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Usher’s Evolutionary ‘Coming Home’

  • February 17, 2024
  • 3 min read
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Usher’s Evolutionary ‘Coming Home’
usher, good good, Super Bowl, rap, hip-hop, r and b, coming home

Rating: 7/10 – VERY GOOD

Usher’s latest venture, Coming Home, is an album that deftly encapsulates the breadth of a career spanning over three decades. With this album, Usher doesn’t just tread the familiar ground of his R&B roots; he takes a grand leap into a myriad of sounds and emotional depths, making “Coming Home” a multifaceted exploration of genre, feeling, and artistry.

The album kicks off with the title track, “Coming Home,” featuring Burna Boy, which immediately sets a tone of warmth and introspection. The collaboration is seamless, blending Usher’s smooth R&B vocals with Afrobeats in a way that feels both novel and familiar. This track, along with others like “Good Good” featuring Summer Walker, shows Usher’s knack for choosing collaborators who enhance, rather than overshadow, his sound.

However, Coming Home is not without its moments of experimentation and, at times, inconsistency. Tracks like “I Am the Party” and “Cold Blooded” find Usher in his element, delivering performances that are both vocally impressive and emotionally resonant. “Cold Blooded,” in particular, stands out as a testament to Usher’s ability to convey deep emotion through his music, with its sultry, trap-infused beats and operatic backing vocals.

Yet, for all its highs, Coming Home sometimes stumbles into areas that feel less inspired. Tracks such as “Kissing Strangers” and “Keep on Dancin'” may not hit the mark for all listeners, suffering from a blend of unremarkable beats and lyrics that don’t quite live up to the rest of the album’s storytelling.

Despite these moments, Coming Home is ultimately a reflection of Usher’s evolution as an artist. It’s an album that doesn’t shy away from exploring new territories while still grounding itself in the R&B sensibilities that made Usher a household name. The production, handled by stalwarts like Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, ensures that even the less stellar tracks are well-crafted.

One of the album’s most striking qualities is its emotional range. From the introspection of “Ruin” to the unabashed romance of “Luckiest Man,” Usher navigates a spectrum of experiences and sentiments. “I Love U” is a particular highlight, channeling ’80s funk with a performance that might just be one of Usher’s best vocal displays to date.

Coming Home is an album that, much like Usher himself, refuses to be pigeonholed. It’s a testament to Usher’s continued relevance in the music industry, showcasing his ability to evolve while still paying homage to his roots. While not every track may resonate with every listener, the album as a whole stands as a compelling addition to Usher’s discography, offering enough variety to appeal to fans old and new. Coming Home is not just a return; it’s a renaissance. Check out “Good Good” below:

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About Author

Chris Ryan

Chris Ryan is an accomplished promoter, event planner, producer, activist, counselor, poet and blogger. Within the course of two and a half years Chris Ryan has worked with some of NYC's most established promoters/event planners, been named 2007′s GaySocialite of the year, granted a promoter of the year award from NYC's most famous gay establishment, Splash. He's worked in some of NYC's top venues including; Avalon, Capitale, Cipriani, Cielo, Pacha, Element, Le Poisson Rouge, XL, G Lounge, Plumm, Hilton Hotel, Indigo Hotel, Spirit, Myst/Quo, Splash, The Ritz, Vlada, Roseland Ballroom, Heaven, etc. In 2008, Chris Ryan has begun to unveil some of the most innovative & unique parties New York City has ever seen. The Fusion events "fuse" together all disciplines of art into an event that remains diverse yet cohesive at the same time. ChrisRyanNYC.com won best gay promotions website from NYC Event Patrons in 2008 & he was granted an award from the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Gov. Patterson & Michelle Clunie (QAF) saluting him for his hard work in nightlife. Chris Ryan has also begun working with many renown companies, including; doctors, lawyers, physicians, modeling agencies & more. Chris Ryan has been responsible for wide-scale promotions for all these companies & generating tremendous business. Chris Ryan has even started to become National with events taking place in LA & Miami this year. In May of 2009 Chris Ryan received the very prestigious honor of being named a "40 Under 40″ Gays in America by the Advocate Magazine. He also created three successful parties that generated over 1,500 patrons each. In January of 2010 Chris Ryan was featured as one of the top promoters to look out for in Noize Magazine Chris Ryan joined forces with legendary promoter/event producer, Lee Chappell and created one of the most talked about events of all 2010, Desire @ Capitale. Chris Ryan and Lee featured one of the most outstanding artists NYC has ever seen, "Oh Land." Her performance coupled with an exquisite and unforgettable set design added to this extravagant event that held over 1,000 patrons in one of NYC's most successful PRIDE events! Chris Ryan then joined forces with legendary Pacha promoter, Rob Fernandez in addition to Jake Resnicow and Tommy Marinelli to bring one of the largest and most successful parties worldwide to NYC, MATINEE. The event on Governor's Island saw over 2,000+ attendees and one of the most ambitious productions ever. In 2011 Chris Ryan started Emerge Music Promotions with business partner Darren Melchiorre. Emerge Music promotions began signing artists with plans to develop and market the artists to the community at large. Emerge Music promotions has big events planned for 2012 and 2013. Chris Ryan debuted the IMAGE events which took place on top of two of NYC's most beautiful rooftop venues, Rare View and Indigo Hotel. The events were blogged everywhere and featured the fashion designs of several clothing designers, artists and photographers. Chris Ryan felt that fashion and art should be displayed at every event and attracted the likes of Malan Breton, Calvin Klein and even Katy Perry. Chris Ryan began an extremely successful event which incorporated the concept of a house party into a nightclub atmosphere. The event Twist'D at G Lounge has been one of the most talked about events in NYC and allows it's audience to play nearly-naked Twister, beer pong, flip cup & more with other attendees. Chris Ryan was granted an excellence in volunteering award from AVP (Anti-Violence Project) for all his efforts in supporting the organization. 2013 has a very promising landscape on the horizon and Chris Ryan is complacent in saying "you haven't seen anything yet!"

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