Confessions

Helping orphans the way you would do it

Table of contents

1 Usher album

1.1 Making of the album
1.2 Chart success
1.3 Track Listing
1.4 Links

2 St. Augustine of Hippo book series

2.5 Themes of the books
2.6 Links

3 Dweezil Zappa album

3.7 Tracks
3.8 Link

Usher album

Confessions is a R&B album by Raymond Usher released on March 23, 2004. In the following week, it sold 1.1 million copies in the US, the most albums ever sold in one week by an R&B artist and sending to the top of the Billboard 200, R&B/Hip Hop and Internet album charts in the US. It has also topped the charts in the UK and Canada and reached number 2 in Australia. The lead single "Yeah" featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris has topped singles charts around the world.

Making of the album

Usher told MTV that he wanted to make the album sound as if he is confessing to something. "This album had to be a lot more personal than the last. It had to be something different than the last. For the most part, the topics, they're very much so personal. In a way, [I wanted] to play off the name Confessions, to make the entire album seem as if I'm confessing to someone or something. All of us have our Pandora's boxes or skeletons in our closets. I let a few of them out, you know. And with everything that's been happening in my life, I've got a lot to say. I've got a lot of stuff built in me that I just want to let go of."

As well, Usher wanted to continue with the traditions of R&B. The second song "Throwback" featured the legendary Motown songwriting combination of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland). The album also features songwriting contributions by longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri and R&B hopeful Thicke. However, when Usher presented the songs from the album to Antonio (LA) Reid, then in charge of Arista Records, they agreed that the track needed a first single. Usher recorded a couple of tracks with fellow resident of Atlanta, Georgia including "Oh Yeah" in the crunk style that Lil Jon is known for.

Chart success

Usher released the Confessions album on March 23, 2004. Confessions sold 1.1 million records in its first week of release, the most sales in the first week by any R&B artist and the highest sales by any artist in three years. Along with the success of the Norah Jones album Feels Like Home, it was seen as a sign that record sales were slowly recovering after three straight years of decline in the US. The album topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic as well as topping US R&B charts and Internet albums charts and reaching number 2 in Australia. "Yeah" features contributions by Ludacris and Lil Jon and was released as the first single. Confessions has so far spawned the following hits:

"Yeah" has topped the Billboard Hot 100, European, World, US and World R&B charts, World Adult, Australian, Norwegian and Swiss charts and reached number 2 in Canada;
"Burn" has so far reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and US R&B/Hip Hop charts as well as number 5 on the Rhythmic Top 40 charts; and
"Confessions Part II" has so far reached number 41 on the US R&B charts.

Confessions has so far achieved double platinum status in the US selling over 2 million albums by April 2004.

Track Listing

Intro
Yeah!
Throwback
Confessions (Interlude)
Confessions Pt. 2
Burn
Caught Up
Superstar (Interlude)
Superstar
Truth Hurts
Simple Things
Bad Girl
That's What Its Made For
Can U Handle It
Do It To Me
Take Your Hand
Follow Me

St. Augustine of Hippo book series

Confessions is also the name of a series of books by St. Augustine of Hippo written between 397 and 398 AD. The book tells about his sinful youth and how he converted to Catholicism. It is the first autobiography ever published as well as being a significant theological work.

Themes of the books

his infancy and boyhood up to age 15;
he falls amongst bad companions committing theft and succumbing to lust;
his studies at Carthage, his conversion to Manichaeism and continued indulgence in lust between 16 and 19;
losing a friend and studies in Aristotle and the fit and the fair between 20 and 29;
moving away from Manichaeism under the influence of St. Ambrose in Milan at 29;
under the influence of St. Ambrose work, moves towards Catholicism at the age of 30;
moving towards a greater understanding of God at the age of 31;
his conversion to Christianity at the age of 32 and receiving instruction by Simplicianus on how to convert others;
his baptism at 33, the death of his mother Monica and the death of his friends Nebridius and Vecundus, and his abandonment of his studies of rhetoric;
continued reflections on the values of confessions;
reflections on Genesis;
continued reflections on the book of Genesis; and
exploration of the meaning of Genesis and the Trinity

Dweezil Zappa album

The factual accuracy of this article is disputed

Confessions is also an album by Dweezil Zappa, released in 1991.

Link

All Music Guide Confessions by Dweezil Zappa page