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Confessions (Usher Album)
''Confessions'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Usher. It was released on March 23, 2004, by Arista Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003 to 2004, with its production handled by his longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri, along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Lil Jon, among others. Primarily an R&B album, ''Confessions'' showcases Usher as a crooner through a mixture of ballads and up-tempos, incorporating musical genres of dance-pop, hip hop and crunk. The album's themes generated controversy about Usher's personal relationships; however, the album's primary producer Jermaine Dupri claimed the album reflects Dupri's own personal story. In the United States, the album sold 1.1 million copies in its first week. To boost sales amid threats of bootlegging, the special edition for the album was issued, which includes the single, " My Boo"; a duet with Alicia Keys. ''Confessions'' earned Usher several awards, including the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Superstar (Delaney And Bonnie Song)
"Superstar" is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell with a songwriting credit also given to Delaney Bramlett that has been a hit for many artists in different genres and interpretations in the years since; the best-known versions are by the Carpenters in 1971, and by Luther Vandross in 1983. Original Delaney and Bonnie version Rita Coolidge came up with this song idea based on observing female groupies' relationships with rock stars of the late 1960s. In its first recorded incarnation, the song was called "Groupie (Superstar)", and was recorded and released as a B-side to the Delaney & Bonnie single "Comin' Home" in December 1969. Released by Atco Records in the United States and Atlantic Records in the rest of the world, the full credit on the single was to Delaney & Bonnie and Friends featuring Eric Clapton. "Comin' Home" reached number 84 on the US pop singles chart, although it achieved a peak of sixteen on the UK Singles Chart. The original version f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Confessions Part II
"Confessions Part II" is a song by R&B singer Usher, produced by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox for Usher's fourth album '' Confessions''. Written by Usher, Dupri and Cox, the song is a confession of a man to his woman about his impregnated mistress. This is a continuation of "Confessions Part I" which relates to a man's infidelity. Its personal content evoked rumors and early responses from the public even before its release, believing that Usher was asserting the truth; however, Dupri divulged that the story behind the album is about himself. "Confessions Part II" received mixed reviews from critics. The song was released as the third single from the album, following the success of "Burn". The single reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for two weeks, becoming the album's third consecutive number-one single. Internationally, the single had lesser success than the album's previous releases. Background and release When he started working on his fourth studi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Columbia Records. After disputes with the label, she signed with Arista Records and later released her debut album, '' Songs in A Minor'', with J Records in 2001. The album was critically and commercially successful, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. It spawned the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one single " Fallin'", and earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002. Her second album, '' The Diary of Alicia Keys'' (2003), was also a critical and commercial success, selling eight million copies worldwide, and producing the singles " You Don't Know My Name", " If I Ain't Got You", and " Diary". The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards. In 2004, her duet " My Boo" with Usher became her second number-one single. Keys released ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bootleg Recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. Making and distributing such recordings is known as ''bootlegging''. Recordings may be copied and traded among fans without financial exchange, but some bootleggers have sold recordings for profit, sometimes by adding professional-quality sound engineering and packaging to the raw material. Bootlegs usually consist of unreleased studio recordings, live performances or interviews without the quality control of official releases. The practice of releasing unauthorised performances had been established before the 20th century, but reached new popularity with Bob Dylan's ''Great White Wonder'', a compilation of studio outtakes and demos released in 1969 using low-priority pressing plants. The following year, the Rolling Stones' ''Live'r Than You'll Ever Be'', an audience recording of a late 1969 show, received a positive review in '' Rolling St ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crunk
