― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 23 February 2004 02:56 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 23 February 2004 02:56 (twenty years ago) link
haha xpost
― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 23 February 2004 02:57 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 23 February 2004 02:57 (twenty years ago) link
I just remember Dan saying Justin essentially stole everything from Usher, or tried to. What this means in the larger scheme of like/dislike I don't recall.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 23 February 2004 03:01 (twenty years ago) link
― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 23 February 2004 03:03 (twenty years ago) link
― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 23 February 2004 03:16 (twenty years ago) link
― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 23 February 2004 03:17 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 23 February 2004 03:19 (twenty years ago) link
― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 23 February 2004 03:19 (twenty years ago) link
― Hunter (Hunter), Monday, 23 February 2004 03:58 (twenty years ago) link
Nothing else of his has really caught my ear.
― djdee2005, Monday, 23 February 2004 04:25 (twenty years ago) link
do not fuck over tlc women.
― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 23 February 2004 04:43 (twenty years ago) link
― djdee2005, Monday, 23 February 2004 04:45 (twenty years ago) link
The Shins joke was alright. Don't worry the rock rap issue will never die. I am surprised that everyone is so bored with the issue that no one has gotten all lathered about that "Guns of Brixton" sample song.
― Hunter (Hunter), Monday, 23 February 2004 05:11 (twenty years ago) link
"U Got It Bad" was pretty middling until it got that odd 2-step-rip-off rejig.
― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 23 February 2004 05:38 (twenty years ago) link
― Barima (Barima), Monday, 23 February 2004 09:42 (twenty years ago) link
― lukey (Lukey G), Monday, 23 February 2004 09:52 (twenty years ago) link
Ginuwine is the guy I've always unilaterally despised.
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 23 February 2004 15:17 (twenty years ago) link
― Barima (Barima), Monday, 23 February 2004 15:35 (twenty years ago) link
― Flotsam of the Fishfolk (Flotsam of the Fishfolk), Monday, 23 February 2004 19:26 (twenty years ago) link
― Conor (Conor), Monday, 23 February 2004 22:33 (twenty years ago) link
― pete s, Monday, 23 February 2004 23:39 (twenty years ago) link
― Barima (Barima), Tuesday, 24 February 2004 11:53 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 04:40 (twenty years ago) link
― JaXoN (JasonD), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 04:52 (twenty years ago) link
― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 05:07 (twenty years ago) link
― Jeanette, Friday, 2 April 2004 14:57 (twenty years ago) link
MILLION-SELLING 'CONFESSIONS'!
R&B star USHER has sold over a million copies of his new album in the US in just one week.
The singer tops the charts with 'Confessions', ending Norah Jones' 'Feels Like Home''s seven-week reign at the top.
'Confessions'' 1.1 million sales mean it has now surpassed 'Feels Like Home' as the year's fastest-selling album.
Usher and Jones, whose album sold 1.02 million in its first week, now stand as the only two artists to debut in seven-figure territory since *N Sync's 'Celebrity' sold nearly 1.9 million copies its first week in July 2001.
Usher's label, Arista Records, have revealed 'Confessions' is its biggest release in the label's 30-year history, beating the 689,000 first-week sales posted by Notorious BIG's posthumous 1997 album 'Life After Death'.
Usher has sold nearly ten million albums in the United States to date, according to SoundScan.
----
Didnt Justin peak out at #2 with justified?
― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Friday, 2 April 2004 16:57 (twenty years ago) link
This is true. Everyone in the music industry lives in a great big house. MTV will be filming soon for a reality series. You will be chosen as the special guest star if you post on the Kanye West thread.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 2 April 2004 16:58 (twenty years ago) link
― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Friday, 2 April 2004 16:58 (twenty years ago) link
― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Friday, 2 April 2004 16:59 (twenty years ago) link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/news/urbannews/040304_usher.shtml
Usher called Justin a "follower" on Radio 1 last month, and challenged him to a dance-off in some other interview.
Which means, of course, that they'll be releasing a massively-hyped duet in the next eight months.
― Lesley, Friday, 2 April 2004 19:09 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 2 April 2004 19:09 (twenty years ago) link
― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 2 April 2004 19:23 (twenty years ago) link
Ah, I'm glad that someone finally agrees with me!
― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Friday, 2 April 2004 19:28 (twenty years ago) link
That he isn't getting as much attention as Justin Timberlake did for Justified (which sold a LOT less) is really starting to piss me off.
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 2 May 2004 18:11 (nineteen years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 2 May 2004 18:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 2 May 2004 18:19 (nineteen years ago) link
Usher seems to take himself waaay too seriously. I mean, even in the "Yeah" video, he flashes a lot of somber facial expressions, like he Really Means It, and the rest of the album is all ballads. I mean, he's a good singer and dancer at all, but the way he puffs himself up as an Artist, you'd think he was a writer/producer on the level of R. Kelly or even Prince.
