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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.
TRACK LISTINGS
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
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