Helpless Romantic is the sixth studio album by American Jon B. It was released on October 28, 2008, through Arsenal Records, marking his second and final album for the independent record label, following the Christmas album Holiday Wishes: From Me to You in 2006. Helpless Romantic was a concept album that revolved around his recent marriage to his new wife. It was recorded at Vibezelect Studios in Pasadena, California, Jon B.'s personal recording studio/record label.
| Helpless Romantic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 28, 2008 | |||
| Length | 57:15 | |||
| Label | Arsenal | |||
| Producer |
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| Jon B chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Helpless Romantic | ||||
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Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
AllHipHop found that Helpless Romantic "proves that [Jon B.'s] still most definitely got it. While not quite on the level of his breakthrough sophomore offering (Cool Relax) or as upbeat and commercially flexible as his 2004's Stronger Everyday, it's still light years ahead of most of the recent competition." He concluded: "It's hard not to love Jon B.'s ability to run with a mid-tempo record, but Helpless Romantic comes slightly undone due to its final eight songs being a little too slow. They're constructed very solidly, but there is such thing as too much of a good thing."[2]
In a negative review, AllMusic editor Thomas Inskeep wrote that Helpless Romantic "only testifies to the fact that he's run stone out of ideas, or anything else remotely interesting to say [...] The production is utterly adult-R&B-cliched throughout (i.e. gently bumping grooves that go nowhere, so as to not offend) [...] This is dull R&B, mediocre at best, and truly bad at worst – and the real worst is that it comes from an artist who should know better; did his tutelage at the feet of Babyface teach him nothing? Apparently not."[1]
Chart performance
editHelpless Romantic debuted and peaked at number 109 on the US Billboard 200 chart, while also reaching number 11 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Jon B.'s highest-charting album since Pleasures U Like (2001).[3][4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ooh So Sexy" (featuring Paul Wall) |
|
| 4:31 |
| 2. | "It's U" |
|
| 3:33 |
| 3. | "Get What You Want" | J. Buck | Jon B. | 4:26 |
| 4. | "Helpless Romantic Interlude" |
| Jon B. | 0:32 |
| 5. | "Helpless Romantic" |
| Jon B. | 3:46 |
| 6. | "Paradise in U" | J. Buck | Jon B. | 5:44 |
| 7. | "Drops of Rain" | J. Buck | Jon B. | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Need it Badd" | J. Buck | Jon B. | 3:32 |
| 9. | "On & On" |
| Ghantous | 3:56 |
| 10. | "Everybody Here Wants You" | Jeff Buckley | Jon B. | 4:44 |
| 11. | "Ride of Our Lives" (featuring Jonesii) |
| Jon B. | 5:06 |
| 12. | "Won't You Say Yeah" |
|
| 3:45 |
| 13. | "Part of U" |
|
| 3:40 |
| 14. | "In Too Deep" |
| Jon B. | 6:29 |
| Total length: | 57:15 | |||
Notes
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer
Personnel
editMusicians
- Jon B. – background vocals, drum programming, keyboards, live Drums
- Kevin Buck – bass
- Joaquin Bynum – background vocals, drum programming, keyboards
- Cornet Tyrone Griffen – trumpet
- D-Mak – bass
- Insomniax – background vocals, drum programming, keyboards
- Jonesii – background vocals
- Tim Kobza – bass, guitar
- Mr. Lee – drum programming, keyboards
Technical
- Airphilosophy.com – Art direction, design
- Jon B. – executive producer, mixing
- Jim Caruana – mixing
- KD – mixing
- Max Gousse – executive producer
- Jim Jonsin– mixing
- Stephen Marsh – mastering engineer
- Kawai Matthews – photography
- Dan Naim – mixing
- Ozz Saturne – executive producer
Charts
edit| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[3] | 109 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4] | 11 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | October 28, 2008 | Arsenal Records | [6] |
References
edit- ^ a b Inskeep, Thomas. "(Helpless Romantic > Overview)". AllMusic. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ Inskeep, Thomas. "ALBUM REVIEW: Jon B – Helpless Romantic". AllHipHop. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ a b "Jon B. Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ a b "Jon B. Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ Jon B. - Helpless Romantic (CD liner notes). Arsenal Records. 4400398034
- ^ Helpless Romantic: Jon B. at Amazon.com
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