Voicenotes is Charlie Puth's second studio album that was released on May 11, 2018 by Artist Partners and Atlantic Records.
Tracklisting[]
- The Way I Am 3:06
- Attention 3:28
- LA Girls 3:17
- How Long 3:20
- Done For Me (featuring Kehlani) 3:00
- Patient 3:10
- If You Leave Me Now (featuring Boyz II Men) 4:03
- BOY 4:23
- Slow It Down 3:10
- Change (featuring James Taylor) 3:37
- Somebody Told Me 3:36
- Empty Cups 2:51
- Through It All 3:26
Album Background[]
Charlie Puth described the sound of the album as "like walking down a dirt road and listening to New Edition in 1989 – and being heartbroken, of course."
He also remarked that he wanted a sound akin to the late 1980s "dark R&B" of Babyface, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Teddy Riley.
Puth also stated the album will have no love ballads, and that he wished to distance himself from the sound of his first album, which was "people nudging [me] in a direction that I didn't want to go in."
Chart Performance[]
"Voicenotes" debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with 58,000 album-equivalent units of which 39,000 were pure album sales.
On May 14, 2018, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.
Critical Reception[]
"Voicenotes" received positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 67 based on five reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
In a positive review of the album, Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic called Voicenotes a "guilty pleasure" and noted that Puth is not aiming for Ed Sheeran "everyguy relatability".
Taylor Weatherby of Billboard named "Voicenotes" the album of the week, praising Puth's rawness, and the collaborations included on the album.
Mark Kennedy of The Washington Post praised the album, calling it "perfect pop" and stating that Puth has a fantastic career in front of him.
In another positive review of the album, Nicholas Hautman of Us Weekly called the album "perfect for the summer", and called it "perfectly crafted".
In a mixed review of the album, Brittany Spanos of the Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars, calling Puth's efforts to transition from a more mature R&B valiant, but that he needed a little more work to be compared to the likes of Justin Timberlake and Nick Jonas.