When Usher Raymond was growing up, the native of Chattanooga, Tenn., thought that he would be a baseball or football player. But while singing with a choir at the St. Elmo's Missionary Baptist Church -- with his mother Jonnetta Patton as choir director -- the teenager turned his passion toward a life in music.

Mother and son moved in 1993 to Atlanta, where the youngster was approached by an executive from LaFace Records after a local talent show. Auditioning in front of acclaimed music executive Antonio "L.A." Reid paid off: Raymond was signed to the label.

Five albums, two Grammy Awards and a string of No. 1 singles later, the singer -- better known to the world simply by his first name -- joined the Beatles and Bee Gees this year as the only artists ever to have three songs (Burn, Yeah!, Confessions, Pt. 2) on Billboard's Top 10 in the same week.

"To be (included on a list with) individuals who were in a group ... God has been very good to me," the singer says from Miami during a recent teleconference. "There were four Beatles, there were three Bee Gees but there's only one Usher."

It's with that same confidence that Usher, 25, describes himself as the "ultimate entertainer." Aside from the hit albums, television appearances and directing his music videos, he also has starred in various films, including The Faculty and Light It Up. A reported role as Jackie Wilson in the upcoming Ray Charles film Ray isn't happening, though.

The singer brings his Truth tour, with opener Kanye West, to the Air Canada Centre tomorrow night. Usher says making his latest album, Confessions, was much more personal and intense than his 2001 effort, 8701.

"At the time (of writing) I was in a very serious relationship and I felt like I may possibly have found my partner," he says. "But once we decided to no longer date each other, then I felt I could go back and listen and say, 'Man I was crying out, I was having a problem.' That's when I recognized it.

"The album wasn't just about my experiences, it was real talk. It was about people's experiences and what they go through. You can listen to it with your partner and it might help you in life to realize you're not the only person who goes through this s--t. But you have to be willing to accept it."

Judging from sales, people have accepted the album rather well. When Confessions was released March 23, 1.1 million albums were sold in the first week. Its No. 1 stay on Billboard was only interrupted later by Eminem's D12 outfit and their album D12 World. Seventeen weeks after its release, Confessions was still No. 2 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart.

The relationship theme of the album -- whether in tracks such as Burn, Confessions, Pt. 2, Truth Hurts or That's What It's Made For -- is something Usher says makes it so appealing for so many.

"Don't focus on me," he says, "but allow me to be the vessel that allows you to hear the story, You want to be in the middle of it, like, 'I want to understand this guy' or, 'I can relate to his situation.' Because you can relate to it, you might be that a--hole.

"Confession is about coming closer. If you can get to the point where you can confess to a woman and you can deal with each other, you're truly meant to be together. This is a makeup and breakup and make babies type of album. You can listen to The Isley Brothers and Marvin Gaye and they have baby-making songs. This album is all of that and then some."

One of the names often brought up after listening to Confessions is that of the late Gaye, a singer Usher was introduced to through his grandparents' records.

"As I grew older I began to get more into his catalogue before he had his big radio hits and that's when I really fell in love with his style of music," Usher says. "I realized how honest he was able to be through his music -- whether it was good, personal, dealing with his relationships or with his own imbalances as a person. He made me become more comfortable with the music I create."

The recent rebirth or resurgence of "traditional" R&B artists is something Usher views as difficult in an age of hip-hop stars like Jay-Z,

P. Diddy and 50 Cent. But he feels the genre is turning the corner into something more honest and comparable to performers of yesteryear.

"You have to be with it. You have to be among the ranks but not fall into the simple ways," he says. "In my opinion, I felt like R&B was beginning to do that. As R&B artists, we began to sing more or less about novelties and material things. There is nothing wrong with that but too much of it oversaturated R&B music, and it's just not good.

"R&B is real songs and real music and great producers. But when you read the lyrics, it means something or has something more. That's what a great R&B artist is to me -- someone thinking outside of the box but still making yourself available to the hip-hop nation."

Usher, who says Burn is the song he relates to most, sees this resulting breakthrough as a result of putting in the time and effort rather than being at the right place at the right time.

"There had been many comparisons to other artists and I had to validate myself after 10 years," he says of the new level of superstardom. "It could have been the fact that after 10 years I had been constantly doing it. But musically it was continually about having great songs, having great producers, having great energy and being a hard worker. I felt like I had all of those things."

The performer recently recorded a duet with Alicia Keys on a single called My Boo, reportedly slated for release later this year. He saw it as a way of uniting some of his fellow R&B contemporaries.

"There are some great artists who really get it and there are some other artists who are working to get it," he says. "I just wish as a community we could come together more. I felt we're kind of scattered. It's very important for R&B to have a face, a strong face.

"Without R&B there would be no hip-hop, let's get things in perspective. I always encourage artists to be as passionate as they possibly can. That's what R&B was always about -- artists who were poised to be superstars and who carried themselves with a persona and manner that was their own but still very real."

What Usher says will be unreal is the tour itself. The tour opened in Europe to work out any technical kinks for the roughly 100-minute show in North America. Spending about four months working on the production, and with a say in everything from wardrobe to the stage design, Usher says there will also be a lot of surprises each night, including a longer set list than those overseas witnessed.

"I'm trying to make it a special moment, a night to remember," he says enthusiastically. "I remember as a kid going to my first New Edition concert! I'm very meticulous and persistent about making sure this tour has everything that a great show has to offer."

Although he expects every night to be a blast for the fans, one particular show has all the makings of the tour's highlight. Usher is performing in his hometown of Atlanta on Oct. 3, which is also his birthday.

Another bonus on the tour might be finally hearing his intended version of some of the roughly 40 to 50 songs he had originally recorded for Confessions but never made the record, including a Confessions, Pt. 3. Most of those songs were leaked online ahead of the album's release with some even making radio station playlists. Usher says he would have released about 30 of them but, due to label contracts, was only able to issue the single album, which he originally planned to title Real Talk.

Such real talk often has its price, though. In R&B, like other genres, there's a fine line when it comes to being relevant to both young fans and a more mature audience. It's something several artists find difficult to balance without either pandering to or alienating either group. Usher sees this album as a possible bonding of the two demographics.

NO ADVISORY STICKER

"You turn on the TV and you see it (sex) everywhere," he says, "although at the same time there's a way to be tactful or classy -- and that's my approach. There's a way to get your point across without cursing sometimes or without degrading a woman. You can be very creative. There's no parental guidance or parental advisory sticker on this album.

"It tripped me out the other day. I was having this conversation with a man whose 6-year-old persuaded him to listen to 50 Cent in the car. We're driving and the kid knew every song on the album. And you know that 50 Cent's lyrics are pretty vulgar. That's not to say that 50 Cent is bad, that's his life and that's what he's going through. But parents, please, listen to what your kids are listening to!"

Those who can't see Usher on tour will still get to see Confessions, Pt. 3 when the musician performs at this year's MTV Music Awards. Usher is nominated in five categories, something he sees as another mark of acceptance and respect.

For now, Usher is concentrating on getting this tour off the ground but says he's setting aside some time in early 2005 for acting. But he's not planning on slowing down in terms of either discipline.

"I don't plan on retiring anytime soon, I'm just getting warmed up," he says. "As a stage performer I feel like I'm at the top of my game, I feel like I'm hard working. I don't think I'll ever stop trying to be the ultimate entertainer because there will always be a new obstacle in entertainment."