Mario (album)

Mario
Mario
Studio album by Mario
Released	July 23, 2002
Genre	R&B
Length	44:53
Label	J
Producer	Clive Davis (exec.); Peter Edge (exec.); Troy Patterson (exec.); Kerry Brothers, Jr.; Alicia Keys; Warryn Campbell; The Underdogs; Gérald Isaac; Amir Salaam; KL;
Mario chronology
Singles from Mario
	"Just a Friend 2002"; Released: April 22, 2002; "Braid My Hair"; Released: September 7, 2002; "C'Mon"; Released: January 9, 2003;

Mario is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Mario. It was released on July 23, 2002, by J Records. The album debuted at number 9 on the US Billboard 200, with first week sales of 96,000 copies and was eventually certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.^[2] Mario was supported by three singles, including "Just a Friend 2002", "Braid My Hair" and "C'Mon".

Promotion

In 2002, during rapper 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.^[3]

Singles

The debut single from the album, "Just a Friend 2002", a cover of Biz Markie's hit "Just a Friend", was released on May 4, 2002. Produced by Warryn Campbell, the song outperformed to its original, peaking at number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached at number 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming Mario's second most successful single in the United States. "Just a Friend 2002" also reached at number 18 in the United Kingdom. "Braid My Hair" was released as the album's second single on September 7, 2002. Another Campbell production, it was less successful on the charts, peaking at number 74 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while reaching at number 18 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Third and final single, "C'Mon" was released on January 9, 2003. It peaked at number 61 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number 28 in the United Kingdom.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]
Robert Christgau	^[5]
USA Today	^[6]

Dan LeRoy from AllMusic stated that 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 [...] 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."^[4] In his review for USA Today, Steve Jones noted that "Mario has a mature-for-his-age voice that sets him apart from the pack, even though he sticks with themes that don't make him seem older than he is [...] Radio-friendly grooves such as "Just a Friend" should get him immediate attention, but the soulful ballad "Never" suggests he's only scratching the surface of what he has to offer."^[6]

Chart performance

Mario debuted and peaked at number 9 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of August 10, 2002, with first week sales of 96,000 copies.^[7] It also reached number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.^[8] On September 15, 2002, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.^[9]

Track listing

*Mario* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Just a Friend 2002"	Mario Barrett Warryn Campbell Harold Lilly John "Jubu" Smith Marcel Hall	W. Campbell	3:36
2.	"C'Mon"	W. Campbell Joi Campbell Smith Robert Ginyard, Jr.	W. Campbell	3:24
3.	"Braid My Hair"	Barrett W. Campbell Lilly	W. Campbell	4:07
4.	"2 Train"	Barrett Kerry Brothers, Jr. Paul Green Alicia Augello Cook	Alicia Keys	4:03
5.	"What Your Name Is"	Barrett Damon Thomas Harvey Mason, Jr. Mischke	The Underdogs	5:57
6.	"Holla Back"	Barrett Thomas Mason, Jr. Mischke Steve Russell	The Underdogs	3:38
7.	"Could U Be"	Barrett Mischke Russell Thomas Mason, Jr.	The Underdogs	4:07
8.	"Put Me On"	Barrett Brother, Jr. Bertram Reid Woody Cunningham Norman Durham Ronald Miller Cook	Brother, Jr.	3:39
9.	"Chick wit da Braids"	Barrett Gérald Isaac	Isaac	3:50
10.	"Never"	Barrett Isaac	Isaac	3:59
11.	"Girl in the Picture"	Barrett Anthony Akiens Kevin "KL" Lewis Daniel Mickens Amir Salaam	Salaam KL	4:35
Total length:				44:53

Japanese bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"Just a Friend 2002 (Old School version)"	Barrett W. Campbell Lilly Smith Hall	W. Campbell	3:36

Sample credits

"C'Mon" contains elements from "Think (About It)" as performed by Lyn Collins and "It Takes Two" as performed by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock.
"Put Me On" contains a sample of "I'll Do Anything for You" as 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 coordination
Warryn Campbell – instrumentation

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Mario*
Chart (2002)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[10]	78
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[11]	15
US Billboard 200^[7]	9
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[8]	3

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Mario*
Chart (2002)	Position
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[12]	146
US Billboard 200^[13]	169
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[14]	58

Certifications

Certifications for *Mario*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[9]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

*Mario* release history
Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref(s)
United States	July 23, 2002	CD digital download	J Records	^[4]
Japan	September 25, 2002	CD digital download	BMG Japan	^{[citation needed]}

References

^ "The Number Ones: Mario's "Let Me Love You"". December 19, 2022.
^ "Hot Product". Billboard.
^ Shaheem Reid (October 14, 2002). "Mario Tour with Bow Wow". MTV. Archived from the original on April 10, 2005.
^ ^a ^b ^c LeRoy, Dan. "Mario – Mario". AllMusic.
^ Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
^ ^a ^b Jones, Steve. "Maturity from Mario; 'Learning' from Lamya". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Mario Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Mario Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
^ ^a ^b "American album certifications – Mario – Mario". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. August 1, 2005. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. August 1, 2002. Archived from the original on August 4, 2002. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
^ "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.

[1] "The Number Ones: Mario's "Let Me Love You"". December 19, 2022.

[2] "Hot Product". Billboard.

[3] Shaheem Reid (October 14, 2002). "Mario Tour with Bow Wow". MTV. Archived from the original on April 10, 2005.

[AllMusic-4] LeRoy, Dan. "Mario – Mario". AllMusic.

[5] Robert Christgau Consumer Guide

[usatoday-6] Jones, Steve. "Maturity from Mario; 'Learning' from Lamya". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2022.

[Billboard200-7] "Mario Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.

[BillboardRandBHipHop-8] "Mario Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.

[RIAA-9] "American album certifications – Mario – Mario". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 22, 2014.

[10] "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. August 1, 2005. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved April 15, 2023.

[11] "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. August 1, 2002. Archived from the original on August 4, 2002. Retrieved April 15, 2023.

[12] "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 25, 2022.

[13] "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums – 2002". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.

[14] "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – 2002". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.

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v t e Mario
Discography Awards and nominations
Studio albums	Mario Turning Point Go D.N.A. Dancing Shadows
Singles	"Just a Friend 2002" "Braid My Hair" "C'mon" "Let Me Love You" "How Could You" "Here I Go Again" "Boom" "How Do I Breathe" "Crying Out for Me" "Music for Love" "Break Up" "Thinkin' About You" "The Walls" "Somebody Else" "Fatal Distraction" "Drowning"
Featured singles	"Headboard" "Ms. Chocolate"
Promotional singles	"Do Right"