''Lost in Time'' is the fifth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American R&B recording artist

Eric Benét Eric Benét Jordan (born October 15, 1966) is an American R&B singer-songwriter and musician. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards. Early life and education Benét was born on October 15, 1966, in Mobile, Alabama. He was raised in Mi ...

, released November 30, 2010 on

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

. It is the follow-up to '' Love & Life'' (2008). Production for the album took place during 2010 at various recording studios and was handled by Benét, George Nash, Jr., and Demonté Posey. ''Lost in Time'' contains musical elements of 1970s

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

and features guest appearances by

Chrisette Michele Chrisette Michele Payne (born December 8, 1982) is an American R&B and soul singer. She won a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2009 for her song " Be OK" (featuring will.i.am). She was previously signed to Motown Recor ...

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as ...

Eddie Levert Edward Willis Levert (born June 16, 1942) is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist of The O'Jays. He is the father of sons Gerald (1966–2006) and Sean Levert (1968–2008) and daughter Ryan Levert (2002–2024) and Maria Bi ...

Ledisi Ledisi Anibade Young (; born March 28, 1972), better known simply as Ledisi, is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, author, and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba. In 1995, Ledisi formed a band afte ...

, and Benét's daughter, India. The album debuted at number 33 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 32,200 copies in its first week. Its first single " Sometimes I Cry" became an

Urban AC Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...

hit and peaked at number 16 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Upon its release, ''Lost in Time'' received positive reviews from music critics. Benét promoted the album with a supporting tour that spanned November to December 2010.

Background and recording

The album is the follow-up to Benét's fourth studio album, '' Love & Life'' (2008). Recording sessions took place during 2010 at various recording locations, including Big City Recording in Granada Hills, California, La Casa De Benét Studio and Studio City Sound in Studio City, California, Tanner-Monagle and The Laboratory Recording Studio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and The Palms Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada. Benét produced the album with songwriter Demonté Posey and longtime creative partner George Nash, Jr., Benét's cousin. He returned to his hometown Milwaukee and recorded with local musicians for the album, including the string section of the

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The orchestra performs primarily at the Bradley Symphony Center in Allen-Bradley Hall. The orchestra also serves as the orchestra for Floren ...

. Benét also recorded duets for the album with R&B recording acts

, and

. The album was engineered and mixed by Kevin Sucher.

Composition

''Lost in Time'' incorporates elements of 1970s

. For the album, Benét sought to expand on the classicist soul style of his previous album's title track, "Love & Life", and produce an album-length homage to 1970s-era R&B.Lewis, Pete (May 2011)
Eric Benet: Perfect timing
''

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as ''NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a r ...

''. Retrieved on 2011-05-24. Benét said of the album's style in a

press release A press release (also known as a media release) is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing new information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public releas ...

, "People just need to have some feel good R&B in their lives. I want people to remember what music can feel like, and that desire took me all the way back to that time. My development as an artist is a direct result of being immersed in that era ..When it comes to something that resonates in your soul, you have to have something constructed with live musicians". Prior to recording, he researched articles and documentaries about audio recording in that time period. In an interview for ''

'', he discussed recording live in order to authenticate such a sound, stating

Release and promotion

The album was released by

on November 30, 2010.Staff (October 15, 2010)
Eric Benet to Release Brand-New Album, Titled 'Lost in Time,' on Reprise Records November 30, 2010

Marketwire GlobeNewswire provides press release distribution services globally, with substantial operations in North America, Europe and Asia. In 2025, Notified, parent company GlobeNewswire entered into an agreement to be acquired by Equiniti. GlobeNew ...

. Retrieved on 2010-12-12. Its first single " Sometimes I Cry" was released on August 2, 2010 and became a number-one hit on the

chart. It peaked at number 16 in November and ultimately spent five weeks on the US ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.Eric Benét Album & Song Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''. Retrieved on 2010-12-12. It also charted at number 73 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Airplay.Eric Benét Album & Song Chart History – Radio Songs
''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-12-12. Benét has said of the song, " tis about how you've completely moved on but still there's still some melancholy about the break-up. Maybe you're even dating somebody, but sometimes, when you're alone, you're sad about what could have been". "Never Want to Live Without You" was released as the album's second single on November 1.Staff (November 1, 2010)
Grammy-Nominated R&B Star Eric Benet Hits No. 1 With "Sometimes I Cry"
Marketwire. Retrieved on 2010-12-12. It charted at number 75 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In promotion of ''Lost in Time'', Benét is performing on a two-month-long, nationwide tour with R&B recording artist

Fantasia Fantasia may refer to: Film and television * ''Fantasia'' (1940 film), an animated musical film produced by Walt Disney ** '' Fantasia 2000'', a sequel to the 1940 film * ''Fantasia'' (2004 film), a Hong Kong comedy film * ''Fantasia'' (201 ...

. The tour spans November and December, concluding with December 31, 2010 and January 1, 2011 concert dates at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri.

Reception

''Lost in Time'' debuted at number 33 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with first-week sales of 32,200 copies in the United States.Langhorne, Cyrus (December 8, 2010)
Black Eyed Peas Lead A New Beginning, Kanye West Awakens Outside Top 5
.

SOHH SOHH (Support Online Hip Hop) was an American former hip hop news website. Felicia Palmer and Steven Samuel founded the website in 1996. In 2000, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine writer Mark Binelli called it the "best overall hip-hop site". History ...

