#LisaRinna
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Post by #LisaRinna on Feb 9, 2024 17:36:21 GMT -5
"Kissing Strangers" is everything.
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🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲
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Post by 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 on Feb 9, 2024 21:14:58 GMT -5
Finished listening to the album. Here's my take on it. It's not one of his strongest effort, but I like it much better than his last two albums. I like the non-single tracks "A-Town Girl", "Bop", "Stone Kold Freak", "Luckiest Man", "Please U", and "On The Side". The second half is much more interesting than the first as a whole.
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Mike
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Posts: 15,930
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Post by Mike on Feb 10, 2024 0:27:57 GMT -5
A bunch of new RIAA certifications are in!
Albums: Confessions - 14x Platinum 8701 - 5xP Raymond V Raymond - 3xP Here I Stand - 2xP Looking 4 Myself - Platinum
Singles: Yeah! - 13x Platinum Omg - 8xP DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love - 8xP U Got It Bad - 5xP Love In This Club - 5xP Burn - 4xP I Don't Mind - 4xP Confessions Part II - 3xP Scream - 3xP Climax - 3xP U Remind Me - 2xP Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home) - 2xP Superstar - Platinum Caught Up - Platinum U Don't Have To Call - Platinum Trading Places - Platinum There Goes My Baby - Platinum Love In This Club Part Ii - Platinum Lil Freak - Platinum Moving Mountains - Platinum Good Kisser - Platinum Lemme See - Platinum Can U Handle It? - Gold That's What It's Made For - Gold Papers - Gold Hot Tottie - Gold Bad Habits - Gold
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elementd5
4x Platinum Member
Joined: June 2006
Posts: 4,084
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Post by elementd5 on Feb 10, 2024 1:33:35 GMT -5
On first listen, the album is a bore. Nothing really stood out as exciting. Will listen again this weekend.
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think pink.
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👑 💅🏻
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Post by think pink. on Feb 10, 2024 6:09:10 GMT -5
When I was a kid I would go to McDonald’s I would never order the small I would get it big
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Feb 10, 2024 8:08:50 GMT -5
When I was a kid I would go to McDonald’s I would never order the small I would get it big
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Ling-Ling
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Kill Kill Kill Kill! Die Die Die!
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Post by Ling-Ling on Feb 10, 2024 10:53:31 GMT -5
There was a recent interview where he said he recorded this album in stops and starts over five years. It definitely shows, it's all over the place, especially the sequencing. Incredibly bloated as well, only half of it's worth keeping.
Based on the singles he's been dropping ("Bad Habits," "Glu," "Good Good," "Good Love"), I was expecting a very classic R&B record. Unfortunately, that's not what he served here. I'm gonna keep half the tracks ("Good Good," "Kissing Strangers," "RIA," "Bop," "SKF," "On The Side," "IATP," "ILU," "Please U," "Luckiest Man") and add those three pre-release tracks he didn't include and you have a very solid 13 track R&B album.
*edit* There's an exclusive Skims edition of the album, lmao (yes the Kardashian undergarments line). And it has a bonus track called "Naked" that's definitely better than over half the album. Throw that on and make it a very solid 14 track R&B album.
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Feb 10, 2024 12:07:30 GMT -5
And this album:
USHER Title: HARD II LOVE Certification Date: February 9, 2024 Label: RCA Format: ALBUM Gold
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Rican@
8x Platinum Member
[Only dry eyes, I would love on you for years]
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Post by Rican@ on Feb 10, 2024 13:02:04 GMT -5
I feel he needs another strong single out besides Good Good. The former feels old from when it was first released.
I have made it through half of the album. It does dragged; however, once I Am the Party starts, it gets better for me. I do hope he does numbers. I feel he will and this is his comeback because the exposure has been great for him. He just needs another song on radio like right now.
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Troublemaker
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Post by Troublemaker on Feb 10, 2024 15:24:34 GMT -5
Ok at first when I saw that the album was going to have 20 songs, I was scared it was going to drag. Some songs (don’t care which) could have been left off the album in order to make it a stronger project. His albums leading up to Looking 4 myself have been cohesive (at least for me), I was expecting this was going to be a return to form but I guess not. Like Ling said, ALL those singles he released before the album could have easily made the album. Justice for don’t waste my time
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Feb 10, 2024 15:32:51 GMT -5
Like Ling said, ALL those singles he released before the album could have easily made the album. Justice for don’t waste my timeOMG, that one totally slipped my mind! Yep, throw it on the album, lol.
