As one of the most iconic R&B artists of the past few decades, Usher has a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Not only is he expected to perform to high standards, but he's also seen as a leader and a voice of counsel for the newer generation. After all, the soulful singer has a lot of experience to pass onto the next wave, one that allowed him to craft an acclaimed and opulent Las Vegas residency recently. Moreover, with his latest appearance on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on Monday morning (October 23), he didn't give any advice, but he did honor two of the most acclaimed contemporary artists in the genre to emerge over the past decade or so.
Furthermore, Usher covered Daniel Caesar and H.E.R.'s "Best Part," and put together a wonderful rendition with a nine-piece band. While the full cover isn't available on YouTube as of writing this article (which will likely change very soon), you can peep a clip of it down below. It's quite the tender and softly passionate performance, with backing vocals and a lot of extra instrumentation to the originally guitar-reliant ballad. Rather than try to best it at its own game, he made sure to bring something to the table that the song didn't have before, resulting in two great interpretations and not a simply diluted tribute.
Usher Covers "Best Part": Watch
In addition, the Confessions icon also performed his recent 21 S*vage and Summer Walker-assisted single, "Good Good." That track is pretty representative of Usher's renaissance in these past couple of months, actually, at least when it comes to new releases. It became his first song to make the top 30 of Billboard's Hot 100 chart in about eight years. With a Super Bowl halftime show on the way, too, we can only expect that the 45-year-old's catalog will be inescapable in the lead-up to it- and we're not complaining.
Meanwhile, what did you think of this rendition of "Best Part"? What other R&B classics or new favorites would you like to hear the Dallas native tackle next? However you may feel, let us know in the comments down below. As always, stick around on HNHH for the latest news and more updates on Usher.