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Real Life is the first and only studio album released by American Christian pop and R&B artist R. J. Helton. It was released on March 23, 2004 by B-Rite Music, about a year-and-a-half after Helton placed fifth on the first season of American Idol. Helton co-wrote eight of the album's twelve tracks. Two singles were released from Real Life - "All We Need to Know" and "Even If". Ahead of the album's release, the track "My Devotion" was included on the 2003 compilation album Gotta Have Gospel.

Real Life received generally positive reviews, especially for Helton's vocals, and was lauded by Billboard as "one of the most arresting debuts in recent memory". It peaked at #14 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart and at #19 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. "My Devotion" was nominated for Urban Recorded Song of the Year at the 36th Annual GMA Music Awards.

Background
It was reported that Helton had signed with B-Rite Music, the pop music imprint of GospoCentric Records, in May 2003, about a year after his fifth place finish on the first season of American Idol. Helton chose to sign with B-Rite Music over secular labels that had given him offers and explained, "I didn't want to sign with an all-mainstream label, because they weren't going to allow me to sing about my faith and sing about relationships. [Labels were saying, 'It's] one or the other. If you are going to do love, do love. If you are going to do God, do God.' But in meeting with B-Rite, I let them know my goals and visions, and they were behind me 100%." Shortly after the record deal was announced, Billboard reported that Helton's album would feature "an inspirational gospel feel and mainstream appeal". Helton cited Kirk Franklin, who is also signed to B-Rite Music, as the main reason that he signed with the label, expressing the view that Franklin had succeeded in reaching both Christian and mainstream audiences.

Content
Real Life includes twelve tracks, and Helton is credited as a co-writer on eight of the tracks. The album was produced by Andy Duncan, Bernie Herms, Michael Carney, Phil Sillas, Reed Vertelney, Sam Mizell, Shaun Shankel, and Tommy Sims. Duncan, Herms, Carney, Mizell, and Shankel all received writing credits on the album as well. GospoCentric Records founders Claude Lataillade and Vicki Mack Lataillade served as executive producers of the album, along with Monica Bacon. Helton spent about eight months working on Real Life. He said of his experience with GospoCentric Records, "They allowed me to be myself. Not many new artists get to write as much as I got to. It's a very honest record and completely from my heart."

Ahead of Real Life 's release, Aliah D. Wright of Gannett News Service described Real Life as "a blend of R&B ballads, up-tempo numbers and inspirational tunes" and wrote that Helton would be "targeting mainstream, urban, pop, gospel and Christian radio formats." Helton said, "I wanted to make something that different types of people would listen to. I love every type of music, from country to rock to rap to R&B to hip-hop. I wanted to add all of that in one CD." He further explained that the album focuses on a range of topics and is not exclusively spiritual in its focus, saying, "[B-Rite Music] understood that I wanted to sing about my faith, but also other things that were on my heart…love songs, and songs that deal with day-to-day issues as I see and live them."

"There are songs on Real Life that are very straightforwardly Christian in their content and message, but I don't think it does any good to try to force anything on anyone. This is not what you would call an 'evangelistic' album. I want to make positive, uplifting music for everyone, and I think Real Life is the perfect mix of all of those elements."

- RJ Helton

Helton co-wrote the album's lead single, "All We Need to Know", with Natalie Grant, whom he named as one of his primary musical influences. The song was described by Helton's official website as a "ballad laid atop steady percussion...expressing the comfort of faith in God." The album's second single, "Even If", was described as having "a slow, insinuating, funky groove" by the same website, which described "Crazy" and "Why Don't We Pray" as, respectively, "an unabashed love song" and "in-your-face, hip-hop".

Helton sings in Spanish on "Canto de Amor", although according to the Barrie Examiner, he was not fluent in the language.

Release and promotion
Shortly after Helton signed with B-Rite Music, Billboard reported that his album was scheduled for a Fall 2003 release. In January 2004, The Christian Post reported that the album's release date had been moved to March 9, 2004. After another delay, the album was released on March 23, 2004.

Real Life was marketed to both mainstream and Christian music markets. B-Rite Music handled distribution to Christian markets, while Jive/BMG handled distribution to mainstream markets. B-Rite Music received additional assistance in releasing the album from Provident Distribution.