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Feb 10, 2024 16:59:22 GMT -5
Another imcomplete physical release LOL. 17 songs (which excludes the Kook song, so...whatever, though the sticker says it's on the album, LOL), with a slightly shuffled tracklist (starts with Keep On Dancing, ends with Margiela) and no Burna Boy on Coming Home. Will give my thoughts once I listen to this project.
Edit: I lied on Usher's name. There are 20 songs on the album, including Jung Kook but the sequence is still altered and Burns Boy is still missing from Coming Home.
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Feb 10, 2024 23:58:26 GMT -5
I admit. I pretty much stopped caring about Usher after his last album, which I didn't hate, but yeah...He sounds FANTASTIC. Also, the production, mixing, mastering sound EXPENSIVE. I am impressed the most about that aspect and Usher's vocals. Some of his worst lyrics ever (I am going to have a hard time forgiving him for wasting Big's beat on that song...), but still, I am cool with this album. Actually, I think it's solid overall and would probably sit in the middle of his catalog. It does flow together well, while experimenting a little. Very cohesive and I was expecting it to be all over the place. The Jung Kook song is an outlier, but it's obvious why he included it. Actually, remove the bookends on the physical edition and it work, from a flow perspective, anyway. At least the songs that I disliked had good production. I give it a solid B/B-
1. Kissing Strangers (Yeah, in full, this is amazing. Reminds me of a more upbeat Moving Mountains. This sounds like a hit to me. Wild that this wound up being the best song on the album.) 2. Please U (YESSSSS.) 3. Good Good (First time hearing this (I know, I know...) and I like it. Sounds like classic Usher! I wish he had gotten Sza instead of Summer Walker, but she sounds OK, I guess. I've just never gotten into her. Anyway, this is well-structured overall and one of Usher's stronger latter-day singles. 21 21.) 4. Risk It All (So beautiful and makes me wish this was what he and Alicia gave the world instead of...My Boo.) 5. A-Town Girl (Goofy as FUCK, but VERY cute. They should release this as a single. Usher sounds GREAT and I like Latto's verse. Plus, the sample is recognizable and I feel like the A Town girls on TikTok will eat this up.) 6. Cold Blooded (What is this weird shit?! Amelodic, but the production is beyond amazing. Pharrell x The-Dream went wayyy too ham.) 7. One Of Them Ones (Another classic Usher song, but he can do this in his sleep at this point.) 8. Luckiest Man (Classic Usher. Nothing else to add.) 9. On The Side (It's fine.) 10. I Am The Party (OK, my attention was starting to fade by this point. Nothing wrong with it, though. Well, I think the hook is weak, but...overall, it works.) 11. Ruin (This is more cruise ship than I think Usher and all involved parties intended, but I can rock to it. It also gives me Boyz II Men vibes.) 12. Stone Kold Freak (This is cool. Late 80's/90's R&B vibe. I dig.) 13. Bop (The chorus takes me out and I don't know if I like the vocal production and vocal choices on this one so much. It's interesting.) 14. Coming Home (But wait...the way Cold Blooded flows into this on the CD makes sense, so now I guess that means Keep On Dancin' should have just been chopped. Anyway, this is weird, but kinda cool? The lyrics are...questionable, but I dig the production.) 15. I Love You (I don't really remember it, but I didn't dislike it.) 16. Keep On Dancin' (What a...peculiar way to start the physical edition of the album. It's like he's taking a page from Ciara's pop book over her last couple albums and I don't know how I feel about it. I don't hate it though. The way the subsequent song flow into each other makes it even more obvious this was not supposed to be the first song off the album, LOL.) 17. I Need A Room (Sure.) 18. Margiela (What is this?? LOL. Sounds like Robert-level ranting but with expensive production. This song has no structure whatsoever. Also, the Coachella reference is goofy.) 19. Big (Embarrassing. I don't even think Jason Derulo would stoop this low. Production can't save it, but damn, does it try!))
20. Standing Next To You (This never should have made the album. It's fine for Jung Kook's, not Usher's.)
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Post by It's me, bitch. on Feb 11, 2024 1:33:12 GMT -5
Yeah! Omg DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love U Got It Bad Love In This Club Good Good
I think these will be must haves for tomorrow. Anyone else?
