| Cool Relax | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 16, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996–97 | |||
| Studio | Various
| |||
| Length | 69:25 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
| |||
| Jon B chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Cool Relax | ||||
| ||||
Cool Relax is the second studio album by American singer Jon B. It was released by Tracey Edmonds' label Yab Yum Records and distributed by Epic Records subsidiary 550 Music on September 16, 1997.
Cool Relax was the follow-up to his 1995 debut Bonafide. Jon assumed the role of having more creative control on his second album. On his debut, he was given leeway to write and produce, but Edmonds and her then-husband Babyface were heavily involved in the making of Bonafide. [2] Jon was confident in the material for his new album, but fought with Edmonds and Babyface over certain songs to keep on the project. [2]
Aside from his work, Jon sought outside production from Tim & Bob, Johnny J, David Foster and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, among others. The song that became the first single "Don't Say", was written by former Boyz II Men and Az Yet member Marc Nelson. Jon overheard Nelson playing the song in the record company's parking lot and asked to record it for his album. [2] The music video for the single featured a then-unknown Sanaa Lathan as the female love interest. [3]
"They Don't Know" was released as the next single, with a music video directed by Christopher Erskin. [4] The song's B-side "Are U Still Down" was also issued despite objections from the record company, as it featured vocals from the then-deceased Tupac Shakur who died when Jon started recording the album. [2] Jon received assistance from Shakur's mother Afeni Shakur, who gave Jon permission to clear his vocals for the song. [2] He would record a sequel to "Are U Still Down" called "Part 2" with a posthumous appearance by Shakur on his 2004 album Stronger Everyday .
The next single was the song "I Do (Whatcha Say Boo)". The song originally appeared on his demo tape prior to recording Bonafide- as did the album track "Can We Get Down". [2] The final single was the title track, which had a remix that featured Guru from the hip hop group Gang Starr. The song was produced by Ali Shaheed Muhammad, who Jon sought out due to being a longtime fan of A Tribe Called Quest. [2] "Pride & Joy" was originally recorded by Toni Braxton for her sophomore album Secrets , but the song never made the final track listing. [2] Jon later recorded the song for himself, while giving her the song "In the Late of Night" for her album.
The last song on Cool Relax- "Tu Amor"- was penned by songwriter Diane Warren. [2] Jon felt the song didn't fit in with the rest of the album and was done at the request of Epic Records in seeing the potential of the song becoming a huge hit. [2] Almost a decade later, the song would be covered by Mexican pop group RBD for their English language album Rebels . [5]
One song that didn't make the track list was "Paradise in U". [2] A little over a decade later, he included the song on his 2008 album Helpless Romantic . [6]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
AllMusic editor Leo Stanley wrote that wHile "there are a couple of mediocre songs scattered across the album, Jon B.'s second album, Cool Relax, is a step forward for the urban soul singer. For much of the time, he's able to create a seductive, sexy fusion of classic soul and rhythmic, swinging '90s hip-hop. That alone makes Cool Relax enjoyable on a surface level, but the moments that really shine are when the music, production, tunes, and songwriting all converge and result in an alluring, romantic, and bracingly modern soul. It doesn't happen all that often, but when it does, it makes the weaker moments worthwhile." [7]
Credits adapted from liner notes [8] and AllMusic. [9]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shine" |
|
| 4:29 |
| 2. | "Bad Girl" |
|
| 4:19 |
| 3. | "Don't Say" |
|
| 4:48 |
| 4. | "They Don't Know" |
|
| 4:34 |
| 5. | "Can't Help It" |
|
| 4:47 |
| 6. | "Cool Relax" |
| 4:26 | |
| 7. | "Are U Still Down" (featuring 2Pac) |
|
| 4:27 |
| 8. | "Pride & Joy" |
| 3:37 | |
| 9. | "I Do (Whatcha Say Boo)" |
|
| 4:46 |
| 10. | "Let Me Know" |
|
| 4:51 |
| 11. | "I Ain't Going Out" |
|
| 4:29 |
| 12. | "Let's Go (Interlude)" |
|
| 1:29 |
| 13. | "Can We Get Down?" |
|
| 5:24 |
| 14. | "Love Hurts" |
|
| 4:34 |
| 15. | "Tu Amor" | 6:03 | ||
| Total length: | 1:09:25 | |||
Credits adapted from liner notes [8] and AllMusic. [10]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [14] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Affairs of the Heart is the third studio album by American pop singer Jody Watley, released on December 3, 1991, by MCA Records.. Affairs of the Heart supplies a handful of energetic dance numbers and a plentiful selection of quiet storm ballads, the new material result is a set that's much thicker and deeper sound. Watley co-wrote nine of the album's 11 tracks, which delivers a good mixture flow of R&B-funk, to classy house, to inspirational dance pop and groovy melody Motown-inspired soul.
