Confessions [Bonus Tracks]

1	Intro 0:46
2	Yeah! / Ludacris 4:10
3	Throwback / Jadakiss 4:46
4	Confessions (Interlude) 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 3:33
16	Take Your Hand 2:45
17	Follow Me 3:13
18	My Boo / Alicia Keys 3:43
19	Red Light 4:48
20	Seduction 4:33
21	Confessions, Pt. 2. / Shyne Bonus Track / Remix 4:28

Barnes & Noble

With his first album since 2001's Grammy-winning 8701, contemporary R&B star Usher has his work cut out for him. The heartthrob proves he's up to the challenge by kicking off his fourth disc with the crunked-up single "Yeah!," propelled by cameos from Dirty South hip-hop brethren Lil Jon and Ludacris. And while there are plenty more upbeat club tracks, including the Michael Jackson–reminiscent "Take Your Hand," Confessions isn't all about the good times. As the title suggests, on several songs Usher comes clean about many facets of his personal life, including past indiscretions ("Confessions Part II"), his painful breakup with longtime girlfriend Chilli of TLC ("Burn"), and having the karmic tables turned by a female player ("Caught Up"). Elsewhere, it's clear that the smooth, falsetto-prone crooner's primary goal is merely to seduce his already enraptured female fans with sexy mid-tempo tracks like the quiet-storm jam "Can You Handle It?," the funky, guitar-led "Bad Girl," and the X-rated "That's What It's Made For." By tackling more adult subject matter with each of his albums, Usher has successfully transitioned from cute teenybopper to bona fide adult hottie -- a feat his idol Jacko never quite accomplished. And although airing his dirty laundry and then putting out an APB for all bad girls to come out and play sounds a bit contradictory, that's exactly the kind of trifling behavior that makes this abs-a-licious bad boy all the more irresistible. Tracy E. Hopkins

All Music Guide

Confessions' most detracting factor is its length. At an hour in duration, it could be stripped of five songs and be far more powerful, especially since no one would have to do any wading to get to the meaty parts. On the other side of the coin, the smartest move Usher makes here is in allowing the Lil Jon-produced "Yeah!" to take its rightful place as the only club track; any attempt at doing something stylistically similar would've failed miserably in its presence. "Yeah!"'s crunk-meets-R&B foundation, featuring an instantly addictive eight-note keyboard vamp and one of Usher's most muscular turns, is so absorbing that Ludacris' 1,500th guest verse floats by with little notice. The following "Throwback," produced by Just Blaze, sounds like it was made for the sole purpose of trailing Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name." Like that hit, "Throwback"'s sensitively treated soul sample provides a nostalgic tint that complements the wistful, regret-filled tone of the lyrics. A small batch of Jam & Lewis productions, including the effortlessly gliding "Truth Hurts," continue to help raise Usher's loverman stock. Another pair -- the upbeat "Caught Up" and the aptly titled "Burn" -- also rate as some of the vocalist's best moments yet. He's been doing this for ten years now. Numerous chart hits have spun off each of his albums. Needless to say, the time is right for the phrase "just another" to be banned from use when discussing him. [Six months after its initial release, Confessions was re-released with an expanded booklet and four additional tracks, including his duet with Alicia Keys, "My Boo."] Andy Kellman

Rolling Stone

The Lil Jon-produced kickoff, "Yeah," creates sensual panic by combining Usher's jumpy attacks with Jon's sublime, frayed beats. Laura Sinagra

Entertainment Weekly

At a time when male R&B icons are in short supply, Usher is just what we need. And he's got the pipes to match his perfect abs. (B+) Jem Aswad

Blender

"Yeah!", the lead single, is probably the scariest record -- in a good way -- he's ever made, and it's the first song of any note to mate mainstream R&B and menacing Southern crunk. Jon Caramanica