My Way (Usher album) explained

My Way
Type:studio
Artist:Usher
Cover:Usher - My Way.png
Released:September 16, 1997
Length:40:21
Prev Title:Usher
Prev Year:1994
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My Way is the second studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on September 16, 1997, by LaFace Records in North America. The album features guest appearances from Monica, Jermaine Dupri, and Lil' Kim. The album was supported by three singles, all multi platinum-selling: "Nice & Slow", "My Way", and "You Make Me Wanna...".

With most of the album production by Babyface and Dupri, the album became a commercial success, debuting at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and peaking at number four. The album also reached number four on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and eventually topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for three weeks. It was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). My Way became Usher's breakthrough album and earned him a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "You Make Me Wanna...".

Critical reception

In a contemporary review, The Source magazine said with My Way, "Usher proves that he's aiming to become more than just R&B music's best kept secret".[1] Asondra R. Hunter from Vibe said that Usher is sensual through his mild and gentle tone and tasteful, refined lyrics.[2] Robert Christgau, writing in The Village Voice, cited "Just Like Me" and "You Make We Wanna..." as highlights, and quipped that Usher was "the sweetest nonvirgin a mama could ask".[3] He gave My Way a one-star honorable mention,[4] indicating "a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like."[5] In a negative review for Rolling Stone, David Fricke felt that the album has too many downtempo songs, and criticized the writing and production quality.[6]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave My Way four out of five stars and praised Usher's vocal restraint, but noted inconsistency in quality.[7] In a 2002 review, Q magazine also gave it four stars and wrote that it established Usher's reputation as a young and skillful performer of R&B slow jams.[8] Keith Harris, writing in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), gave it three-and-a-half stars and said that, although Dupri's combination of hi-hat hits, acoustic-guitar arpeggios, and occasional guest raps from him and Lil Kim can inhibit the album, My Way was the work of a significant, enterprising artist. Yahoo! Music's Billy Johnson Jr. credited the album for Usher's breakthrough into the music industry, and lauded the production of the three singles.[9]

Accolades

Commercial performance

My Way debuted at number 15 on the US Billboard 200 chart dated October 4, 1997, selling 66,000 copies in its first week in the United States.[10] [11] It entered the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums at number four on that same week.[12] The album rose to number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums on January 10, 1998; it topped the chart for three consecutive weeks,[13] and remained on the chart for a total of seventy-five weeks.[14] My Way peaked at number four on the Billboard 200, and spent seventy-nine weeks on that chart. It has since been certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over six million copies in the United States. As of 2002, it had sold six million copies in the United States and seven million copies worldwide. In September 2022 (25th anniversary), the album was finally certified to have sold seven million copies in the US alone.[15]

Track listing

Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Allmusic and album's liner notes.[18] [19]

Charts

Year-end charts

1997 year-end chart performance for My Way
Chart (1997)Position
Canadian Albums (SoundScan)[21] 60
US Billboard 200[22] 164
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23] 63
1998 year-end chart performance for My Way
Chart (1998)Position
Canadian Albums (SoundScan)[24] 67
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] 88
US Billboard 200[26] 11
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[27] 6

Decade-end charts

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormat(s)Label(s)
United StatesSeptember 16, 1997
VariousSeptember 16, 2022[29]

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Review: My Way. The Source. New York. 174. November 1997.
  2. Hunter. Asondra R.. October 1997. Revolutions. Vibe. New York. 170. June 23, 2013.
  3. News: Christgau. Robert. Robert Christgau. January 27, 1998. Consumer Guide. The Village Voice. New York. June 23, 2013.
  4. Web site: Christgau. Robert. Album: Usher: My Way. Robert Christgau. June 23, 2013.
  5. Web site: Christgau. Robert. 2000. Key to Icons. Robert Christgau. June 23, 2013.
  6. Fricke . David . David Fricke . December 25, 1997 . Usher: My Way . . New York . June 23, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081223113740/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/usher/albums/album/99477/review/6067900/my_way . December 23, 2008 . unfit .
  7. My Way – Usher
  8. Review: My Way. Q. London. 148. August 2002.
  9. Web site: Johnson Jr.. Billy. My Way. Yahoo! Music. November 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718133806/http://ca.music.yahoo.com/read/review/12029418. July 18, 2011. dead.
  10. News: Got Charts? Usher's Platinum Mine; A Tolkien Spell; An Ill-Fated Concept . https://web.archive.org/web/20121107085001/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1451449/got-charts-ushers-platinum-tolkiens-spell.jhtml . dead . November 7, 2012 . David . Basham . MTV News. Viacom. December 13, 2001 . June 23, 2013.
  11. Billboard 200 . October 4, 1997 . . . June 23, 2013.
  12. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums . October 4, 1997 . Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. June 23, 2013.
  14. Usher – Chart history: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums . Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. June 23, 2013.
  15. Web site: Usher 8701 Review. Christian. Hopwood. BBC Music. BBC. 2002. June 23, 2013.
  16. Web site: My Way/Usher Live . . February 12, 2024.
  17. My Way . 1997 . CD liner . . Usher.
  18. My Way – Usher: Credits
  19. My Way . 1997 . booklet . LaFace, Arista.
  20. News: January 15, 1998 . Top 10 R&B Albums . . B6 . Newspapers.com.
  21. Web site: Albums: Top 100 of 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/20010320221621/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/ALBUMS_1997.html. March 20, 2001 . dead . Jam!. November 21, 2023.
  22. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997. Billboard. January 19, 2021.
  23. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997. Billboard. January 19, 2021.
  24. Web site: Albums: Year-end Top 200. https://web.archive.org/web/20000817201206/http://jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/ALBUMS_1998.html. August 17, 2000 . dead . Jam!. November 21, 2023.
  25. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 1998. dutchcharts.nl. January 19, 2021.
  26. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998. Billboard. January 19, 2021.
  27. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998. Billboard. January 19, 2021.
  28. Geoff Mayfield . 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s . Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. December 25, 1999 . October 15, 2010.
  29. Web site: My Way (25th Anniversary Edition) . . February 12, 2024.

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