Ahead of Real Life 's release, "My Devotion" was included on the compilation album Gotta Have Gospel, which was released on November 11, 2003 as a collaboration between GospoCentric Records and Integrity Gospel. According to Billboard, "My Devotion" was "played in clubs in the United States" and "became a hit in the United Kingdom."

Helton toured in support of Real Life over the Summer of 2004. According to his official website, he made promotional appearances that summer at the Atlantic Music Conference, Sea World San Diego, and Six Flags Over Georgia. He also appeared on Life Today in April 2004 and PrimeTime Live in May of that year. He joined Kirk Franklin on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno around the time of Real Life 's release. A profile of Helton was published as the cover story of the January/February 2004 issue of Christianity Today 's teen-focused magazine Campus Life.

Singles
"All We Need to Know" was released as Real Life 's lead single. Gannett News Service reported the week of the Real Life 's release that "All We Need to Know" had "quickly been added to the playlists of some contemporary Christian radio stations." "Even If" was released as the album's second single. Billboard reported in March 2004 that "Even If" was the album's "first single going to mainstream AC, Christian AC and top 40 radio" and that B-Rite Music was planning to release "an as-yet-undetermined single to gospel radio."

Reception
Real Life received generally positive reviews. It was highly acclaimed by Gordon Ely of Billboard, who called it "one of the most arresting debuts in recent memory". Writing that Helton "proves himself a deft artist and songwriter" on the album, he singled out the two singles "All We Need to Know" and "Even If", along with "My Devotion", as "stirring statements of faith" and wrote, "priceless hooks abound on a number of songs". He wrote that the album's instrumentation "provides a perfectly spare but striking canvas for Helton", whose vocals he highly praised.

"He "paints" with the full range of his impressive vocal chops and multi-octave range, including a shimmering falsetto, which he uses with often thrilling effect...Real Life heralds the arrival of a major new talent."

- Gordon Ely

David Jenison of CCM Magazine gave Real Life a B and called it "a debut even Simon Cowell would praise." Appreciating the album's mixture of hip-hop, neo-soul, urban dance, and R&B balladry, Jenison felt that Helton's vocals were best showcased on the ballads, writing that "such moments seem magical", but felt that the album was "most compelling on upbeat numbers like the quirky, beat-driven 'Crazy' and the dance floor-kindling 'Freedom'." He praised Helton's vocals as energetic and purposeful, while writing, "Real Life flexes an attitude without seeming cocky and boasts an artistic edge that doesn't drown out the clear spiritual overtones."

Russ Breimeier of Christianity Today gave Real Life three-and-a-half stars out of five. Praising its production as "first rate" and Helton's vocals as "likeably soulful", he described the album as "probably better than you would expect" and compared it to music from Jaci Velasquez, Justin Timberlake, Daniel Bedingfield, Jody McBrayer, and Freddie Colloca. While he felt that Helton's songwriting was "sometimes generic" and described the album as "certainly not something I'd recommend to anyone bored to tears with the predictable music of AC radio", he complimented Helton for creating a more distinctive album than most other American Idol finalists of the time, writing, "let's give credit where it's due. This could have easily been a collection of cliché-ridden pop songs written by the usual tunesmiths in the industry. Instead, Helton has wisely contributed to the songwriting process, personalizing his material...at least its his." Breimeier called "All We Need to Know" the album's highlight, describing the song as "a soaring pop ballad in the tradition of American Idol, Clay Crosse and Greg Long." He also singled out "Delicate Child" as "another strong ballad".

Daniel Hames of Cross Rhythms gave Real Life six stars out of ten. He called it unoriginal "pop for the masses" but was complimentary of the album's "smooth pop/R&B grooves", which he compared to the music of Blue and wrote "it's clear to see [Real Life] is delivered with quality. AllMusic gave Real Life three stars out of five but did not publish a review for the album. The Barrie Examiner described Real Life as "a mostly predictable pop CD" that was "heavily produced by myriad producers" and compared the album's ballads to those of Clay Aiken. The publication also wrote that Helton has "a solid crooning voice". Jon Bream of the Star Tribune wrote that Real Life "sounds more like generic boy-band than meaningful gospel."

Commercial Performance
Real Life debuted at #14 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart and at #19 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. It sold 9,000 copies in its first month, which USA Today described as "a respectable start for a Christian-themed release."

Accolades
"My Devotion" was nominated for Urban Recorded Song of the Year at the 36th Annual GMA Music Awards.