Music

Sound Check

What�s spinning this week

Usher
Confessions Special Edition
LaFace Records

Usher is currently the hottest act in R&B, and his album Confessions has been the hottest album of 2004. Now Usher and his people have added four tracks to the album, more CD liner pictures and a special hologram cover and re-released it as Confessions Special Edition. The biggest bonus on the re-release is the addition of Usher�s chart-topping duet with Alicia Keys, �My Boo.�

Other than that track and a remix of �Confessions Part II,� there really isn�t much else that�s new that�s worth mentioning. But the original album is such a perfect mix of sappy lyrics and funky beats that there really wasn�t much to improve on. If you haven�t already bought the first version, Special Edition would be a good pickup for any R&B fan. This one�s especially nice for anyone who�s cheated on their girl and is looking for forgiveness. � Chris Blake

Boyz II Men
Throwback
MSM Music

This is an album that should be required listening for anyone in the music business � it�s the perfect example of why sometimes it�s better to just stop making music. Boyz II Men were probably the hottest R&B act of the early and mid �90s. Back then, just the sound of these guys� voices could melt the heart of any woman. Unfortunately, these days it seems the only thing their voices will be melting are people�s ears.

Throwback is Boyz II Men�s latest attempt to prolong a successful career that by even the most generous stretch of reality was over at least five years ago. The album, a mix of covers of songs by artists as varied Michael Jackson and Hall & Oates, is truly a disaster. The guys come across as half-hearted and lifeless, and it seems the sweet, soulful voices that powered the guys to fame have gone in the same direction as their careers � straight downhill. Back in 1992, Boyz II Men scored a hit with probably their most famous song ever, �End of the Road.� Well, the end of the road is finally here, and the only thing Boyz II Men should be throwing themselves into is retirement. � Chris Blake

Vocabulary

hologram (n): a special type of picture in which the objects seem to be three-dimensional
sappy (adj): full of unnecessary emotion
forgiveness (n): the act of no longer feeling angry with somebody who has done something to harm, annoy or upset you
prolong (v): to make something last longer
half-hearted (adj): done without enthusiasm  or effort