Usher Reveals How He Really Felt About Those Lukewarm 'Confessions' Reviews

etonline.com:

Usher, there is a lot of glory in creating a timeless catalogue of records that fans never tire of. But the reality of the music industry is that the praise ebbs and flows, and the R&B veteran recently got real about his hits and misses in conversation with The 43-year-old tells the outlet that the main takeaway he's learned throughout his career is that «artists need to build strong catalogues around the hits and audiences must give the music the time and respect it deserves.» «Don't just make singles, make an experience,» the artist says.Despite  being a well-loved album among his fans, Usher admits that the lukewarm response from critics disappointed him.

The 2004 album received generally positive reviews, but the singer noted that the more mixed responses could be attributed to critics having to get «acclimated» to his still-evolving sound.«I feel it was partially on the story that we were telling and people getting acclimated to this new artist and having respect for or understanding of what it was for the guys who grew up with the Princes, the Michael Jacksons, the Whispers, the Isley Brothers, and the Luther Vandrosses,» he tells  «They were looking at a new frontier… I do wish critics celebrated what I was working on in that time.

It’s okay that they didn’t because it made me work harder.»Similarly, there was a divided response to his  follow-up,. When recalling his inspiration for putting out the album, Usher noted that he was «going through a human moment» during the time and wanted to translate that into his music. «I realized in R&B and hip-hop songs at the time, people didn’t share the fact that a relationship was the inspiration for the songs.