| Product Summary | | Label: J Records | | UPC: 00828766188523 | | Release Date: 12/7/2004 | | Buy.com Sku: 63917146 | | Item#: MLYEDU | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 25050 | Format:  CD |
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| In 2002 at the age of only 15 years old, Mario burst onto the scene with his debut single Just A Friend . And after two years, Mario, now 18, has returned with his second album Turning Point which includes his lastest hit single Let Me Love You. The album is produced by Scott Storch, the force behind Terror Squad's smash Lean Back, Lil' Jon, The Underdogs, Harold Lily and includes contributions from well-known artists including Cassidy and Juvenile.
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Mario; Craig Love, Mike Tyler, Reggie Hamilton, Bob Horn (guitar); Joel Campbell, Johnnie "Smurf" Smith (keyboards); Big Tank, Ivan "Orthodox" Barias (programming); James "Hal" Smith , Charles "CJ" Hilton, Jr., Eric Dawkins (background vocals); Jadakiss, Juvenile, T.I., Cham , Cassidy. | | Audio Mixers: John Frye; Manny Marroquin; Dave Russell ; Kamel Abdo; All-Star; Serban Ghenea. | | Recording information: Ameraycan Recording Studio, North Hollywood, CA (12/10/2004); Heads Up Recording, NJ (12/10/2004); Home Cookin' Studios, Philadelphia, PA (12/10/2004); Quad Studios, Nashville, TN (12/10/2004); Sony Studios, New York, NY (12/10/2004); Soundvilla Studios, Miami Beach, FL (12/10/2004); Stankonia Recording, Atlanta, GA (12/10/2004); The Inferno Recording Studio, LA, CA (12/10/2004); The Underlab, LA, CA (12/10/2004). | | Editors: Dabling Harward; Dave Russell . | | Photographer: Marc Baptiste. | | Two years after getting his foot in the door of contemporary urban music with a straight-faced cover of Biz Markie's "Just a Friend," Mario returned with his sophomore album, Turning Point, and its money lead single, "Let Me Love You." Produced and co-written by Scott Storch, fresh off the summertime success of his "Lean Back" chart-topper for Terror Squad, "Let Me Love You" has all the makings of a gigantic urban hit. It's by far the best song Mario has yet recorded, and it's one of the best contemporary R&B songs of the year, right up there with the best offerings of Usher, Alicia Keys, and company. However, there's not much else on Turning Point that comes close to matching the balladic magic of "Let Me Love You." The other immediate highlight is "Boom," a by-the-numbers rewrite of Usher's "Yeah," which likewise boasts Lil Jon's trademark production, a guest rap cameo (from Juvenile, in this case), a dance club theme, and a catchy, simple one-syllable refrain. There's also an album-closing remix of "Let Me Love You" that aims for the streets, featuring grown-up raps by Jadakiss and T.I. as well as a much edgier yet still infectious beat. Some of the slower songs like "How Could You" are quite likable, in a quiet storm sort of way. Above all, though, it's "Let Me Love You" and its remix that make Turning Point a noteworthy effort for this teenager and a fine second album overall. ~ Jason Birchmeier | | Mario first earned attention in his mid-teens with his huge hit "Just a Friend," a smooth R&B updating of Biz Markie's rap classic, and followed it up with a successful self-titled debut. With the shift into adulthood for his second record, Mario faced inevitable comparisons to another newly matured R&B crooner--Usher. Far from shying away from his similarities to Usher, Mario gets them out of the way on the first track of 2004's TURNING POINT, "18," where, with the help of Cassidy, he reminds listeners that he has "seven years to catch up" to the older superstar. | | While Mario opens with that tough declaration, his forte is the slow jam, and TURNING POINT is chock full of them. He follows "18" with the album's first single, the sultry "Let Me Love You," which proves to be straight out of the Marvin Gaye playbook. Mario channels the spirit of Teddy Pendergrass on the remorseful "Couldn't Say No," and recalls Jodeci on the melodious "Directions." Mario also doesn't slip when presented with a harder hip-hop beat, as evidenced on the Juvenile-touting "Boom" and the remix of "Let Me Love You" with T.I. and Jadakiss. |
Producer: Scott Storch; The Underdogs; Melvin Coleman; Howard Lilly; Ron Feemster; Alloy "Fai" Hume; Big Tank; Ivan Barias; Jonathan "Lil' Jon" Smith; All Star; Sean Garrett; Carvin Haggins; Scott Storch; Lil Jon; The Underdogs; Harold Lilly; Ron "NEFF-U" Feemstar |
Engineer: Chris Carmouche; John Frye; Frank Sutton; Conrad Golding; Dabling Harward; James Smith; Dave Russell; Kamel Abdo; Kameron Houff; Angelo Quaglia; Big Tank; Bob Horn; Carvin Haggins |
Musical Guests | | Juvenile | | Jadakiss | | T.I. |
| | Artist Overview | | The youthful R&B sensation Mario was signed to J Records when he was only 15, and hit the ground running with a high-charting debut album in 2002 featuring a popular remake of Biz Markie's "Just a Friend." His 2004 follow-up spawned a number one single co-written by Ne-Yo, "Let Me Love You." By the time he released his fourth, star-studded album in 2007, his vocals, writing, and performance had all matured significantly, making him one of contemporary R&B 's heaviest hitters. |
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| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 12/07/2004 | | Original Release Date : 2004 | | Catalog ID : 61885 | | Label : J-Records (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00828766188523 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Entertainment Weekly (p.71)
- "POINT is plenty catchy..." - Grade: B-Uncut (p.98)
- 3 stars out of 5 - "Lil' Jon gives him crunk juice on 'Boom', and Scott Storch sprinkles jumping gems everywhere." Vibe (p.141)
- 3 1/2 discs out of 5 - "On TURNING POINT, he flexes a deeper, more masculine voice..." |
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