RJ Helton - Real Life

Demonstrating a command of urban/pop/Latin vocal stylings only hinted at on American Idol, Helton moves effortlessly through the funky beats of "Tell Me" to the smooth licks of "Love Song" and "All We Need To Know."

Filled with pop, urban/hip-hop grooves, searing, scorching ballads, and Latin strings, this impressive album will give the world a glimpse into RJ the songwriter and artist. REAL LIFE is sure to please RJ’s scores of fans while at the same time winning over new ones everywhere! Album Description

Da Da Da

There are a couple of good songs on "Real Life." "Freedom" boasts a driving beat that sets you immediately in motion, an excellent dance track. Helton's breathy vocals give him a sound like a slightly more masculine Michael Jackson. It's all about the feel, nothing deep here, "Gotta hit that beat now yeah, ba da dat dat da da da." "Why Don't We Pray" is another upbeat track that strikes a chord with anyone who has suffered through a difficult day, "For the strength that it takes to make it through the day; Why don't we fall on our knees, know that He will meet our needs." The rest of the material on the CD is standard boy-band product that has a certain dated appeal, but is already a bit out-of-style three years later. If you wax nostalgic for 2003, this set will hit the spot. Enjoy! May 28, 2007

An Artist Underated

R J Helton has a god given talent of a great voice. Unfortunately American Idol didn't promote him as they should have. I hope that one day he gets his just recognition that he is truly deserving of. I can't for his next CD to come out. I wish they would re-release this CD to give it more exposure. December 29, 2006

A Pleasant Surprise!

On the show, AI, RJ never really showed all that much potential, in my opinion, mostly due to his stage presence. However, I always felt that he was the strongest male singer of the season. That is why I went ahead and purchased this CD. I wasn't sure if it was going to be any good, but oh, it is. Very good. He sings with such purity and emotion on every track. My favorite song on this CD is Delicate Child, because of the lyrics and his voice gives me chills. Even if, and Forgive are also great. This is a GREAT Christian album. :) August 9, 2006

I'm FLOORED.

Who'd have EVER thought this kid would've made such a GREAT album? I certainly didn't, and he certainly proved me wrong. I was never a fan of him on American Idol. I rooted for him to get voted off along with Jim Verraros and A.J. whateverhislastnameis since the very beginning. His stage presence wasn't very good, and his voice rarely complimented the songs he chose, though he did have a good voice. After hearing this CD, though, my opinion has totally changed-and I find RJ to have more potential than other contestants who placed even higher than him in other seasons of AI.

I heard "Even If" on LAUNCHcast Radio (Yahoo) a while back and came over to Amazon to listen to the samples. Surprisingly enough I enjoyed the majority of them, so I went out and bought the CD (which I enventually rebought when it cracked in half.) Not knowing this was a Christian CD I went into it with an open mind-Now, having found out a few months later, I'm still amazed at how mellow it is. I usually stray away from 'preachy' music...after all if I wanted to be recruited I'd have gone to church last Sunday but this CD is definately one of the exceptions.

RJs R&B vibe took me aback at first. 'Even If' has become one of my favorite songs of his, with a catchy chorus and great vocals. The song tells of his relationship with God and I allows me to strenghten my religious relationship with the Lord as well, in the privacy of my own home without people judging me. I was also surprised with "My Devotion", "Freedom", and "Why don't we pray?", all three venturing out for a hip hop sound, even including some good old religious rappers. The vibe of the overall CD remains fun and unique-even with slower songs such as "Even If", "Delicate Child" and "Missing Me" (an almost more gospel sounding song). "Canto de Amor" ("Love Song" in Spanish AKA: Track 3) proves to be an added bonus, and gives way to RJ's latin vibe, adding to the diversity of the CD.

This is a great CD for many reasons, but I'd recommend this CD to anyone despite hesitance over religion or even RJs previous American Idol experiences. The vocals, mainly R&B sounding, are perfect for this style of music and the song choices were brilliant. This CD is truly a delight and I hope he releases a sophomore album in the near future.

6/5 for Helton, if only the ratings would let me give higher. June 26, 2005

Real Good

I bought this album for who knows what reason. I had not heard a single for the album and I never heard RJ Helton sing on American Idle. Something about it lept out to me when I saw the album in the store. Something powerful reeled me to it and as I picked it up I figured out what it was. The kid had emotion all over his face and it was just an album cover.
The album is like the picture. Except, you can say this is just a religious album but it is actually so much more. Sure, there are some songs for the Christian crowd, but you can see how the diversity of American Idle affected him with other songs like "Freedom" and "Crazy". Both of those songs are easy to sing along with and bouncy enough to want to dance to. Even with all the songs about God and love, his most powerful moment comes in a song about domestic violence and youthful despair. "Delicate Child" is an achingly beautiful song and as RJ sings his heart out on the track, I felt every once of what he was trying to convey. I sensed a little anger, a little sorrow, but also a decent amount of hope to ballance the song effectively.
'Real Life' is beautiful. RJ Helton has awesome pipes. This is a great debut and I look forward to him coming out with another release... December 31, 2004

More reviews at Amazon.com ...