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.
Critical reception
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."
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."
Chart performance Helpless 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).
Track listing
Notes signifies a co-producer
Personnel Musicians
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 + Chart performance for Helpless Romantic Chart (2008) Peakposition
Release history + Release dates and formats for Helpless Romantic Region Date Format(s) Label United States October 28, 2008 Arsenal Records Helpless Romantic: Jon B. at Amazon.com
References