My Name Is Joe is the third studio album by American R&B singer Joe, released on April 18, 2000, on Jive Records. Production was handled by Joe and several other record producers including Allen "Allstar" Gordon, Teddy Riley and Tim & Bob. Beforehand, Joe released All That I Am (1997), which was his most successful album prior to the release of My Name Is Joe. Upon its release, My Name Is Joe received favorable reviews from critics, with most appreciating the love feel of the album.
The album peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 and topped the US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It charted internationally as well, peaking within the top 10 in Netherlands and Canada as well as appearing in the Australia, France, Sweden, and the UK. My Name Is Joe contained three singlesâÂÂ"I Wanna Know", "Treat Her Like a Lady", and "Stutter"âÂÂthe first and last of which appeared within the top five of the US Billboard Hot 100. The album has been certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), certified platinum by Music Canada, and certified silver by the Syndicat National de l'ÃÂdition Phonographique (SNEP).
AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album four out of five stars and noted that "there may not be much variety or many remarkable songs on the record [...] but that doesn't matter because this is essentially a mood record, and that mood is love. And it's not a bad romantic mood-setter, either, since Joe is an appealing vocalist, the production is lush without being syrupy, and the songs are all fairly strong, even if only a handful are exceptional." Connie Johnson, writing for Los Angeles Times, wrote: "Joe is all about old-fashioned romance, be it on the tender "I Wanna Know" or the heart-tugging "I Believe in You," on which he shares the microphone with labelmates *NSYNC. If itâÂÂs mood-enhancing background music you seek, JoeâÂÂs your man."
Billboard critic Michael Paoletta noted that "with production guidance from the one-named singer himself, Tim & Bob, Teddy Riley, She'kspere, and others, Joe smoothly steers from sweet submission to love and honor [...] Joe plants a firmer grip on R&B's passionate romance torch." Matt Diehl from Entertainment Weekly found that Joe's "horny histrionics lack authentic bump or grind. A pleasant enough singer with a high, flowery voice, Joe comes off like Babyface meets Al B. Sure! [...] His come-ons might go over better if supported by something other than boilerplate pop-soul production. JoeâÂÂs best when his wispy vocals are contrasted." Meghan Haynes from Vibe felt that "although My Name Is Joe is undoubtedly a satisfying album [...] listeners will wish Joe delivered more substantial soul and less shallow, uninspired songs." Reeta Sidhu from MTV Asia felt that My Name Is Joe was a sexy, smooth R&B collection perfect for romance. She gave the album a 8/10 rating.
My Name Is Joe debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 behind label mates NSYNC's No Strings Attached, selling 286,000 copies in its first week. This marked Joe's first top-ten album in the United States. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on May 18, 2000 and reached triple platinum status on July 25, 2001. In 2007, Billboard reported that the My Name Is Joe had sold 2.6 million in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
In Canada, the album reached number six on RPMs the Top CDs/Albums chart. By August 2000, it had sold 45,000 copies. On February 2, 2001, My Name Is Joe was certified platinum by Music Canada for shipments in excess of 100,000 copies. Elsewhere, it the top ten in the Netherlands and on the UK R&B Albums chart and was certified gold on both France and the United Kingdom.
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Sample credits
Credits for My Name Is Joe adapted from Allmusic.