Album Review: Coming Home | Usher
Days before his Super Bowl performance, the King of R&B dropped his 9th studio album.
Ahead of his Super Bowl Halftime performance last Sunday, Usher released Coming Home, his 9th studio album and first since 2016's Hard II Love. This album also marks 20 years since his blockbuster R&B classic Confessions. That album contained tracks like My Boo, Burn, U Got It Bad, smash-hit Yeah!, and Confessions Part II. These tracks are R&B classics with grand narratives, emotional depth, and impressive vocals. 20 years later, glimpses of that same greatness are hard to find on Coming Home.
In a recent interview, Usher revealed that the tracks on this album are from recordings over the past 5 years where he'd start and stop making an album. You can really tell. It's all over the place. Somehow, with an 8-year break between studio albums, this 20-track album is bloated and lacks many redeeming qualities that made Usher his star.
The ability Usher once had to convey his emotional depth and yearning for love comes across as hyper-sexual and slightly vulgar on this record. The knack for creating timeless love songs he's had throughout his career suddenly has vanished on this album. The album feels like a mixed bag of cheesy lyrics, dated production, and confusing choices. One of the most confusing tracks is Big, which immediately enters into the contest of one of the worst songs ever. Here's the lyrics to the chorus, please take it in -
"You want somebody to take charge
You know I do it extra large
When I was a kid, I would go to McDonald's
I would never order the small
I would get it big (Oh yeah)
You know I do it big (Yeah)
I like mine big (Oh yeah)
It gotta be big (Oh yeah)”
WHAT? How did no one stop him from putting this out into the world? Atrocious. It makes me sad that the same guy who made so many countless classics decided to put out this terrible track.
Elsewhere on the record, Usher makes several references to his hometown, most notably on A-Town Girl, which samples Uptown Girl by Billy Joel with a guest verse from Latto. The track is a little goofy, a little bit fun, "I got an A-Town girl, she keeps a blickie on her just in case somebody try."
The highlights - if any, on this record come on lead single Good Good with Summer Walker and 21 Savage. The song navigates the tricky reality of dealing with an ex and expressing that because they didn't work out doesn't mean they have to be enemies, but they can still be on good terms. Usher taps into his pop bag on Kissing Strangers and captures the listener with a catchy hook, "How'd we go from strangers kissing to kissing strangers," mixed with his familiar EDM-era hits like DJ Got Us Falling In Love and OMG. Tacked on to the album's end is Usher's remix of BTS star Jung Kooks Standing Next To You. Surprisingly, this track really works - and Usher makes it his own with his impressive vocal delivery. Stone Kold Freak, also a classic Usher, taps into his signature southern R&B sound in a fresh new way.
The further you listen to this record, the more you can tell it was sloppily thrown together to get an album together to capitalize on his Super Bowl performance. We can't be mad at that since some people headline the halftime show and aren't as kind to their fans to gift them new music (looking at you, Rihanna). But we wish we could stamp this album with a return-to-sender sticker to give Usher another chance at delivering us another classic, timeless R&B record.
Check out our favorite tracks, listen to the album, and see our scores below:
Can’t Miss: Standing Next To You, Good Good
You Can Skip: Big, Margiela, Coming Home, Bop, I Am the Party,
BY THE NUMBERS
Bennett’s Score: 4.85
Carson’s Score: 4.70
Album Score: 9.55
Notes from Bennett:
Really don’t have many notes here. I really think this is a missed opportunity to jump onto the 2000s trend in music that is emerging. we KNOW that Usher can do that well and I would’ve been much more excited about something that route.
I really struggle to see the greatness here, I know Usher is monumental but like how exactly is that translated here?
I do really like the vocals on Cold Blooded, makes for a cool sound.
Notes from Carson:
Don’t have a lot to say here really I feel like this was really disappointing and I won’t be returning to many of these songs. Confessions on repeat tho so he’s getting my money anyways.
I added Good Good and Kissing Strangers to library.
Big - is probably one of the worst songs I’ve heard. The lyrics are sooooo bad. Same thing goes with Bop. “Don’t let this turn into a bop?” what does that even MEAN??? Ugh
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