Mario (album)

Mario
Mario
Studio album by Mario
Released	March 19, 2002
Recorded	2001–02
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: February 21, 2002; "Braid My Hair"; Released: September 7, 2002; "C'Mon"; Released: January 9, 2003;

Mario is the self-titled 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[]

Professional ratings
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"	Mario Barrett Warryn Campbell Harold Lilly John "Jubu" Smith Marcel Hall	W. Campbell	3:36
2.	"C'Mon"	Barrett Campbell Luther Campbell David Hobbs Chris Wong Won Mark Ross Sean Combs	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

Japanese bonus track
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 coordination
Warryn Campbell – instrumentation

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (2002)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[6]	78
US Billboard 200^[7]	9
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[8]	3

Year-end charts[]

Chart (2002)	Position
US Billboard 200^[9]	169
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[10]	58

Certifications[]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[11]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

List of regions, release dates and labels
Region	Date	Label
United Kingdom	August 5, 2002	J Records
Japan	September 25, 2002	BMG Japan

References[]

^ "Hot Product".
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b LeRoy, Dan. "Mario – Mario". AllMusic.
^ Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
^ USA Today review
^ Shaheem Reid (October 14, 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.

External links[]

[1] "Hot Product".

[allmusic-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b LeRoy, Dan. "Mario – Mario". AllMusic.

[3] Robert Christgau Consumer Guide

[4] USA Today review

[5] Shaheem Reid (October 14, 2002). "Mario Tour with Bow Wow".

[ac_BillboardCanada_Mario-6] "Mario Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2020.

[ac_Billboard200_Mario-7] "Mario Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.

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

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

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

[United_StatesMarioMarioalbumCertRef-11] "American album certifications – Mario – Mario". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 22, 2014.

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hide v 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" "Somebody Else" "Drowning"
Featured singles	"Headboard" "Ms. Chocolate"
Promotional singles	"Do Right" "The Walls"
Other songs	"Ooh Baby"