Life Listens: New music from Usher, Energy, David Tao, The Last Dinner Party and Opposition Party

Source: The Straits Times
Author: Jan Lee, Eddino Abdul Hadi, Benson Ang

SINGAPORE - In this final column of a weekly series, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music you need to know about now.

American R&B star Usher's big return to pop culture's mainstream consciousness goes beyond his much-praised Super Bowl half-time performance - he has a brand new set of songs, too.

Coming Home, his ninth album, comes eight years after his last solo album Hard II Love (2016). In it, the 45-year-old dives deep into what he does best - sensual R&B that is sometimes cheesy, but always entertaining.

In songs such as the title track and Cold Blooded, the singer leans heavily into his reputation as a ladykiller. And if the innuendo of him holding a peach on the cover is not obvious enough, he makes it clear in the lyrics that there is nothing chaste about his intentions.

And while On The Side, a song about being unfaithful, is rather dodgy, tracks such as Ruin ground him and show that even Usher can have his heart broken.

Stylistically, the album covers a lot of ground, from funk and Afropop to ballads and dancefloor pop, but his smooth, silky pipes make it all sound cohesive.

Like in many of his popular works, Coming Home sees him collaborate with contemporary stars. They range from rapper 21 Savage and R&B singer Summer Walker on Good Good, to South Korean singer Jungkook on a remix of the BTS member's Standing Next To You, first released in late 2023.