. Retrieved on 2010-12-12. It also entered at number eight on ''

''s

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart.R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Week of December 18, 2010
''Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-12-12. The album received positive reviews from contemporary

music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

editor

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and observed a "seductive pastiche" on "the kind of record that might not be deep but shimmers pleasingly on the surface".Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (November 30, 2010)
Review: ''Lost in Time''

. Retrieved on 2010-12-05. ''

''s Gail Mitchell called it a "spirited nod to the '70s soul/funk that has influenced enét'scareer".Mitchell, Gail (December 3, 2010)
Review: ''Lost in Time''
''

''. Retrieved on 2010-12-18. Jon Caramanica of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' felt that Benét's voice is "more flexible than ever" and called him "an able and sometimes ardent mimic to boot, not just of

Maxwell Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage of N ...

’s tender histrionics but of several other styles".Caramanica, Jon (November 29, 2010)
Review: ''Lost in Time''
''

''. Retrieved on 2010-12-05. ''

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the G ...

'' writer Jon M. Gilbertson complimented Benét's musical influences and

smooth soul Smooth soul is a fusion genre of soul music that developed in the early 1970s from soul, funk, and pop music in the United States. The fusion genre experienced mainstream success from the time of its development to the late 1970s, before its succ ...

style.Gilbertson, Jon M
Review: ''Lost in Time''
''

''. Retrieved on 2010-12-05. ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

''s Steve Jones gave the album three out of four stars and praised his "sensual and sophisticated balladry" on the album.Jones, Steve (December 5, 2010)
Review: ''Lost in Time''
''

''. Retrieved on 2010-12-05. Mikael Wood of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' called it a "crafty album" and wrote that Benét "expertly channels the plush balladry of mid-’80s

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

('Never Live Without You'), the propulsive zing of early-’70s

Philly soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP), is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush string and horn arrangements. The g ...

('Paid,' featuring Eddie Levert himself), and the frantic cheer of last-days

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

('Good Life')".Wood, Mikael (December 15, 2010)
Review: ''Lost in Time''
''

''. Retrieved on 2010-12-22.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for ''Lost in Time'' adapted from

.Credits: ''Lost in Time''
Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-12-05. Performers and musicians * Eric Benét – executive producer, horn arrangements, producer, string arrangements, vocal arrangement, vocals * India Benét – vocals, background vocals * Yetunde Bronson – choir, chorus * Mario Brown – choir, chorus * Paul Brozowski – trombone * Chrisette Michele – vocals * Timothy Cobb – string conductor * Ericka Collier – choir, chorus * Greg Collier – choir, chorus, background vocals * Aaron Cunningham – choir, chorus * Faith Evans – vocals, background vocals * Greg Flint – French horn * Sena Ford-Williams – choir, chorus * Michael Franceschi – trombone * Lisa Fuller – violin * Mike Giacobassi – violin * Jason Gillette – flute, alto flute, alto saxophone * Nathan Hackett – viola * Kathy Harris – choir, chorus * Denise Janae – vocals, background vocals * Afton Johnson – bass * John Johnson – guitar * Guy Kammerer – flugelhorn, trumpet * Danis Kelly – harp * Jeanyu Kim – violin * Tim Klabunde – violin * Scott Kreger – bass * Kathryn Krubsack – French horn * Ledisi – vocals * Eddie Levert – vocals, background vocals * Laura Love – cello * Sascha Mandl – violin * John McVicker – choir, chorus, drums, background vocals * Brett Murphey – flugelhorn, trumpet * George Nash, Jr. – Fender rhodes, guitar, horn arrangements, instrumentation, keyboards, producer, soloist, string arrangements, synthesizer, vocal arrangement * Rafael Padilla – percussion * Michael Pauers – baritone saxophone * Jeff Pietrangelo – flugelhorn, trumpet * Erin Pipal – viola * Andy Raciti – bass * Brek Renzelman – viola * Margot Schwartz – violin * Eric Segnitz – violin * Ilana Setapin – violin * Micah Shaw – Fender rhodes, piano, synthesizer * Ruslan Sirota – piano, synthesizer * Karen Smith – violin * Kim Staples – choir, chorus * Michelle Stokes – choir, chorus * Peter Szczepanek – cello * Cornelius – choir, chorus * Timisha Swan – choir, chorus * Peter Thomas – cello * Olga Tuzhilkov – viola * Andrea Wagoner – violin * Warren Wiegratz – flute, tenor saxophone * Courtney Williams – choir, chorus * Troy Sharon Willingham – choir, chorus *

Benjamin Wright Ben or Benjamin Wright may refer to: ;Ben *Ben Wright (American actor) (born 1969) and stuntman, "Jack" in the original Broadway production of ''Into the Woods'' (1987) *Ben Wright (bishop) (1942–2010), Australian Anglican bishop *Ben Wright (cri ...

– horn arrangements, string arrangements * Adrien Zltoun – cello Technical * Brian Avnet – management * Michael Bliesner – assistant engineer * Donna Caseine – publishing * Julia DeCiantis – booking * Zach Iser – booking * Liza Joseph – administration * Sean Jurewicz – assistant engineer * Rob Katz – assistant engineer * Mary March – management * Nabil – photography * Jim Reith – Pro-Tools * David Renzer – publishing * Trevor Sadler – mastering * Mark Siegel – booking * Kevin Sucher – administration, engineer, instrumentation, keyboards, mixer, production consultant, sound consultant * Paul Tavenner – assistant engineer * Steven Valenzuela – assistant engineer * Ellen Wakayama – creative director * Meg White – booking * Denise A. Williams – creative director * Shelley Wiseman – administration, management * Biju Zimmerman – assistant engineer

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lost in Time (Eric Benet album) 2010 albums Eric Benét albums Reprise Records albums