Bobby Valentino (album)

Bobby Valentino is the debut album by American R&B singer Bobby V, known at the time as Bobby Valentino. It was released by Def Jam South Recordings and Disturbing tha Peace on April 26, 2005. The album was primarily produced and executive produced by the duo Tim & Bob and includes the singles "Slow Down", "Tell Me", and "My Angel (Never Leave You)". It debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 180,000 copies and has since sold over 708,000 copies nationwide. Bobby Valentino also reached number 34 on the UK Albums Chart and number 74 on the French Albums Chart. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It served as his first album after the dissolution of his then-group Mista, for whom he released one album on EastWest Records.

Reception
The album has received mixed reviews from critics. David Jeffries of Allmusic stated that, "Valentino's first full-length has mystical touches in its overall slick and sexy production, touches that help separate the album from the competition in a way the everyday songwriting doesn't." While Steve Horowitz of PopMatters stated that, "Valentino has an undistinguished voice, writes hackneyed lyrics, and his instrumental backing suffers from tedious production values."

Personnel

 * Leslie Brathwaite – mixing
 * Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing
 * Jeff Dixon – executive producer
 * Larrance Dopson – producer
 * Lamar Edwards – keyboards, producer, engineer
 * Michael Eleopoulos – engineer
 * William "Poon Daddy" Engram – A&R
 * Clare Fischer – string arrangements
 * Mark Ford – groomer
 * Annan Gause – guitar
 * Andy Haller – engineer
 * Kalenna Harper – vocals
 * Jean-Marie Horvat – mixing
 * Jun Ishizeki – engineer
 * Tia Johnson – design, creative director
 * Tim Kelley – executive producer, bass, acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards, engineer, mixing, fender rhodes, drum programming, instrumentation


 * Christian Lantry – photography
 * Ludacris – executive producer
 * Nonja McKenzie – stylist
 * Andrew Nast – engineer
 * Brooke Newman – vocals
 * Herb Powers – mastering
 * Dale "Rambro" Ramsey – engineer
 * Bob Robinson – executive producer, guitar (acoustic), guitar, piano, guitar (electric), keyboards, Hammond organ, guitar (12 string), fender rhodes
 * Gary Smith – producer, engineer, drum programming
 * Sean Tallman – assistant
 * Steve "Swiff D" Thornton – producer, engineer
 * Bobby Valentino – vocals (background)
 * Rondeau "Duke" Williams – producer, engineer, instrumentation
 * Chaka Zulu – executive producer