Released September 16, 1997 Length 40:21 Artist Usher Label LaFace Records | Recorded 1996-1997 My Way
(1997) Live
(1999) Release date 16 September 1997 | |
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Producer Babyface
Jermaine Dupri
Manuel Seal
Sprague "Doogie" Williams Genres Contemporary R&B, Rhythm and blues, Pop music, Soul music Similar Usher albums, Contemporary R&B albums | ||
Usher you make me wanna
My Way is the second studio album by American singer Usher. It was released by LaFace Records on September 16, 1997, in North America. The album features guest appearances from Monica, Jermaine Dupri, and Lil' Kim. The album was supported by three singles; including these platinum-selling singles with "Nice & Slow", "My Way", and "You Make Me Wanna...".
Contents
- Usher you make me wanna
- Usher you make me wanna with lyrics
- Commercial performance
- Critical reception
- Track listing
- Personnel
- Songs
- References
With most of the album production by Babyface and Dupri, the album debuted at number 15 on Billboard 200 selling 66,000 units and at number 4 on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album eventually topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for 3 weeks, while it had peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and became a commercial success. It earned the record a six-platinum certifications in the United States. My Way earned Usher Grammy-nominations and became his breakthrough album. My Way has sold over 6 million in the United States alone, and over 7 million worldwide.
Usher you make me wanna with lyrics
Commercial performance
My Way sold 66,000 copies in its first week in the United States, to debut at number 15 on the US Billboard 200 chart dated October 4, 1997. It entered the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums at number 4 on that same week. 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, and remained on the chart for a total of seventy-five weeks. My Way peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200, and lasted seventy-nine weeks on that chart. My Way has sold 6,000,000 copies in the US, and has been certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
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". Asondra R. Hunter from Vibe said that Usher is sensual through his mild tone gentle tone and tasteful, refined lyrics. Robert Christgau, writing in The Village Voice, cited "Just Like Me" and "You Make We Wanna..." as highlights and quippedly called Usher "the sweetest nonvirgin a mama could ask". He gave My Way a one-star honorable mention, indicating "a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like." In a negative review for Rolling Stone, David Fricke felt that the album has too many downtempo songs, and criticised the writing and production quality.
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. 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. 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.
Track listing
(*) denotes co-producer.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from Allmusic.
Songs
1You Make Me Wanna3:40
2Just Like Me3:28
3Nice & Slow3:48