Helpless Romantic

Jon B

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 28, 2008)
• Original Release Date: October 28, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Arsenal Records
• ASIN: B001FQHQFA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,104 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Hopeless Romantic is the fifth studio album by Jon B. Brought up in Rhode Island, Buck was born to a musical family, with his father David a professor of music, his mother Linda, a concert pianist and his siblings Deborah, a violinist and his brother Kevin, a cellist. He first started singing at the age of four, and learned piano and keyboard by nine. By 16, he played bass and drums as well. Because his grandparents owned a record store, Buck was raised on a varied musical diet that included influences like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Album!, November 1, 2008

By	Desiree "Nina" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

I have been a Jon B since 1995's Bonafide and I was honestly a little worried when I heard about this new album because a lot of artist cannot maintain consistency in music for long periods of time. Jon B though has managed to deliver another consistent album. I can listen to this album straight through which is pretty rare nowadays there are a few tracks that I feel are Jon's attempts to be somewhat modern which he pulls off well but he reaches his peak when he sticks to what he is known for which is his smooth ballads. I have only had the album for a few days but so far I would have to say my favorites are Drops of Rain, and In Too Deep.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still # 1, October 30, 2008

By	Successfool (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

In a league of his own, Jon b is now back on track after a hiatus that led to the creation of this masterpiece. Although I have the entire collection of his solo projects, i'm still very particular when it comes to his music because he has so much potential that I still feel he hasn't reached yet. It may help to check out his bio just to familiarize yourself with some of the amazing collaborations he's been a part of.

The way I rate the quality of an album is by listening to each song on repeat for a few times to see if it can grow on me as quickly as possible and with this CD, I actually found myself keeping the songs on random because it's just that good in my opinion.

I just want to say that Jon b makes music like his life depended on it and I am thanking him because folks...this is only the 3rd CD i've purchased in the past 6 years due to inconsistent artists. This time around, I feel my money was well spent. Buy from an artist that truly works hard and is true to his/her craft. You will not regret this purchase.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Even when he slips into modernity he's the bomb, November 16, 2008

By	Scott Woods (Columbus, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Jon B is black music's dirty little secret: this white boy does black music better than almost everybody out now, and he always has. There is no good reason why Jon B doesn't get the props he deserves, and that has always been the case. Jon is five albums deep and we're talking about Robin Thicke like we've never been here before? Like Jon is dead or something? Puh-lease.

Ever the chameleon, the record starts off suspect, giving us the kind of clubby tunes the radio is rife with ("Ooh so sexy", "It's U", complete with vocoder and spacey almost-house beat). Then, abruptly, the record becomes the kind of offering we expect from Jon: solid, contemporary, grown folk R&B that's able to straddle what he knows, what he's capable of, and what's hot right now. The very next track, "Get What U Want", is the best song on the record, and Jon places it perfectly. The rest of the record makes forgiveness of the first couple of tracks possible, since I get that he only needs one contemporary hit to make people look at the whole record. To that I say, go Jon go. I'll let slide a couple of radio tracks to get a song like "Get What U Want" its props.

This record should be all over the radio. Even when Jon slips and goes "nowadays", he apes the style so well it can hold its own with all the stuff that's out. A solid purchase for the fan of Jon B. or the person who likes the stuff on the radio but wishes it were more substantive.