Usher tells all in 'Confessions'

After a three year hiatus, 25-year-old Usher Raymond IV is back once again with his fifth album, "Confessions." Recently released, the highly anticipated album has already put out its first single, the club banger "Yeah," featuring Ludacris and Lil' Jon. The song is receiving significant airplay on both radio and television and has fans wanting more. With hot producers like the duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Jermaine Dupri of So So Def Records on deck, "Confessions" has got some hot tracks that make the album.

"Confessions" is quite a turnaround compared to Usher's 2001 album "8701," where a number of his songs included hints at his then-girlfriend, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas of TLC fame. Songs like "U Got It Bad" and "I Can't Let U Go" showed his feelings towards Chilli and how in love he was with her. However, with Usher's recent LP, a number of his songs seem to be like an apology to Chilli after their highly-publicized breakup. In "Throwback," Usher samples Dionne Warwick's "You're Gonna Need Me." He croons, "You never miss a good thing till it leaves you / And I finally realize that I need you..."

Some of Usher's songs even mention his infidelities, like in "Confessions Part II." The hook says it all, "Just when I thought I said all I could say / My chick on the side said she got one on the way / These are my confessions / Man, I'm thrown and I don't know what to do / I guess I got to give you part two / Confessions." Despite rumors that Usher has a 'lovechild,' Usher has admitted that he has in fact cheated, but did not impregnate a girl while with Chilli.

Usher has truly grown in maturity that is felt throughout the album. Since his self-titled debut "Usher" released in 1994, Usher has added more and more to each album he puts out. He talks about real issues that have meaning in relationships and in love. For example, in "Simple Things" Usher talks about a guy that always buys his girl things in order to make up for his absence at home. Usher sings, "Just copped your girl a brand new Rolex / But you can't never find the time to spend at home / Thinkin' that's gon' keep her happy / Your time is all she wanted all along." He says that the guy will lose his girl if he doesn't start paying attention to her and give her the time she deserves, which is more important than money.

With his sultry smooth voice and top notch lyrics, Usher's "Confessions" is truly worth the listen.