Crunk is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the early 1990s and gained mainstream success during the mid 2000s. Crunk is often up-tempo and one of Southern hip hop's more dance and club oriented subgenres. An archetypal crunk track frequently uses a main groove consisting of layered keyboard synths, a drum machine clapping rhythm, heavy basslines, and shouting vocals, often in a call and response manner. The term "crunk" was also used throughout the 2000s as a blanket term to denote any style of Southern hip hop, a side effect of the genre's breakthrough to the mainstream. The word derives from its African-American slang past-participle form, "crunk", of the verb "to crank" (as in the phrase "crank up"). It refers to being excited or high on drugs. Etymology The term has been attributed mainly to African-American slang, in which it holds various meanings.Oxford English Dictionary It most commonly refers to the verb phrase "to crank up". It is theorized that the use o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a combination of dance and pop with influences of disco, post-discoSmay, David & Cooper, Kim (2001). ''Bubblegum Music Is the Naked Truth: The Dark History of Prepubescent Pop, from the Banana Splits to Britney Spears'': "... think about Stock-Aitken-Waterman and Kylie Minogue. Dance pop, that's what they call it now — Post-Disco, post-new wave and incorporating elements of both." Feral House: Publisher, p. 327. . and synth-pop, it is generally characterised by strong beats with easy, uncomplicated song structures which are generally more similar to pop music than the more free-form dance genre, with an emphasis on melody as well as catchy tunes. The genre, on the whole, tends to be producer-driven, despite some notable exceptions. Dance ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glossary Of Musical Terminology
A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases differ from the original or current Italian meanings. Most of the other terms are taken from French and German, indicated by ''Fr.'' and ''Ger.'', respectively. Unless specified, the terms are Italian or English. The list can never be complete: some terms are common, and others are used only occasionally, and new ones are coined from time to time. Some composers prefer terms from their own language rather than the standard terms listed here. 0–9 ; 1′ : "sifflet" or one foot organ stop ; I : usually for orchestral string instruments, used to indicate that the player should play the passage on the highest-pitched, thinnest string ; ′ : Tierce organ stop ; 2′ : two feet – pipe o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ballads
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Europe, and later in Australia, North Africa, North America and South America. Ballads are often 13 lines with an ABABBCBC form, consisting of couplets (two lines) of rhymed verse, each of 14 syllables. Another common form is ABAB or ABCB repeated, in alternating eight and six syllable lines. Many ballads were written and sold as single sheet broadsides. The form was often used by poets and composers from the 18th century onwards to produce lyrical ballads. In the later 19th century, the term took on the meaning of a slow form of popular love song and is often used for any love song, particularly the sentimental ballad of pop or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crooner
Crooner is a term used to describe primarily male singers who performed using a smooth style made possible by better microphones which picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to access a more dynamic range and perform in a more intimate manner. It is derived from the old verb "to croon" (meaning "to speak or sing softly"). This suggestion of intimacy was supposedly wildly attractive to women, especially younger ones such as teenage girls, known at the time as " bobby soxers". The crooning style developed out of singers who performed with big bands, and reached its height in the 1940s to late 60s. Crooning is epitomised by jazz vocalists like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, although Sinatra once said that he did not consider himself or Crosby to be "crooners". Other performers, such as Russ Columbo, also rejected the term. History This dominant popular vocal style coincided with the advent of radio broadcasting and electrical recording ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lil Jon
Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre crunk, and is credited with bringing the genre into mainstream success. Lil Jon frequently collaborates with Miami-based rapper Pitbull, Bay Area-based rappers Too Short and E-40 . He participates as one-third of an unofficial trio consisting of Atlanta-based artists Ludacris and Usher who frequently create songs together. As a producer, Lil Jon has produced several ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit singles including "Salt Shaker", "Cyclone", " Get Low", "Snap Yo Fingers", " Damn!", " Freek-a-Leek", "Lovers and Friends", " Goodies" and " Yeah!". As a five-time Grammy award nominee, Lil Jon won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance with Usher and Ludacris for "Yeah!" In 2013, Lil Jon collaborated with producer DJ Snake and released "T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Studio Album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records collected in a bound book resembling a photograph album; this format evolved after 1948 into single vinyl long-playing (LP) records played at rpm. The album was the dominant form of recorded music expression and consumption from the mid-1960s to the early 21st century, a period known as the album era. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though album sales in the 21st-century have mostly focused on CD and MP3 formats. The 8-track tape was the first tape format widely used alongside vinyl from 1965 until being phased out by 1983 and was gradually supplanted by the cassette tape during the 1970s and early 1980s; the popularity of the cassette reached its peak during the late 1980s, sharply declined during the 1990s and had largely disappeared d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
