Mario (album)
| Mario | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 19, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 2001–02 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 44:53 | |||
| Label | J | |||
| Producer |
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| Mario chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Mario | ||||
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Mario is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Mario. It was released on March 19, 2002, by J Records. Mario was supported by three singles: "Just a Friend 2002", "Braid My Hair" and "C'Mon".
The album debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 96,000 copies. To date, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling 596,000 copies in the United States.[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau |  [3] |
| USA Today | [4] |
Dan LeRoy from AllMusic states the album "offers doses of the real thing; its combination of Nickelodeon-style charm and authentic substance are reminiscent of nothing so much as a young Michael Jackson, with none of the creepy subtext. While it misses out on the humor of the original, the cover of Biz Markie's "Just a Friend" proves a shrewd update of the unwillingly platonic classic, and serves as a gateway to better originals, including a few slow numbers most teens have neither the chutzpah to try or the chops to handle. "Chick Wit' da Braids" and the swirling, organ-laced "Never" lead that pack, and the second song about cornrows, "Braid My Hair," manages to evoke the downside of being a child star without sounding like an ungrateful punk. Naturally, you have to excuse a certain amount of filler to believe fully in Mario's potential, but most of these 11 tracks offer generous hints of it".[2]
Promotion
In 2002, during the Bow Wow's tour, Mario was one of the opening act, alongside R.O.C. and Denim. In 2003, he also been on each tour alongside Nick Cannon, AJA, Jhené, Marques Houston and B2K, as one of the supporting acts for the 2003's Scream Tour III.[5]
Singles
The debut single from the album, "Just a Friend 2002", which is a cover of Biz Markie's hit "Just a Friend", was released on May 4, 2002. The song was produced by Warryn Campbell. The song outperformed to its original song, peaking at number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and has reached at number 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming the second most successful single in the United States. The song reached at number 18 in the United Kingdom.
Braid My Hair was released as the album's second single on September 7, 2002. Warryn Campbell also produced this track, alongside Sean Combs aka P. Diddy, who is also serving as an executive producer for the album. In comparison to his debut single, the song was a disappointment, when it has reached at number 74 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number 18 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
The album's third and final single, "C'Mon" was released on January 9, 2003. Warryn Campbell also produced this track. The song peaked at number 61 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and peaked at number 21 in the United Kingdom.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just a Friend 2002" |
| W. Campbell | 3:36 |
| 2. | "C'Mon" |
| W. Campbell | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Braid My Hair" |
| W. Campbell | 4:07 |
| 4. | "2 Train" |
| Alicia Keys | 4:03 |
| 5. | "What Your Name Is" |
| The Underdogs | 5:57 |
| 6. | "Holla Back" |
| The Underdogs | 3:38 |
| 7. | "Could U Be" |
| The Underdogs | 4:07 |
| 8. | "Put Me On" |
| Brother, Jr. | 3:39 |
| 9. | "Chick wit da Braids" |
| Isaac | 3:50 |
| 10. | "Never" |
| Isaac | 3:59 |
| 11. | "Girl in the Picture" |
|
| 4:35 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Just a Friend 2002 (Old School version)" | Barrett | 3:36 |
Sample credits
- "Put Me On" contains a sample of "I'll Do Anything for You" performed by Denroy Morgan.
Personnel
- Mario - vocals, background vocals
- Manny Marroquin - mixing
- Tony Maserati - mixing
- Ben Arondale - mixing
- Tony Black - mixing
- Jon Gass - mixing
- Mischke - arranger, background vocals, vocal producer
- Alicia Keys - background vocals, instrumentation
- John Jubu Smith - guitar
- Neil Stubenhaus - bass
- Jan Fairchild - engineer
- Dave Russell - engineer
- Thor Laewe - engineer
- Jeff Allen - engineer
- Tony Black - engineer
- Xavier Marquez - guitar
- Erik Steinert - pro-tools
- Troy Patterson - executive producer
- Peter Edge - executive producer
- Clive Davis - executive producer
- Ronald B. Gillyard - A&R
- Larry Jackson - A&R
- Michael Lavine - photography
- Chris LeBeau - photo production
- Gregory Burke - cover
- June Ambrose - stylist
- Jolie Levine-Aller - production coordination
- Sandra Campbell - project coordenation
- Warryn Campbell - instrumentation
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | August 5, 2002 | J Records |
| Japan | September 25, 2002 | BMG Japan |
References
- ^ "Hot Product".
- ^ a b LeRoy, Dan. "Mario - Mario". AllMusic.
- ^ Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
- ^ USA Today review
- ^ Shaheem Reid (14 October 2002). "Mario Tour with Bow Wow".
- ^ "Mario Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Mario Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ "Mario Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2002". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2002". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ "American album certifications – Mario – Mario". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 22, 2014.