Jon Caramanica of The New York Times commended the album's "gentle adult-contemporary R&B" and Kelly for "singing as vigorously as ever, on songs that are some of the most elegant of his career", commenting that its songs are "in essence, secular spirituals, bombastic and warm, meant not to raise an eyebrow". Los Angeles Times writer August Brown complimented its "slow-simmered, grown-man emoting" and Kelly's "melodicism and vocal powers". AllMusic writer Andy Kellman called it "easily the least sexually charged album in discography, ideal for those who admire him as a singer, arranger, and producer but tune out the fantastical come-ons". At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Love Letter received generally positive reviews from music critics.
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Critical reception Professional ratings Review scores The third single "Number One Hit" reached number 83 and has spent four weeks on Billboard 's Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs. Kelly discussing the album and its conception. A three-part video documentary was released in promotion of the album, featuring footage of R. The second single "Love Letter" also spent seven weeks and peaked at number 13 on Billboard 's Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs. It charted at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's first single "When a Woman Loves" peaked at number 16 and spent seven weeks on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
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Prior to its physical CD release on December 14, Love Letter was released as a digital download on December 10, 2010, to the iTunes Store, which included the album with the iTunes LP format feature. Kelly further pays tribute to Jackson, who died in 2009, with his own version of " You Are Not Alone" (a song he had written for Jackson), featured on Love Letter as a hidden bonus track. Kelly was heavily inspired by such soul artists as Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson, Donny Hathaway, Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder. Love Letter is an homage to the classic soul music of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The album has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and, as of June 2022, it has sold 1,100,000 copies in the United States. Upon its release, Love Letter received positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented its classically minded style and praised Kelly for his singing and songwriting. It produced two singles that attained respectable charting on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album debuted at number 6 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 154,000 copies in its first week. A departure from his previous work's contemporary sound and sexually explicit themes, Love Letter incorporates classic soul music influences and features chivalrous lyrics concerning love and forgiveness. It was written and produced entirely by Kelly. It was released on December 14, 2010, by Jive Records. Love Letter is the tenth studio album by American R&B recording artist R.