― Al (sitcom), Sunday, 2 May 2004 19:11 (nineteen years ago) link
Around the time he arrived was the period of time r&b music really started going south. It was already headed there but the arrival of him and similar artists brought forth the downfall. Nowadays most of it on the airwaves is unlistenable.
― uh, Monday, 3 May 2004 00:22 (nineteen years ago) link
― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:30 (nineteen years ago) link
― uh, Monday, 3 May 2004 00:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― uh, Monday, 3 May 2004 00:37 (nineteen years ago) link
― djdee2005, Monday, 3 May 2004 00:38 (nineteen years ago) link
Is that supposed to be some sort of diss to Usher?
― djdee2005, Monday, 3 May 2004 00:39 (nineteen years ago) link
He is extremely nasal and throaty and lacks dynamics. He has to strain for a lot of his highs as well.
― uh, Monday, 3 May 2004 00:41 (nineteen years ago) link
It really depends on the situation. If I'm cooking dinner or something I'll reach for this, but if I'm in car and can easily skip tracks I'll go for Looking 4 Myself
― Evan R, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:21 (seven years ago) link
L4M keepers:
Climaxtitle trackI Care For UDive Numb2nd Round
H2L keepers:
BumpLet Me CrashFYMHard II Love
I agree with Evan: nothing on H2L will embarrass Usher's family like the last album's "Can't Stop Won't Stop" or "Scream."
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:25 (seven years ago) link
L4M also had very good bonus tracks ("Say The Words" especially) that made its grab-bag feel a little more forgivable. It tempered the ratio of hits to misses and made the whole thing feel more generous
― Evan R, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:32 (seven years ago) link
in "No Limit," does Usher sing:
Look my cat OD'dNo limit
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:32 (seven years ago) link
time out--the best song on L4M is clearly "show me"
anyway, hard II love is technically a better album, which i guess matter when you have to assign ratings to such things. but functionally i'm not sure it has more utility to my life than the grab bag.
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:36 (seven years ago) link
also "lemme see" is an underrated single, it's in one of those nguzunguzu mixes and sounds great
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:38 (seven years ago) link
show me def the standout for me outside the obv climax
― Spottie, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:38 (seven years ago) link
idk they're both grab bags to me; Usher's singing and writing and choosing songs like a former megastar instead of thinking he's still a megastar kept him from including another "Can't Stop...," although we can argue about Young Thug's appearance, I guess.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:38 (seven years ago) link
"Show Me" is good; forgot it.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:39 (seven years ago) link
also "what happened to u" was pretty tight and would fit on the new record... this album is better than i remembered
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:39 (seven years ago) link
IFU beat is A+
― Spottie, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:43 (seven years ago) link
"IFU" was the best song on that record imo
― have you ever even read The Drudge Report? Have you gone on Stormfron (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:53 (seven years ago) link
well, u know i what i think.
as i've receded away from music criticism i think i've found that i have less use for an album like this -- which is a good album qua album w/ relatā J0rdan S., Tuesday, 20 September 2016 22:14 Bookmark
ā Evan R, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 22:21 Bookmark
lol i love this exchange. j0rd's provocatively salty framing checkmated by evan schooling on what true non-crit nothingness really be
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 22:07 (seven years ago) link
xp rico love produced that, did you hear his album from last year?
― Spottie, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 22:09 (seven years ago) link
putting that noble idea of album as microwave muzak aside for a sec and considering the holistic artistic statement then i still think that, at the time, l4m said something interesting for itself as a grab-bag. there were plenty of other grab-bags then, disjointed and nakedly cynical - imo l4m managed to carry a rare thread of touristic enthusiasm thru its peaks & valleys of tasteful & trash
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 22:18 (seven years ago) link
that rico love lp was a such a uniquely weird faceless ventriloquist sesh.... rico act more like. serial rnb hit songwriter as cusack in being john malkovich
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pClmzDdqkMQ
this one's like a seance. who am i speaking to i sense a great sadness
― r|t|c, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 22:32 (seven years ago) link
llol, yeeeeeeah thats one of like three trx i didnt like on there
― Spottie, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 22:34 (seven years ago) link
man that vid is embarrassing
― Spottie, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 22:37 (seven years ago) link
I've pissed off Morbs and xyzz in film threads for admitting that I've watched Hou films while mopping.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 20 September 2016 22:49 (seven years ago) link
ā r|t|c, Tuesday, September 20, 2016 5:07 PM (two hours ago)
Man you really have it out for me lately, huh? Did I somehow offend you or something? You jump down my throat every time I post
― Evan R, Wednesday, 21 September 2016 01:12 (seven years ago) link
Rico Love album rules, even the fake N.E.R.D. song lol
― Best Beloved Trump-Pence (some dude), Wednesday, 21 September 2016 02:25 (seven years ago) link
Yeah, the Rico Love album was depressed loss-of-meaning r&b in the best sense. I can see why it did not sell though.
― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Wednesday, 21 September 2016 07:28 (seven years ago) link
ā Evan R, Wednesday, 21 September 2016 02:12 Bookmark
man get a life. there is a discussion, you choose to contribute a point of view, i object to its flaccid suburban mediocrity, i pay you the courtesy of responding. that's how it works
is there an inviting, easygoing recent album you could maybe put on to unwind?
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 21 September 2016 10:33 (seven years ago) link
what is "the best sense" of er, "depressed loss-of-meaning r&b"? i mean i got a lil nostalgic kick out of the n.e.r.d zombie too for a sec but to go so far as to say it rules just seems like being pugnacious about closing your playbook sometime around 2006
some of the album is nicely produced, some taxidermy is nicely enbalmed
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 21 September 2016 10:52 (seven years ago) link
It's utterly disillusioned in a way that most quasi-nihilistic hedonist r&b doesn't even try to be. Hence more interesting.
― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Wednesday, 21 September 2016 11:00 (seven years ago) link
It's not the young & trendy numbness of abel & co, but a beaten down, at-the-end-of-the-rope-so-I-might-as-well-laugh disenchantment. It felt refreshing to me, at least. I haven't listened to it in a while though.
― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Wednesday, 21 September 2016 11:05 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/NRb4TVn.jpg
i don't really recall discerning a strong consistent persona like that at all thru the karaoke smoke but maybe i'll listen again sometime
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 21 September 2016 17:15 (seven years ago) link
wait why did this "girls just wanna have fun" song not end up on the album
― dyl, Wednesday, 12 October 2016 17:28 (seven years ago) link
new album out at midnight, produced entirely by zaytoven
― Machine Gunk Jelly (Spottie), Thursday, 11 October 2018 18:04 (five years ago) link
Usher's dropping a new album at midnight, produced entirely by Zaytoven. pic.twitter.com/OrsAV8h6ec— Meelz šŖš¾ (@MeelzTV) October 11, 2018
sounds like he's trying to be future :-/
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 11 October 2018 18:50 (five years ago) link
This is going to be bad Iām sure
― Machine Gunk Jelly (Spottie), Thursday, 11 October 2018 20:20 (five years ago) link
Zaytoven is a hilarious name
― niels, Friday, 12 October 2018 06:40 (five years ago) link
pretty forgettable on my initial couple listens
― Machine Gunk Jelly (Spottie), Friday, 12 October 2018 18:19 (five years ago) link
His new single with Ella Mai is fantastic
https://youtu.be/MMitI4VbSuo
― self-clowning oven (Murgatroid), Friday, 13 December 2019 05:20 (four years ago) link
actually pretty hyped that he's doing the Super Bowl halftime next year
― Murgatroid, Sunday, 24 September 2023 19:27 (seven months ago) link
I wondered why people I knew suddenly wanted to discuss how awesome they found Confessions in 2004.
― hat trick of trashiness (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 24 September 2023 19:33 (seven months ago) link
i can never not hear it luda style as ursher and well reality is confounding in a lot of ways. like why the fuck is urshur at the big game TM?
*i think i said this before better scan*
And now I'll always have a little voice say "Ursher" in my head. That Yeah song. Urg.ā Hunter (Hunter), Sunday, February 22, 2004 8:58 PM (nineteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink
omg i am dying right now second time today it is sad rip me
― Hunt3r, Monday, 25 September 2023 03:16 (seven months ago) link
listening to his peak era albums in advance of this weekend. my way is very refreshing as a cd-era r&b album that comes in at a cool 9 songs, 36 minutes. all the songs are pretty good, too.
― the defenestration of prog (voodoo chili), Thursday, 8 February 2024 20:09 (two months ago) link
new album is okay. still excited for his performance
― dyl, Sunday, 11 February 2024 18:34 (two months ago) link
Confessions is that uncommon thing: the biggest album is the best album. I dig My Way too.
― poppers fueled buttsex crescendo (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 11 February 2024 19:32 (two months ago) link
yes confessions is great, pretty much all the way through.
― the defenestration of prog (voodoo chili), Sunday, 11 February 2024 22:09 (two months ago) link
"Kissing Strangers" off the new album is him at his midtempo best
― Murgatroid, Monday, 12 February 2024 17:31 (two months ago) link
The back half of new album >>> front half
― poppers fueled buttsex crescendo (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 12 February 2024 17:59 (two months ago) link
Rollerskating while singing live on that stage was crazy ballsy.
― Indexed, Monday, 12 February 2024 18:08 (two months ago) link
supposedly something he's been doing at his vegas residency, so at least he's had practice
― the defenestration of prog (voodoo chili), Monday, 12 February 2024 18:11 (two months ago) link