The new album COMING HOME by Usher Raymond, the King of R&B, has officially been released just two days before he will headline the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show. His latest album, COMING HOME, pays tribute to both his R&B mastery and his hometown of Atlanta through its track composition. This year marks not only his ninth album release but also his 30th anniversary in the music business, which adds even more significance to this milestone in his career.
He’s been referred to as the King of R&B by many of his fans for a reason: Ever since the release of his self-titled first album in 1994, Usher has been releasing hits for thirty years. With COMING HOME, he ushers into a new chapter in his career. Usher honors his legacy and goes back to his origins with this album yet he sets a different tone within the lyrics and beats. This record also serves as a contribution to his very first solo project.
The recently announced Past Present Future Tour, which will take him across North America later this year, is a prelude to this album. In an hour and seven minutes, Usher tells stories of passion, love lost, love, and nearly everything in between across the course of 20 tracks. Usher shows off his versatility as a musician with everything from energetic club bangers and pop singles to intense R&B. Numerous musicians, including Burna Boy, Summer Walker, 21 Savage, The-Dream, Latto, H.E.R., Pheelz, and Jung Kook, are included on the album, which spans a wide range of genres.
The first title track, “Coming Home,” featuring Burna Boy, expresses the feeling of wanting to go home to his sweetheart after touring. In addition, he collaborated with Summer Walker and 21 Savage on the song “Good Good,” which explores a laid-back romance following a breakup. However, “Risk It All,” which stars H.E.R., digs into a romantic adventure where two lovers risk it all for each other in the sake of their love. In “Room in a Room,” Usher eventually opens up on the difficulties of a relationship growing apart.
All of the tracks deliver dreamy and intoxicating vocals, among the songs that don’t have features are: “Kissing Strangers,” “Keep On Dancin’,” “Bop,” “Stone Kold Freak,” “BIG,” “On the Side,” “I Am the Party,” “I Love U,” “Please U,” “Luckiest Man,” “Margiela,” “Room in a Room” and “One of Them Ones.” The album closes with the remix of Jung Kook’s “Standing Next to You.”
Usher’s musical universe is shaped by the recognizable personas found in these songs and his unrestrained vocal delivery. Usher glides over the various melodies he has composed for himself throughout the album; they are faster, higher, and jumpier, and he adds a new mood and vocal tone to each verse and track. The beats varied, featuring afrobeats, trap, new jack swing, and bounce.
COMING HOME stands out from Usher’s “regular” tunes, beats, and verses, and it has the potential to be the next big album. With the album being undoubtedly different from your regular Usher songs, the beats and lyrics are spot on, and it makes an excellent contribution to his career. However, it also suggests a self-assurance that seems to be chasing Usher: the coziness of an open door, kicking off your shoes, and curling up on the couch with something you know — it’s all just a sense of “Coming Home.”
