I’m Guessing That It’s True

Usher “Good Kisser”

Usher’s catalog at this point is like a museum of hot R&B production trends from the past two decades – there’s not a lot tying it all together aside from his voice and a consistently good instinct for knowing what kind of sounds will be exciting at any given moment. “Good Kisser” uses the recent Pharrell renaissance as a jump-off point, but pushes that syncopated, off-kilter take on classic soul a bit further, so the track feels like you’re hearing an early ’70s Stevie Wonder song from a strange angle. Usher’s phrasing in this song is fantastic – he’s very nimble and expressive, shifting from more staccato, rhythmic parts in a somewhat pinched voice to a smoother, more delicate tone when the song drops its tension in the bridge up to the chorus. The whole song is a very well calibrated build up of excited, anxious energy and cathartic release, so it’s not very surprising that the lyrics play off that by having him lust for this person, and then go loose and ecstatic the moment he gets what he wants.

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