Jonathan David Buck is an American R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. His debut album Bonafide (1995) spawned the hit singles "Pretty Girl" and "Someone to Love", the latter of which reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated at the Grammys Awards for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The following year, he co-wrote the single "Say You'll Be There" for the Spice Girls. His second album Cool Relax (1997), was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Cool Relax included the hit singles "Are U Still Down" and "They Don't Know". His third album, Pleasures U Like (2001) reached the top ten on the Billboard 200 chart.
Am I Cool or What? is an album featuring songs inspired by the American comic strip Garfield created by Jim Davis. It was released on July 3, 1991, by GRP Records in cassette tape and compact disc format. The genre is primarily R&B and contemporary jazz. The album features appearances by influential contributors to the genre, including B. B. King and The Temptations. It peaked at number 23 on the Billboard charts for top contemporary jazz albums.
What's Your Name? is the third studio album by Adam Sandler, released in 1997. Unlike his other comedy albums, which typically mix songs with non-musical comedy skits, What's Your Name? consists mostly of songs and only includes one skit. The songs are recorded in various genres, including country, hard rock, 2 Springsteen-influenced numbers, ballad and reggae, as well as the inclusion of "Red Hooded Sweatshirt", which Sandler originally performed on Saturday Night Live in 1993. What's Your Name? was certified gold, having sold over 500,000 copies.
Stranger in This Town is the first solo studio album by Richie Sambora, the guitarist from the New Jersey band Bon Jovi. The album was released in 1991, while Bon Jovi was on a 17-month hiatus. Jon Bon Jovi also released a solo album, Blaze of Glory (1990), during this period.
Lalah Hathaway is the debut studio album by American singer Lalah Hathaway. It was released by Virgin Records on June 29, 1990 in the United States.
Mountains is the seventh studio album by American country music group Lonestar. It was the band's last album for BNA Records, it produced two singles on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Mountains" at No. 10 and "Nothing to Prove" at No. 51. After the single released, the band was dropped from BNA. This was also the last studio to feature Richie McDonald before leaving for a solo career, until he rejoined in 2011.
Bonafide is the debut studio album by American singer Jon B. It was released on May 23, 1995, on the Epic Records subsidiary 550 Music. The album was the first recording released on Tracey Edmonds' record label Yab Yum Records, which 550 Music distributed.
Fight the Feeling, released in 2002, is the fourth album by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, and to date, his only album released in English.
So Damn Happy is the thirty-fifth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. Her first studio album in five years. The album featured the Grammy Award-winning track "Wonderful", a single co-written and produced by Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence and G Syier Hawkins Brown.
"Someone to Love" is a song by Jon B. from his debut album Bonafide. Released as the first single from the album on April 3, 1995, the song is a duet with Babyface that gained wide exposure on the Bad Boys soundtrack.
True Believer is the twenty-first studio album by country music artist Ronnie Milsap. It was released in 1993, his first for Liberty Records. The album produced two singles, the title track, which peaked at #30 on country charts and "I'm Playing for You," which did not chart.
Time to Share is the thirteenth album from Japanese musician Toshinobu Kubota, released on September 21, 2004 under his alias "Toshi." It was Kubota's third English album.
Harmony is the twenty-first studio album by Canadian country pop artist Anne Murray. It was released by Capitol Records in the summer of 1987.
Everlasting is the eleventh studio album by American singer Natalie Cole, released on June 14, 1987 by Manhattan Records. The album peak to number 8 on Billboards Top R&B Albums chart, and number 42 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Dangerous is a 1985 album by American singer Natalie Cole released on May 15, 1985, through the Atco Records-distributed Modern Records label. The album reached peak positions of number 140 on the Billboard 200 and number 48 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.
What I Was Made For is the fourth studio album by the American contemporary Christian music band Big Daddy Weave. This was their third release with a major label in Fervent Records. It was released on July 26, 2005. This album charted on the following Billboard's charts on August 13, 2005: No. 14 on Christian Albums, and No. 17 on Top Heatseekers.
"Pretty Girl" is a song performed by American contemporary R&B singer Jon B, issued in August 1995 as the second single from his debut studio album, Bonafide (1995). The song, written and produced by Babyface, peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Diamond is Jaci Velasquez's seventh studio album, released in 2012 on Inpop Records. The producers of this album are Craig Swift and Chris Bevins, who are both in the band Salvador, along with Jaci's husband, Nic Gonzalez.
Kristy Starling is the eponymous debut album by Kristy Starling. It was released by Warner Bros. Records on April 22, 2003. The album consist of Contemporary Christian songs, as well as a cover of LeAnn Rimes' 2000 hit song, "I Need You" and Josh Groban's "To Where You Are". The album peaked at number twenty-four on the Billboard Contemporary Christian.