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think pink.
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Post by think pink. on Feb 11, 2024 6:40:46 GMT -5
Surprised at how hard this is tanking on streaming. I thought with all the hype and good will he’s built up with his Vegas residency & SB hype that there would be at least some interest in a new Usher album.
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🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲
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Post by 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 on Feb 11, 2024 10:27:01 GMT -5
More interviews...
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Nick
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Posts: 8,687
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Post by Nick on Feb 11, 2024 16:05:47 GMT -5
"Kissing Strangers" is everything. Love it now. It's been the one I keep going back to.
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Snowbeast
3x Platinum Member
My favs= Asiapop, dancing cow guy & that guy that is named whatever Lady GaGa's current single is
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Posts: 3,679
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Post by Snowbeast on Feb 11, 2024 20:45:58 GMT -5
The most live vocals I’ve ever seen at a Super Bowl. He sounded GREAT. Alicia must be SICK, but she was still able to belt some notes.
Super anti-climatic open/ wrong song to open with…overall it was good performance, but a real poor encapsulation of his legacy…
I can’t believe he didn’t do U Remind Me….or Come Thru….or DJ Got Us Falling in Love
Or Lil’Freak….or Daddy’s Home….
That setlist was definitely a choice. But I couldn’t take my eyes off him. This feels like how he wants USHER to be remembered - and I respect that.
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Caviar
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Post by Caviar on Feb 11, 2024 20:55:23 GMT -5
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🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲
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Post by 🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲 on Feb 11, 2024 20:58:15 GMT -5
I'm surprised he didn't perform "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love", but he absolutely KILLED it with his performances. That "Yeah" performance with Lil Jon and Ludacris was lit!!! It really took me back! 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Go Usher, Go Usher, Go Usher!!!
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jenglisbe
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Post by jenglisbe on Feb 11, 2024 21:00:24 GMT -5
The transition from "Turn Down for What" into "Yeah" was every single thing. I also loved that he brought skating to the Super Bowl (as he'd told us).
It also felt like a tribute to Atlanta, which was cool.
Sorry but Alicia was the worst part. Were the keys in the stadium, Alicia?
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Post by Resident_Evil on Feb 11, 2024 21:16:22 GMT -5
It was good but too busy and he could've left off some songs. I am surprised he did not include "DJ's Got Us Falling in Love", "My Way", "U Remind Me" and "Without U", even perhaps "Pop Ya Collar". But you can clearly tell he put in a LOT of effort into this.
But whats with H.E.R and her industry plant act being included everywhere?
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Wavey✨️
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Positive Vibes🙏🏾❤
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Post by Wavey✨️ on Feb 11, 2024 21:59:09 GMT -5
I didn't realize he's independent now.
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Feb 11, 2024 23:40:49 GMT -5
I didn't realize he's independent now. Yeah, when I bought the CD and saw the label, I was like...huh? He was EXCELLENT at the Super Bowl.
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toxicbaby
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Post by toxicbaby on Feb 11, 2024 23:54:38 GMT -5
The performance was so messy, he was just all over the place. Yeah's performance was fantastic though
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elementd5
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Post by elementd5 on Feb 12, 2024 0:21:20 GMT -5
On further listens, the second half of the album goes. Bop, Stone Kold Freak, I Am the Party, On The Side, I Love U, Please U, Luckiest Man, One of the Ones.
He does R&B so well. The Pop / Urban songs are still a miss for me, though. Would prefer Kissing Strangers if it had an R&B beat, too.
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#LisaRinna
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Post by #LisaRinna on Feb 12, 2024 6:58:14 GMT -5
He SLAYED.
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Post by balletgirlmom on Feb 12, 2024 7:35:53 GMT -5
Great show, great performance! Go Usher!!!!!
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Kishi KCM
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Post by Kishi KCM on Feb 12, 2024 9:59:51 GMT -5
I enjoyed the halftime performance. Just wanted some songs to be longer. He definitely wants to celebrate Confessions 20th anniversary, which is why some songs (You Make Me, U Remind Me, Climax, DJ, Daddy's Home) were omitted.
The wardrobe was everything as was the choreography! Love the tribute to Atlanta, HBCU culture and the ending. Vocals were solid!
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Hefty Hanna
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Post by Hefty Hanna on Feb 12, 2024 12:37:50 GMT -5
I really enjoyed the show tbh
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