. Teen Choice Awards' Choice Album - 2004
2. American Music Awards Favorite Soul/R&B Album - 2004
3. American Music Awards Favorite Pop/Rock Album - 2004
4. MTV Europe Music Awards Best Album - 2004
5. Grammy Best Contemporary R&B Album - 2005
6. Grammy Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (My Boo)
7. Grammy Best Rap/Sung Colaboration (Yeah!)
8. Soul Train Music Awards Best R&B/Soul Album - 2005

• Nominations

1. Grammy Album of the Year - 2005
2. Grammy Record of the Year
3. Grammy Best R&B Song
4. Grammy Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

[edit] Sales

• United States #1 (9x Platinum) (Sales: 9,000,000)
• Canada #1 (5x Platinum) (Sales: 500,000)
• United Kingdom #1 (4x Platinum) (Sales: 1,200,000)
• New Zealand #1 (2x Platinum) (Sales: 30,000)
• Switzerland #3 (Platinum) (Sales: 50,000)
• Holland #3 (Gold) (Sales: 35,000)
• Denmark #8 (Gold) (Sales: 20,000)

[edit] External links

• All Music Guide Confessions album page
• MTV Usher page

• Confessions by Usher at WikiMusicGuidede:Confessions (Album)

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