''Mario'' is the self-titled debut studio album by American singer-songwriter

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...

. It was released on July 23, 2002, by

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

. The album debuted at number 9 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, with first week sales of 96,000 copies and was eventually certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. ''Mario'' was supported by three singles, including "

Just a Friend 2002 "Just a Friend 2002" is a song by American R&B singer Mario, written by Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell, Harold Lilly, John Smith, and Biz Markie. It is a loose cover of Markie's hit "Just a Friend" and was the first single released from Mario's se ...

", "

Braid My Hair "Braid My Hair" is a Contemporary R&B, R&B single by Mario (singer), Mario. It is the second single from his first studio album ''Mario (album), Mario''. The single was released in October 2002. The single was produced and written by Warryn Campbe ...

" and " C'Mon".

Promotion

In 2002, during rapper Bow Wow 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 Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host '' The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's ...

, AJA, Jhené,

Marques Houston Marques Barrett Houston (born August 4, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actor. A member of the R&B group Immature/IMx from 1990 until 2002, Houston went solo in 2003. As an actor, he is best known for his role as Roger Evans ...

and

B2K B2K (Boys of the New Millennium) was an American boy band that was active from 1998 to 2004, and again from 2018 to 2019. In 1998, the group was formed by American dance choreographer Dave Scott and Interscope A&R Keshia Gamble. The members ...

, as one of the supporting acts for the 2003's Scream Tour III.

Singles

The debut single from the album, "

", a cover of

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...

's hit "

Just a Friend "Just a Friend" is a song written, produced and performed by American hip hop artist Biz Markie. It was released in September 1989 as the lead single from his album, '' The Biz Never Sleeps''. It is Markie's most successful single, reaching n ...

", was released on May 4, 2002. Produced by

Warryn Campbell Warryn Stafford Campbell, Jr. (born August 21, 1975) is an American record producer. He has worked with a number of gospel, hip hop and R&B artists. Campbell originally got his start as a session musician and producer under the tutelage of DJ ...

, 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 The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

, becoming Mario's second most successful single in the United States. "Just a Friend 2002" also reached at number 18 in the United Kingdom. "

" was released as the album's second single on September 7, 2002. Another Campbell procution, it was less sucesssful 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

Dan LeRoy from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

stated that the album "offers doses of the real thing; its combination of

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

-style charm and authentic substance are reminiscent of nothing so much as a young

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, 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." In his review for ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'', 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."

Chart performance

''Mario'' debuted and peaked at mumber 9 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 in the week of August 10, 2022, with first week sales of 96,000 copies. It also reached number three on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

chart. On September 15, 2002, the album was certified

by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.

Track listing

Sample credits * "Put Me On" contains a sample of "I'll Do Anything for You" performed by

Denroy Morgan Denroy Morgan (15 May 1945 – 3 March 2022) was a Jamaican-born American reggae artist. Morgan traveled to the United States in 1965, at the age of 20, to become a musician. He was part of the formation of the Black Eagles, a New York City regga ...

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

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2002 debut albums Mario (American singer) albums J Records albums Albums produced by Clive Davis Albums produced by Alicia Keys Albums produced by the Underdogs (production team) Albums produced by Warryn Campbell