Since Usher’s 2018 album, “A,” the R&B artist has not been as present in the music world. However, with his release of “Coming Home” on Feb. 9 and his upcoming Superbowl half-time performance, Usher is back in the spotlight for 2024.
Usher’s numerous Grammy awards and nominations show just how talented and well-known he is as a performer and singer. Unfortunately, his new album does not show the same energetic and creative side of Usher.
Many of the songs sound very similar and blend, making it difficult to point out a specific song. While it is visible that Usher attempted to continue his style and highlight his vocals, he inevitably ended up creating an album of anticlimactic and almost cheesy songs.
There is no doubt that Usher’s falsetto and runs are beautiful and add an element of R&B to his songs. His smooth vocals additionally support the songs’ themes of love and relationships.
However, the mixture of backup singers, snaps, and simple lyrics create a boy-band feel to the album. Songs like “Bop” and “Keep on Dancin” sound like songs that could be sung in the “Trolls” movie.
That being said, Usher has not won multiple Grammys and awards for no reason. While the whole album is not the strongest, there are still some noteworthy songs.
One such song is “A-Town Girl,” which plays off of a Steve Wariner’s song, “Small Town Girl.” The remix is catchy and has an energetic beat. It is definitely a song that would get the crowd excited at a concert and has the potential for creative background choreography.
“Standing Next to You (Usher Remix)” is another catchy song. Its smooth beat gives off disco energy, encouraging the listener to dance along. “Good Good” additionally maintains a good beat and shows more individuality than most of the other songs on this album.
Usher also cleverly dropped this album just days before his Superbowl halftime show on Feb. 11.
His Superbowl performance was mildly dissapointing, but he ended with one of his most famous songs, “Yeah.” He brought in Alicia Keys, Lil Jon, and Ludacris for star performances.
Usher definitely made an effort to maintain the hype and be creative, but the multiple costumes and different dancers made the stage quite chaotic, and Usher did not end up adding any of his new songs to his setlist.
“Coming Home” has a few songs with potential and energy, but the majority of this album does not live up to the standards of Usher’s previous albums.
